QUESTION
Organisations are now confronted with employees having access to social media network technologies (SMNTs) at the workplace. At times the boundaries between what constitutes the organisation’s corporate information and the employees’ personal information are blurred. For example, should an employee’s personal blog be used to address corporate projects being worked on by the employee? Likewise, should corporate records be published outside the organisation’s computing infrastructure externally using social media technologies?
As the newly appointed information manager or archivist in your organisation you have been tasked to address the following 2 topics:
Develop an information management policy document on the use of social media/networking technologies (such as FaceBook, Blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), for an organisation of your choice. Address how SMNTs within and outside your organisation’s firewalls are to be used.
Provide guidance on how records resulting from these SMNTs are managed.
The policy is targeted to be implemented organisation wide to all knowledge workers or employees. Hence, write in a manner that would enable your audience to easily comprehend and adhere.
Evidence of research into current records and archives management theory and practice is essential. You are expected to have researched widely for this policy document, analysing and synthesising what you have read with your thinking on the subject matter. Review similar policies by State Records Offices, National Archives, and in the literature.
Since you are creating a policy document, it is not convention to include in-text citations except for direct quotes; however, the policy must be written in your own words and not ‘cut and paste’ from existing policies. To demonstrate academic integrity, include:
a bibliography at the end of the policy to demonstrate your research.
A minimum of five to seven current (last 5 years) references are required. In addition, you can include older references or other references used in the organisation.
Plus
an appendix after the bibliography titled as Appendix – Academic integrity and outline the reference sources used to research and write your assignment in approximately 200 to 300 words. You may use section headings to state the topic matter e.g. relevant policies reviewed and list the references (in APA 6th format) below as evidence of your research, etc.
Present in a standard policy document format. This means the cover sheet of your policy needs to have the following details at the minimum: title, date, author, approved by, revision history, policy number, etc.
Present in a standard policy document format. This means the cover sheet of your policy needs to have the following details at the minimum: title, date, author, approved by, revision history, policy number, etc.
If certain aspects of the social media technology are managed by another department (e.g. the physical aspects by the IT section) then simply provide a statement to this effect and an appropriate link to the relevant policy/policies.
It will be necessary to briefly describe the organisation and the context within which it operates on a separate one page coversheet to accompany your assignment. This would be excluded from the word limit for the assignment.
Limit: 2,500 words (state your word count when submitting your assignment, appendices, reference list and one page coversheet do not add to the word count)
SOLUTION
Social networking sites comprising of Facebook, My space, twitter etc have gained immense poularity in the past few years which is evident from their fan following and the people who are more interested to write their personal/official stuff day in day out to keep others updated with the recent activities ongoing in their personal lives These Social networking sites are usually free of cost and any person can make an account provided he has an separate e-mail account. The data uploaded over the aforesaid websites are usually stored and anyone can gain an access to the information. When the social networking phenomenon started ruling and consuming the time of people of every generation, then much like the Corporate Sector did not had any clue to how to deal with the aforesaid. It’s now of have become more of human tendency to stay connected with their loved ones through such social networking sites where issues appertaining to security and privacy of their data are undermined.
A recent survey conducted by YouGov have brought forward an astonishing fact that the employees get themselves distracted to social networking sites during their work hours which resultantly cause corporates a loss of more than 3 hrs a week excluding the online banking, shopping or music downloads. However, the unprecedented issue regarding the data in the form of personal information uploaded on web and its exposure to third person/stranger has been undermined by the person accessing such sites.
Corporate Confusion:
Infact, it was witnessed everywhere that most of the people used to spend huge amount of time over the net chatting on the aforesaid websites. Consequently, the productivity level went all time low, and subsequently there were implicit legislations appertaining ban of using such social networking sites at the work place. However, that didn’t work out keeping in view the desire of the people to get back to social networking sites in the free time and moreover, the popularity it had gained in the past few years. Sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook though earlier used for keeping in touch with your closed ones has recently gained popularity appertaining to their commercial utilization. However, the level of information uploaded over these sites by the employees working in corporate environment has come to close scrutiny with regard to recent outburst of few company’s private/confidential data uploaded on world wide web on such social networking sites. In view of the aforesaid, the Corporates need to address this upcoming issues keeping in view the security as well as privacy issues in mind.
1. WHY have such a policy?
Social media with regard to social networking sites though very important mean of communication and stay in touch with your loved ones, have also now become very integral source of brand commercialization and upbringing its face value. A Human resource professional has a constant responsibility to manage the employees of the company but at the same time has a fiduciary duty to update the corporate with the emerging trend and make simultaneous policies in regard to that., constantly accused of being all about policies. With respect to social networking sites and the amount of hours the employees invest in those sites, casts a responsibility on HR to pass necessary policies appertaining to the above.
1. The right to privacy must not be clubbed with disclosing commercial information on World Wide Web. The Employers need to address such issues to the employees that whatever they post on such social networking site with respect to corporate information would be dealt very strictly and any information detrimental to the above, would result in passing of strict actions against the above.
2. At the same time Employees should be made aware about the company’s policies, its ethics and loyalty with respect to all form of communication between the corporate clients and outsiders. Strict lessons should be taken with respect to uploading of any vague status over such social networking site.
2. WHAT can social media do for my organization?
When the social networking phenomenon started ruling and consuming the time of people of every generation, then much like the Corporate Sector did not had any clue to how to deal with the aforesaid. However, with increased popularity and acceptance of World Wide Web viewers, the corporate are using such social networking sites as a mean to establish their brand in the market. In addition, The company like “Dell” has claimed more than $1 million in revenue over the past year with respect economic viability availed by the Corporates by utilizing social media as their strength.
3. WHO should the policy cover?
Social Media being a widespread epidemic spread across the globe. Its time the Corporate realized its importance and incorporate policies appertaining to media online with respect to corporate disclosures/information. It is important to purport that the world has shrink to a pocket computer with access to world wide web and it is not just employees but also companies also who carries their economic activities over net, therefore since all the communications has moved to net in substitution to letters/fax/ telegrams therefore it becomes vibrant for every company to take necessary steps and to draft or formulate policy over regularization of company data over world wide web.
4. WHERE should you let employees know about this policy?
Well as it’s a common phrase” that to clean world you have to clean your house first”. Therefore, every company during induction/training of an employee must make him aware about the do’s and don’ts on social networking site and the amount of data/company information to be uploaded over such sites. Infact, most of the company’s have nowadays incorporated very stringent policies appertaining to non-use of multi-media phones in their office premises and ban of social networking sites during office hours. Well, these kinds of policies are not effective in long run keeping in view the human tendency to be on such sites and the amount of experience/knowledge they gain over it. Therefore, a comprehensive policy needs to be formulated keeping in view their employees aspirations/needs and desires and they should be clubbed in such a manner so that the company long term goals are met. A great example is Zappos company which encourages all its employees to have twitter accounts so that they can interact and communicate with the current as well as potential customers of the company. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh says that their company uses Twitter in a big way. “We’ve found that it’s a great way to form more personal connections with both employees and customers.”
5. WHEN is the right time to implement a policy?
Well, the time as we know slips every moment. In today’s competitive environment, if you donot strike when the iron is hot than you have lost an opportunity to gain advantage over your competitors. The time to think about drafting a social media policy is now. It is been widely acknowledged that Twitter/Facebbok and other social networking sites are growing rapidly and if now the policies are not formulated for effective marketing over such sites, then an opportunity is lost big time. Just like Seimens and other companies, when they launched their mobiles it was accepted with both hands, However, when they failed to keep up with new innovative techniques, they were driven out be\y market by their competitors. Therefore, accepting technology its different thing but keeping up a pace with such technology and taking necessary steps to gain an undue advantage over your competitors by harnessing such technology in a profitable outlook is an art and only a leading entrepreneurs can deal with it by formulating such comprehensive policies,
Monty agrees. “If anything, existing policies should already be in place; amending them to include the changes to communications platforms and anticipating future changes – should occur ASAP.”
Common sense cannot be spread or gained if it is not inherent. Therefore, Companies should master such social networking sites to gain an advantage over other companies and also at the same time leverage the benefits to their employees by making their brand more marketable and viable among other brands in the market. It will not only help the company in long run but at the same time it will help them in maintaining long term relations with their employees. That means developing guidelines for its use, training people to leverage the benefits, and proactively creating a positive social media presence for the organization.
Therefore key guidelines which must be incorporated while drafting social networking policy:
1: A clear company philosophy:
The company’s aim and objectives has to be kept in mind while formulating such policy. It is not to be forget that social networking has become an effective means to promote and establish the brand value of the company. Social media with regard to social networking sites though very important mean of communication and stay in touch with your loved ones, have also now become very integral source of brand commercialization and upbringing its face value. With respect to social networking sites and the amount of hours the employees invest in those sites, casts a responsibility on HR to pass necessary policies appertaining to the aims and objectives of the company. However, with increased popularity and acceptance of World Wide Web viewers, the corporate are using such social networking sites as a mean to establish their brand in the market in consonance to its aims and objectives.
2: The definition of “social networking”
Social networking sites comprising of Facebook, My space, twitter etc have gained immense poularity in the past few years which is evident from their fan following and the people who are more interested to write their personal/official stuff day in day out to keep others updated with the recent activities ongoing in their personal lives These Social networking sites are usually free of cost and any person can make an account provided he has an separate e-mail account. The data uploaded over the aforesaid websites are usually stored and anyone can gain an access to the information. It may seem obvious, but it’s important that your policy define what is meant by “social networking” or “social media,” since the term means different things to different people.
3: Identifying oneself as an employee of the company
Infact, it was witnessed everywhere that most of the people used to spend huge amount of time over the net chatting on the aforesaid websites. Consequently, the productivity level went all time low, and subsequently there were implicit legislations appertaining ban of using such social networking sites at the work place. However, that didn’t work out keeping in view the desire of the people to get back to social networking sites in the free time and moreover, the popularity it had gained in the past few years. Your social networking policy should also make clear whether employees are allowed to identify themselves as representatives of the company. Since, the employees are responsible for establishing and promoting the brand on such social networking sites, therefore it becomes important to appreciate and acknowledge their role and at the same time the employees are also able to associate themselves with the brand. By identifying oneself as an employee of XYZ Inc., a social networker becomes, to some extent, a representative of that company, and everything he/she posts has the potential to reflect on the company and its image.
4: Recommending others
With respect to testimonials, feedbacks not only by customers but also by employees on such social networking sites, it helps in a long run in establishing the brand building and also the loyalty towards the company. Endorsing and believing in what you and your employees are endorsing are distinctive features of successful corporates which stand out in a long run. Some social sites provide for members to write recommendations or referrals for friends/associates. However, some company’s prohibits such marketing techniques but again as reiterated there is always an loser if there has to be a winner.
5: Referring to clients, customers, or partners
In any business, relationships with clients, customers and partners are valuable assets which go a long run in determining the successful operations of such business in future. Therefore, your social networking policy should be so comprehensive that anyone associated with your company should like to become a member and special schemes and discounts must be made available to them to ensure their long consistency with the company.
6: Proprietary or confidential information
Any private/confidential information should not be made available on such social networking sites. Even though you may have other policies that cover the dissemination of the company’s proprietary or confidential information, trade secrets, etc., the social networking policy should reiterate those policies and provide specific examples as they relate to social networking sites. The right to privacy must not be clubbed with disclosing commercial information on World Wide Web. The Employers need to address such issues to the employees that whatever they post on such social networking site with respect to corporate information would be dealt very strictly and any information detrimental to the above, would result in passing of strict actions against the above. At the same time Employees should be made aware about the company’s policies, its ethics and loyalty with respect to all form of communication between the corporate clients and outsiders. Strict lessons should be taken with respect to uploading of any vague status/private information over such social networking site.
7: Terms of Service
These Social networking sites are usually free of cost and any person can make an account provided he has an separate e-mail account. The data uploaded over the aforesaid websites are usually stored and anyone can gain an access to the information. Most social networking sites require that users, when they sign up, agree to abide by a Terms of Service (ToS) document.. For example, most ToS agreements prohibit users from giving false names or other false information, so the company policy should not require users to use pseudonyms when signing up for social networking sites.
8: Copyright and other legal issues
Well laws appertaining to Copyright/Trademark have become very strict and any defiance of the aforesaid is liable to be met with strict actions. Therefore, the policies should be formulated in as much keeping in mind the legal principles as enunciated above and to avoid any kind of copyright/plagiarism. Posting of someone else’s work without permission is not allowed (other than short quotes that comply with the “fair use” exceptions). Other relevant laws include those related to libel and defamation of character. A good rule of thumb is the one our mothers taught us long ago: “If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all.”
9: Productivity impact
When the social networking phenomenon started ruling and consuming the time of people of every generation, then much like the Corporate Sector did not had any clue to how to deal with the aforesaid. It’s now of have become more of human tendency to stay connected with their loved ones through such social networking sites where issues appertaining to security and privacy of their data are undermined. A recent survey as reiterated above conducted by YouGov have brought forward an astonishing fact that the employees get themselves distracted to social networking sites during their work hours which resultantly cause corporates a loss of more than 3 hrs a week excluding the online banking, shopping or music downloads. Your policies should make it clear that social networking activities are not to interfere with the employee’s primary job responsibilities.
10: Disciplinary action
The Employers need to address such issues to the employees that whatever they post on such social networking site with respect to corporate information would be dealt very strictly and any information detrimental to the above, would result in passing of strict actions against the above. To have teeth, a policy must include consequences for violations.
Draft Social Networking policy:
IBM Social Computing Guidelines
- Know and follow IBM’s Business Conduct Guidelines.
- IBMers are personally responsible for the content they publish on-line, whether in a blog, social computing site or any other form of user-generated media. Be mindful that what you publish will be public for a long time—protect your privacy and take care to understand a site’s terms of service.
- Identify yourself—name and, when relevant, role at IBM—when you discuss IBM or IBM-related matters, such as IBM products or services. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
- If you publish content online relevant to IBM in your personal capacity 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 and never discuss IBM business performance or other sensitive matters publicly.
- Don’t cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval. When you do make a reference, link back to the source. Don’t publish anything that might allow inferences to be drawn which could embarrass or damage a client.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Don’t use use IBM logos or trademarks unless approved to do so.
Bibliography:
Sharlyn Lauby, 2009, “Should your company have a social media policy?”
Available at:
http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/social-media-policy/
Debra Littlejohn Dibler, 2009, “10 things you must cover in your social networking policy”
Available at:
Linkedin, Anonymous, “Wikipedia”
Available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn
Edelman, 2009, “Online Behaviour Policies and Procedures for all Edelman staff”
Available at:
http://www.edelman.com/obpp/BEHAVIOR_POLICIES_PROCEDURES_v2009-0325.pdf
Clarence Lee and Shirley Fung, “Online Social Networks and E-Commerce”
Available at:
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall07-papers/social-networks.pdf
Anonymous
Available at:
http://blog.absolute.com/tag/social-networking/
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