Every day, more & more people are taking part in the Grand Conversation called Web 2.0. Employees represent the company they work for, online and offline, whether these companies realize it or not.
The corporate response to this issue can be schedualized by means of the following continuum:
Source
As far as I can see, most companies are in one of the following positions:
"Only approved employees engage" is actually a company warming up to social media. It wants employees to participate.
"Everyone does their own thing": no having any type of policy is the policy. This is the default position. And companies still benefit tremendously here. They just may have some employee behaviors they wouldn’t want to see.
"All employees are deputized": this is the most proactive stance. Smart companies are treating every employee as an individual brand manager out on the Web. They are deputizing them by giving them guidelines, setting expectations, and then letting them act on their own. It’s a wonderful way to let employees both (1) engage the market about their company and their work; and (2) learn from others as to the state of their fields.
Some Web 2.0 disasters in-the-making can be avoided by being proactive. One possibility to avoid reputational damage for your corporation is to draw up your own set of "social media guidelines". The US Air Force Blog Assessment Chart is a nice example, but IBM did an ever nicer job. They were one of the first companies to really ponder over the implications of citizen journalism by company insiders.
Below you find an executive summary of their Social Computing Guidelines.
IBM Social Computing Guidelines
Know and follow IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines.
IBMers are personally responsible for the content they publish on blogs, wikis or any other form of user-generated media. Be mindful that what you publish will be public for a long time—protect your privacy.
Identify yourself — name and, when relevant, role at IBM—when you discuss IBM or IBM-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
If you publish content to any website outside of IBM and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with IBM, use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions."
Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
Don't provide IBM's or another's confidential or other proprietary information. Ask permission to publish or report on conversations that are meant to be private or internal to IBM.
Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval. When you do make a reference, where possible link back to the source.
Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in IBM's workplace. You should also show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion.
Find out who else is blogging or publishing on the topic, and cite them.
Be aware of your association with IBM in online social networks. If you identify yourself as an IBMer, ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and clients.
Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective. IBM's brand is best represented by its people and what you publish may reflect on IBM's brand.
Companies writing social media guidelines of their own should definetely take a look at the set of guidelines by Intel too.
Thanks to Hutch Carpenter, I can even provide you with a table pointing out the differences between the IBM and the Intel approach:
These two tech behemoths do a great job in mixing corporate interests with a hands-off approach that defines authentic social media engagement. The documents are pretty good reads, and surprisingly similar.
Respect to IBM and Intel for their guidelines. These early adopters are trendsetters, and I look forward to other companies joining the fray. Sphere: Related Content
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