What should a social media policy contain?[/b][/b]
Limitations on time [/b][/b]
Setting limitations on how much time in a day an employee can spend on social media, they cannot use the excuse well there was a lot to do on Facebook day.
Make it clear that they are using corporate time and they are not to be using a social network to chat with their friends.
Language Guidelines [/b][/b]
The second a business makes the claim language won’t be an issue someone will make a post that proves them wrong, so head it off from the start.
If there is specific language employees are not supposed to use, make it clear to them.
Reaction Guidelines [/b][/b]
It might seem hard to believe, but some people are pretty short tempered. In September a grocery store called Price Chopper made headlines in a bad way, due to a bad reaction from an employee on social media.
When a customer submitted a complaint, instead of writing back in a positive manner, the employee went off on the customer.
This resulted in them making national headlines and requiring a few different apologies.
Profile Guidelines [/b][/b]
If they are going to be using a personal account as a representative of the company, their profile needs to match the company image.
What Should an Employee Use Social Media For?[/b][/b]
The power of social media is ever increasing. Every company is different when it comes to their expectations for use of social media. Some companies don’t think their employees should be using it at all, while other companies rely on it heavily as a form of Internet marketing.
The social media universe can be incredibly daunting to those who aren't familiar. For this reason, providing training for employees unsure of how to participate is an important part of developing effective ambassadors.
Giving employees an area where they can communicate both internally and externally easily opens doors of communication. Employees can engage by building off their colleague's participation and create a unified front. It also gives the company a single portal to communicate major initiatives and events, providing employees with the information to make accurate posts to social media sites.
Include your name and, when appropriate, your company name and your title. Consumers buy from people that they know and trust, so let people know who you are.
When you’re out in the blogosphere or Twitterverse or other social media channels, remember that your readers include current clients, potential clients, as well as current/past/future employees. Consider that before you publish and make sure you aren’t alienating any of those groups.
Points that you can include in the policies are
Introduce the purpose of social media to employees
Telling them to be authentic and be responsible, being confidential & bringing value as well as to have a look at the productivity.
One should also take into consideration the reasons behind why the employees are into social media like
How do social media integrate the job?
Practices for engaging employees for social media
Handling events, social media and productivity
One of the key elements of this work, in my opinion, is creating a social media policy that fits well with the organization’s goals, culture and risk tolerance.
If you wish to know about the social media policies at Opera they are as follows:
Opera Employee Blogging Policies
Opera Community has opened an area in which users can maintain a blog. Opera employees to participate in this same community - whether you are obsessively writing about the browser, or about nothing but your favorite Norwegian wildflowers.
Sometimes Opera employees may want to write about something but worry that it is not for disclosure. This may lead to a missed opportunity to talk about something that is, in fact, public. They also may not realize that something is strategically sensitive and should not be written about. To shed some light on these issues, Opera employees may refer to the following guidelines:
Share your thoughts
Be open and use this service for discussing life at Opera, or talking about topics outside of work. This area is yours, use your personality and use your language, whether that's English, norsk, casual, refined, techy-jargon, or Pig-Latin.
Be active
Interact with other community members, both inside and outside Opera. We want to encourage other users to become active in the community too.
We're not your mama
No one is there to look over your shoulder, but please use common sense when it comes to the use of objectionable language, sensitive topics, etc. Also be sure to proof-read and use proper grammar / spelling.
Don't give away the farm
Remember your obligations to your NDA. If an item is questionable, in terms of secrecy, it may be better to err on the side of caution as we are under strict obligations of secrecy with our partners. If you have specific questions, feel free to bring them up with your manager.
Check your sources
Some sources may acquire inside knowledge that is not meant for publication. Just because you may see something on the Web does not mean it is meant to be public knowledge. As a general rule, an item that has appeared in a press release may be considered fair game.
Our friends are your friends
Remember to protect the privacy of Opera's partners and customers. If there's a new deal with Widget Co. that has not been mentioned in a press release, it is probably not public knowledge.
For the squeamish
Some may feel more comfortable posting a disclaimer claiming that the opinions posted are not those of Opera Software. This may help readers understand that your comments are from your perspective.