A lot of corporations are aware of the fact that their employees actively participate on a variety of social networks. But in order to protect the company’s privacy it is necessary to put a social media policy into place. A social media policy is a set of regulations for company employees to follow when it comes to social networks and communities. When an employee of a particular company acts in a poor manner it reflects on the reputation of that company. Social media policies allow employees to use social networks but maintain a sense of order and responsibility in their social media activity. I am going to discuss some of the aspects that should be considered when putting together a social media policy for your company.

Ensure that employees refer to your company in a respectful manner at all times. They should not be posting comments that would compromise the company’s reputation or credibility. Employees should protect the company’s privacy. They should not be using social networks to post any confidential employee or company information. Employees should refrain from using explicit language. Comments and statuses should be polite and tasteful. Employees and staff of a particular company should take a diplomatic approach when referring to company competitors or any other sources of competition in their status or comments.

source: http://www.globecartoon.com/

A lot of companies have started putting Social Media policies in place. Take the NFL for example. They have just created their social media policy for all members of the National Football League. The most important feature of their social media policy says that football players, representatives and team personnel are banned from using social networks during and 90 minutes before or after games. I think this was a necessary aspect to keep in a social media policy meant for a professional sport league. Information and statements made by players on their social networks could compromise the integrity of the game. The NBA is also next to follow and will be putting a social media policy into place. Players and team members who refrain from following rules will be expected to pay fines or could even be suspended from playing games.

The military and defense departments of the US are also imposing restrictions on troops that use social networks to communicate with people from around the world. But the US government is more concerned about communication on social networks exposing sensitive information on defense operations taking place. The US Marines have banned the use of any web 2.0 applications for this reason. Some defense personnel feel that providing access to social networks for their troops becomes a distraction while on active duty.

For any company making its presence on the Internet through social networks and social media applications it is imperative to have a social media policy in place. A Social Media policy will regulate and keep the best interests of the company and its employees. Taking a look at other company social media policies will help you to understand what to incorporate in a policy for your own business.