Corporate Social Media Policies: A Double-Edged Sword?

In this morning’s Reputation Management, Internet Privacy, and Social Media Quick Hits, we shared a link to an interesting discussion post at ZDNet, which explored how social media use by employees can reflect negatively on a company’s brand. The post ended with the following question: Should company’s have policies controlling comments made by staff members during their own private time?

I have copied my response to the question below, but I would be eager to hear what others think as well. Please feel free to respond to my comment at the original ZDNet article, or here on the ReputationDefender Blog.

I believe that, generally speaking, companies that don’t embrace the transformative power of social media (or at least investigate how to use it) are doing themselves a disservice. In a good corporate environment, where employees are valued and committed to the company, it can be a tremendous asset to allow employees the freedom to use social media. Not only does this demonstrate an open and idea-driven corporate environment, but it frees up the possibility of employees evangelizing on behalf of your brand.

Conversely, however, a malicious blog post, Tweet, or Facebook update from an employee (or ex-employee) can do considerable damage to a company’s brand if it is not addressed quickly. In this regard, social media policies should be focused on educating employees about the appropriate use of social media, while simultaneously letting them know that there are consequences to their actions online.

At this point, all web users should understand that what they share online is not private. Even if it is hidden behind a layer of anonymity, we must consider that everything we share on the web will be seen by someone other than its intended audience. Taking steps to mitigate the damage done by misguided social networking while leveraging the technology for positive branding purposes should be a critical component of any modern business’ marketing efforts.