Social media is the hottest tech topic at the moment. As Google and Facebook, apparently, fight for control of Twitter, the likes of salesforce.com, Tibco, Yammer, Mvine, SocialText, SocialCast and more battle for control of the enterprise social media/networking space.
There are plenty of examples of companies diving headfirst into a social media project without having a set policy in place, such as the recent case of fashion designer Kenneth Cole suggesting the recent unrest in Egypt was down to the release of his new spring collection.
But fear not. Analyst house Gartner is here to help. The company has outlined seven key questions every business must answer when creating a social media policy.
What is our organisation’s strategy for social media?
Bit of an obvious one, this. "It is critical that social media leaders determine the purpose of their initiatives before they deploy them and that those responsible for social media initiatives articulate how the organisation’s mission, strategy, values and desired outcomes inform and impact on these initiatives," the report says.
Who will write and revise the policy?
Some companies let the CIO write it, others appoint a committee to do it. "It’s useful to gain agreement about who is responsible, accountable, consulted and involved before beginning work on the policy and, where possible, a cross-section of the company’s population should be involved in the policy creation process," says the report. "It’s important to remember that there is a difference between policy — which states do’s and don’ts at a high level — and operational processes, such as recruitment or customer support — which may use social media. These operational processes need to be flexible and changeable and adhere to the policy, but each department/activity will need to work out specific governance and process guidelines."
How will we vet the policy?
Getting different parts of the organisation to provide feedback on the policy will not only mean that legal, security, privacy and corporate branding is considered but also increase the amount of buy-in, Gartner reckons.
How will we inform employees about their responsibilities?
The written policy is just the first step; it needs to be backed up with training. "This helps to make the policy come to life so that employees understand not just what the policy says, but how it impacts on them," the report says. "It also explains what the organisation expects to gain from its participation in social media, which should influence employees in their social media interactions."
Who will be responsible for monitoring social media employee activities?
"A well-designed training and awareness programme will help with ensuring the company gets the most out of social media," the report explains, "but managers and the organisation’s leader for social media also need to pay attention. Managers need to understand policy and assumptions and how to spot inappropriate activity, but their role is to be more of a guide to support team self-moderation, rather than employ a top-down, monitor-and-control approach."
How will we train managers to coach employees on social media use?
Some managers may struggle with the training aspect of implementing a social media policy, so it’s vital that they are fully aware of the demands before employees start to use social media.
How will we use missteps to refine our policy and training?
The ability to be able to review how well social media initiatives are going is key to making a success of it – but that is only possible if the policy is clear and understood right from the start.
"Social media offers tempting opportunities to interact with employees, business partners, customers, prospects and a whole host of anonymous participants on the social web," said Carol Rozwell, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "However, those who participate in social media need guidance from their employer about the rules, responsibilities, ‘norms’ and behaviours expected of them, and these topics are commonly covered in the social media policy."
