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fredag den 3. juni 2011

Social Media rules of engagement

A couple of days ago I was participating in a internal seminar where a company invited its employees to use Social Media, both in its favor but also for their own use. I think it was a very good initiative from the company, who had a very open mind and wanted the employees to engage as much they could. Company management was not talking about some kinds of restrictions on the use of social media it was the employees, who brought the topic of how they should behave in different situations and asked for rules of engagement. But should we have any rules of engagement?
What is most important for me as a Social Media user and producer, is that I have the freedom to express my views and opinions, but as a content producer I have an obligation towards my subject and to my audience and company that I express my ideas with a proper thought that will enlighten the audience without jeopardizing anybody.  I will give you five advises of how I practice social media engagement, which is a series of common sense and practical to use in what ever you do in your professional life.
Advice number - One.  
Be where your costumers are and be able to deliver a proper content, which will make the costumer listen and respond to you. From an enterprise management perspective, empower your employees to explore social media and learn them to produce proper content.
Advice number - Two.
When you start exploring social media, invest the proper time it takes to be able to create the relationships side of social media. Make sure that you as employee and management know your responsibility and only deliver content, which you want to see for several years ahead. You cannot take it back, when your content first have been published.
Advice number - Three.
If you want to be serious on social media, you have to establish yourself as a subject-matter expert in what you want to communicate towards your costumers or audience. The test for your social media efforts is whether people find your content that interesting that they engage in discussion and favor or share re-tweet or just read your content and continue to do so. This is a rule that works for companies, their management and employees or you as private content provider.
Advice number - Four.
Make your social media engagement personal. Share your personal experience with the audience costumers they like it, they want to know you, which means that you share your personal experiences but remember to recognize the value of privacy. Share things that are of interest to your audience, not just anything.
Advice number - Five.
When you engage in social media act in a sense as a “Bonus Pater Familia” and you will be on the safe side. This is an expression, which your lawyer will recognize, and which is a simple rule to live by.

This is not rocket science, nor a fact book, which can be used for any purpose, but it could be used as some simple guidance for your entrance on the social media arena to start collaboration!

1 kommentar:

  1. I do agree with the author, that we should not have any strict rules of engagement, as this will remove the peer to peer communication and make the entire media into a marketing gimmick. Social Media need to keep its unspoiled nature with the pro and cons which this will have. But having said this, the author of any media has an obligation towards the readers and this demand a proper way of behaving on the social media arena.

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