So, a few of these panels (Dachis Group yesterday) have stirred up some thinking that might even be worth sharing. Working with several brands beginning their journey into the social media space, the question of establishing a set of policies for best practice was a constant subject of debate. And while the right answer probably depends on whom you talk to, it’s good to see industry leaders setting a set of common practice guidelines that adaptable enough to allow for company to stay true to its core. After all, at the end of the day it’s all going to depend on the comfort level and corporate philosophy of the brand, not the consultant.

Why even have policies?

You could answer that question from one of two viewpoints. A cynical point of view might be to protect the company from lawsuit, and preventing the over-sharing of opinion and information. But at its core, this is counter-intuitive to what social media is. On the other hand, I’d like to look at a policy (and to be honest I don’t even the like the word policy) as a security blanket. A way to provide some guardrails, so that employees can feel confident about their social media behavior, not intimidated by.

Who should be involved in creating the policy? I’m going to agree whole-heartedly with Ellen Reynolds from Dachis Group on this one and say everyone. Human Resources, Public Relations, Legal, and a small sampling of employees that is enthusiastic about having a voice.

Reynolds referenced the following 5 points that I also MOSTLY agree with:

1. Responsibility
2. Confidentiality
3. Respect
4. Oversight
5. Culture

The last two trouble me slightly. Oversight, feels way too authoritarian. If you trust your employees, and empower them to make the right decisions, than there should be no need for oversight. The one great equalizer is that in social media we are all equal. So that junior level employee needs to be empowered with the same amount of trust as the senior Vice President. A scary thought, I know! Secondly, culture shouldn’t be dictated in a document. It needs to be established organically and holistically within the company. From the first interview to casual Fridays, every major touch point in a company should have some element of culture to it. That being true, this should be inherent in how people within that organization communicate its culture. No? Perhaps that is a hyper-idealistic POV, but one based on simple aspects of human behavior. Probably not the most comforting thing for Legal Consul to hear.

Bottom line, companies looking to establish a social communication policy for its employees needs to take a brave step. Instead of telling employees what NOT to do, empower them with ideas around what they can. Like this one for instance...