Learn some guidelines for creating a social media policy for your company.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
The policies that companies, organizations (i.e., non-profits) or governments
use vary widely based on their purposes and the extent of usage of Social Media. In
fact, the definitions of “Social Media” differ from organization to organization.
Many policies refer to “Internet and Email Usage” separate and distinct
from “Blogging and Social Media Usage”. Many companies rely on their Codes of
Conduct or other Ethics Policies, but those simply are not enough to govern Social
Media issues, which have special considerations and ways to disseminate
information and interpersonal interactions that go beyond traditional methods.
FORM: GUIDELINES FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Company Philosophy and/or Mission Statement
(To use Social Media to execute Company’s mission of …)
Social Media Goals
(Usually to create an empowered online community of Company supporters.)
Understanding Privacy Settings
Be Yourself. Be Courteous. Be Genuine.
Differentiate between personal opinion and Company/Employee opinion
Give credit where credit is due.
Be clear, but not defensive.
Tell the Truth
Delete comments that are spam, profanity, hate or infringe copyrights
Correct errors promptly
Disagree respectfully
Reply to comments only as appropriate and promptly
Link directly to research sources and reference materials.

2. FORM: GENERAL INTERNET AND EMAIL USAGE:
Voice mail, email, and Internet usage assigned to an employee's computer, telephone or
telephone extensions are solely for the purpose of conducting Company business. Some job
responsibilities at the Company require access to the Internet and the use of business software
and more specialized software. Only people appropriately authorized, for Company purposes,
may use the Internet or access additional software.
Software Access Procedure
Software needed, in addition to those softwares licensed and/or used by the Company, must
be authorized by your supervisor and downloaded by the IT department. If you need access to
software, not currently on the Company network, talk with your supervisor and consult with
the IT department.
Internet Usage
Internet use, on Company time, is authorized to conduct Company business only. Internet use
brings the possibility of breaches to the security of confidential Company information. Internet
use also creates the possibility of contamination to our system via viruses or spyware.
Spyware allows unauthorized people, outside the Company, potential access to Company
passwords and other confidential information.
Removing such programs from the Company network requires IT staff to invest time and
attention that is better devoted to progress. For this reason, and to assure the use of work
time appropriately for work, we ask staff members to limit Internet use.
Additionally, under no circumstances may Company computers or other electronic equipment
be used to obtain, view, or reach any pornographic, or otherwise immoral, unethical, or non-
business-related Internet sites. Doing so can lead to disciplinary action up to and including
termination of employment.
Email Usage at Company
Email is also to be used for Company business only. Company confidential information must
not be shared outside of the Company, without authorization, at any time. You are also not to
conduct personal business using the Company computer or email.
Please keep this in mind, also, as you consider forwarding non-business emails to associates,
family or friends. Non-business related emails waste company time and attention.
Viewing pornography, or sending pornographic jokes or stories via email, is considered sexual
harassment and will be addressed according to our sexual harassment policy.
Emails That Discriminate
Any emails that discriminate against employees by virtue of any protected classification
including race, gender, nationality, religion, and so forth, will be dealt with according to the
harassment policy.
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3. These emails are prohibited at the Company. Sending or forwarding non-business emails will
result in disciplinary action that may lead to employment termination.
Company Owns Employee Email, Attachments and all Contents.
Keep in mind that the Company owns any communication sent via email from its servers,
computers (tablets, pc’s, iPads), phones and any other equipment. The Company also owns
any data, information and/or forms that are stored on company equipment. Management and
other authorized staff have the right to access any material in your email or on your computer
at any time. Please do not consider your electronic communication, storage or access to be
private if it is created or stored at work.
FORM: BLOGGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Guidelines for Interaction About Your Company on the Internet
If you are developing a Web site or writing a blog that will mention your company and/or our
current and potential products, employees, partners, customers, and competitors, identify
that you are an employee of your company and that the views expressed on the blog or
Web site are yours alone and do not represent the views of the company.
Unless given permission by your manager, you are not authorized to speak on
behalf of the company, nor to represent that you do so.
If you are developing a site or writing a blog that will mention our company and /
or our current and potential products, employees, partners, customers, and
competitors, as a courtesy to the company, please let your manager know that you
are writing them. Your manager may choose to visit from time to time to understand
your point of view.
Confidential Information Component of the Blogging Policy
You may not share information that is confidential and proprietary about the
company. This includes information about trademarks, upcoming product releases,
sales, finances, number of products sold, number of employees, company strategy,
and any other information that has not been publicly released by the company.
These are given as examples only and do not cover the range of what the company
considers confidential and proprietary. If you have any question about whether
information has been released publicly or doubts of any kind, speak with your
manager and the Public Relations department before releasing information that could
potentially harm our company, or our current and potential products, employees,
partners, and customers. You may also want to be aware of the points made in the
non-disclosure agreement you signed when you joined our company.
Your company logo and trademarks may not be used without explicit permission in
writing from the company. This is to prevent the appearance that you speak for or
represent the company officially.
Respect and Privacy Rights Components of the Blogging Policy
Speak respectfully about the company and our current and potential employees,
customers, partners, and competitors. Do not engage in name calling or behavior that
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4. will reflect negatively on your company's reputation. Note that the use of copyrighted
materials, unfounded or derogatory statements, or misrepresentation is not viewed
favorably by your company and can result in disciplinary action up to and including
employment termination.
Your company encourages you to write knowledgeably, accurately, and using
appropriate professionalism. Despite disclaimers, your Web interaction can result
in members of the public forming opinions about your company and its employees,
partners, and products.
Honor the privacy rights of our current employees by seeking their permission
before writing about or displaying internal company happenings that might be
considered to be a breach of their privacy and confidentiality.
Competition Component of the Blogging Policy
You may not sell any product or service that would compete with any of your
company's products or services without permission in writing from the president.
This includes, but is not limited to training, books, products, and freelance writing. If
in doubt, talk with your manager and the president.
Your Legal Liability Component of the Blogging Policy
Recognize that you are legally liable for anything you write or present online.
Employees can be disciplined by the company for commentary, content, or images
that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create
a hostile work environment. You can also be sued by company employees,
competitors, and any individual or company that views your commentary, content, or
images as defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous or creating a
hostile work environment.
Media Contact Component of the Blogging Policy
Media contacts about our company and our current and potential products,
employees, partners, customers, and competitors should be referred for
coordination and guidance to the Public Relations or Human Resources department.
This does not specifically include your opinions, writing, and interviews on topics aside
from our company and our current and potential products, employees, partners,
customers, and competitors.
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5. FORM: DELL’S GLOBAL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY – 5 PRINCIPLES
1. Protect Information
Social Media encourages you to share information and connect with people. When
you use Social Media, you should try and build relationships, but you should also be
aware that through your relationship with Dell, you have access to confidential
information that shouldn't be made public. So, you shouldn't share our
confidential company information or any of our customers' personally identifiable
information. Every year, you take a course on how you should protect privacy and
personal information. The same thing applies on Social Media, because you
mistakenly post confidential information on a Social Media platform, it will be hard to
take down that information completely.
2. Be Transparent and Disclose
When you talk about Dell on Social Media, you should disclose that you work for Dell.
Your friends may know you work for Dell, but their network of friends and colleagues
may not and you don't want to accidentally mislead someone. You should know and
remember the 10 magic words: "Hello, my name is [NAME], and I work for
Dell." Be sure to replace [NAME] with your name because that looks odd.
3. Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct
Social Media lets you communicate incredibly fast and have your message go viral in
seconds. This makes it difficult to fix an inaccurate message once you've shared it.
The best thing to do is double check all content before you share it, both for
accuracy and to make sure it fits into Dell's overall Social Media strategy, our Code
of Conduct and any restrictions that may apply to your content based on local law
(such as the FTC Endorsement Guidelines in the US) and the platform you are
using (such as terms of service for the site upon which you are sharing). One of
Dell's core values is winning with integrity, and that applies to Social Media as well.
Dell employees hold ourselves to high ethical standards, as our Code of Conduct
spells out, and that applies to Social Media just like everything else you do as a Dell
employee.
4. Be Responsible
Make sure you're engaging in Social Media conversations the right way. If you aren't
an authority on a subject, send someone to the expert rather than responding
yourself. Don't speak on behalf of Dell if you aren't giving an official Dell
response, and be sure your audience knows the difference. If you see something
being shared related to Dell on a Social Media platform that shouldn't be happening,
immediately inform the Social Media and Communities team, your manager,
Ethics and Compliance or some other appropriate contact. And 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. [Analogy: Judge reading back to you.]
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6. 5. Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect
Social Media is a place to have conversations and build connections, whether you're
doing it for Dell or for yourself. The connections you'll make on Social Media
will be much more rewarding if you remember to have conversations rather
than push agendas. Dell has always been a leader in using technology to directly
connect with our customers. Social Media is another tool you can use to build our
brand, just be sure you do it the right way.
DELL Property: Social Media Account Ownership
This section isn’t a Social Media principle, but it's still important enough to be in this
policy. If you participate in Social Media activities as part of your job at Dell,
that account may be considered Dell property. If that account is Dell property,
you don't get to take it with you if you leave the company — meaning you will
not try to change the password or the account name or create a similar sounding
account or have any ownership of the contacts and connections you have gained
through the account. This doesn't apply to personal accounts that you may access at
work, but would certainly apply to all Dell-branded accounts created as part of your
job. If you have any questions about an account you operate, please reach out to the
SMaC team to discuss the account.
FORM: COMMUNITY GUIDELINES (FLICKR)
Don’t be creepy.
You know the guy. Don’t be that guy.
FORM: INTEL’S SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES
1. Disclose: Name/Identity/Clarify Role/Truthful/Be Yourself
2. Protect: Confidentiality/Don’t tell Secrets (litigation/financials)/Play Nice
3. Use Common Sense: Perception/Add Value/Keep it Cool/Admit Mistakes
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