Social Media Policy for a Tech Company

I work at a small tech company, around 300 employess, in the Midwest. I am a training specialist and instructional designer there. Our company uses social media for internal communication as well as for external marketing purposes. For this assignment, I looked at current social media policies at large tech companies such as Intel. The guidelines I have created are a compilation different rules, suggestions and guidelines from the policies that I read. They are not specific to my company, but they are designed to apply to any tech company.

 To ensure stakeholder feedback on these policies, the following steps would be taken.

1. A draft of the proposed policies will be released to stakeholders, including employees, so that they can preview them.
2. Feedback forms will be made available to all via Google Forms. 
3. Feedback submitted will be reviewed by HR director and upper management and considered during final revision. 
4. Once the policy is made official, the employees can provide ongoing feedback through proper channels. 

Social Media Policies

1. Be transparent: If you make an endorsement or recommendation about the company's products/technologies, you must disclose that you work for company. If you do not have a company handle, then use "#iwork4company" in your postings. Using a disclaimer in your bio or profile is not enough per the FTC.
2. Be yourself: Stick to your area of expertise; only write what you know. If you publish to a website outside of the company, please use a disclaimer like this one: “The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent the company’s positions, strategies, or opinions.”
3. Be up-to-date: If you are leaving the company, please remember to update your employment information on social media sites.
4. Don't tell secrets: Never reveal Intel classified or confidential information. If you are posting your job description on LinkedIn, be sure not to reveal confidential product information. If you’re unsure, check with HR. Off-limit topics include litigation, non-published financials, and unreleased product info. Also, please respect brand, trademark, copyright, fair use, and trade secrets. If it gives you pause—pause rather than publish.
5. Don't slam the competition (or company): Play nice. Anything you publish must be true and not misleading, and all claims must be substantiated and approved.*
6. Don't overshare: Be careful out there—once you hit "share," you usually can’t get it back. Plus, being judicious will help make your content more crisp and audience-relevant.
7. Add value: There are millions of words out there—make yours helpful and thought-provoking. Remember, it’s a conversation, so keep it real. Build community by posting content that invites responses—then stay engaged. You can also broaden the dialogue by citing others who are writing about the same topic and allowing your content to be shared.
8. Always remember: that anything posted in social media can go viral, no matter what your privacy settings may be, so be sure you’re only posting content you would feel comfortable showing up in your boss’ inbox, your coworker’s Twitter feed or the front page of a major news site.
9. Play nice: We're a global community of many types of people, who all have the right to feel comfortable and who may not think what you think, believe what you believe, or see what you see. So, be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members.
10. Press pause: If you are about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, then don't. Take a  break and come back to it later.

References:

Channel 9 Doctrine. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from http://channel9.msdn.com/About/

 

Intel Corporation. (n.d.). Intel Social Media Guidelines. Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/legal/intel-social-media-guidelines.html 

Lauby, S. (2009, June 2). 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy. Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/#iAxWeioaukqX 

Meister, J. (2013, January 7). To Do: Update Company's Social Media Policy ASAP. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2013/02/07/to-do-update-companys-social-media-policy-asap/#56b59219a10d