CorpComms Magazine

1) Realise their importance

The biggest mistake possible is to assume social media don't matter - that they are somehow peripheral to your work. The use of social media has soared in recent years, and two things are certain: social media are here to stay and set to grow. An organisation that ignores those facts is making a major mistake.

2) Understand the ethics

The fundamental principles of ethical practice are the same online as elsewhere. Integrity, competence and confidentiality - as laid out in the Cipr code of conduct - are as relevant here as in any other area of PR work. But while the principles are constant, the particular scenarios pose new challenges.

3) Know how blogs work

Blogs are an additional weapon in the PR professional's armoury. But they need to be used with skill and care. It is advisable to state that you work in PR when commenting on a blog, or running a personal one. If contributing to a blog that recommends a service supplier, you should declare any financial interest you or your clients have in that supplier. Where a blog is run without oversight by the supposed author, serious questions of integrity can arise that may ultimately rebound.

4) Don't astroturf

Astroturfing is - regrettably - a growth area. Essentially, it is the practice of falsely creating an impression of independent, popular support by means of an orchestrated and disguised marketing exercise. It epitomises the precise opposite of ethical practice in communications, and is self-evidently likely to contradict the principle of integrity that lies at the heart of our code of conduct. Companies discovered to be astroturfing can suffer major damage to their reputation. So the advice is simple: don't do it.

5) Off the record doesn't work

'Off the record' is a dangerous concept at the best of times - as numerous business leaders and politicians have discovered. But in the social media world, it barely exists. Conversations or emails with a blogger may be considered to be in the public domain and posted online without your permission. A non-attributable comment or off-the-record briefing is likely to appear online within the hour, often with the briefer's name attached.

6) Don't flirt with defamation

Great care should be taken with the laws of defamation. While we are all (hopefully) careful about defamation when issuing press releases, making speeches and preparing briefings, the strictures we apply to our behaviour when dealing with old media tend to be lost when dealing with the new. It is important to remember that a comment posted on a website late at night carries just as much legal weight and responsibility as a press release issued after due diligence through a press office. It is also a permanent record. Just because a website gets updated - or even disappears entirely - it does not follow that the content will disappear. It will still come up on internet searches.

7) Be careful with information

It almost goes without saying that you have to be careful not to reveal sensitive corporate information, such as financial figures or new clients, before it is formally announced. Just as with defamation, unfortunately, this can be a difficult area to police, so you will have to be extra-vigilant.

8) Provide guidance

Employers have to bear responsibility, too. Whether or not that qualifies as a legal responsibility, employers will take a reputational hit if their employees are found to have behaved irresponsibly or illegally. So employers should provide guidance on their social media policy, and make sure their employees are aware of the issues.

9) Respect wikis

Contributions to wikis should comply with each individual wiki's guidelines.That's partly a matter of social media etiquette and partly to avoid looking stupid.

A wiki (a web page that allows users to edit content) is a great source of information, and fun, too. But as recent events have shown, the temptation to amend entries in an unethical way is too much for some people and some companies. Resist the urge or risk your reputation.

10) Embrace the new world

The final - and in many ways most important - tip is not to be afraid of social media. Like all new forms of communication, social media's novelty means problems will occur, especially for new users. But the contribution made by these new media is surely a positive one: social media offer news way of communicating and new audiences to reach. Used correctly, they make our job easier, not harder.

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet