eEtiquette: Social Media Engagement Policies

Posted by: Christopher Smith | Posted on: February 1st, 2012 | 0 Comments

The relatively abrupt emergence of social media has led to some confusion among organizations about a corresponding “eEtiquette” or code of conduct. While there is no “one rule fits all” standard for interacting with social media, there are several guidelines that professional organizations should follow in order to maximize the positive outcomes of social media interaction.

In many ways, social media has become an amalgam of what used to be the customer service and the public relations departments. A company that uses social media in a savvy way can not only project a positive image about their organization but also rapidly disseminate information about its products and services. The trick is not to become “sales-y” or overly aggressive with either responses to queries or with postings/links. An organization should establish a particular tone or image and then maintain that image in each individual social media interaction.

Generally, each organization that engages with social media on a regular basis designs an in-house manual or guide that incorporates certain basic principles. One of these basic principles of social media interaction is that organizations should always pay attention to the so-called “culture” of the social media environment when designing their guides. Overt formality tends to be a turn-off on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook; however, overly informal content may be perceived as “trying too hard” or simply unprofessional. The best tactic is to become a genuine member of the community by relating with frequent posters or users of the media. A natural tone and rhythm will subsequently emerge.

Those organizations that are attempting to develop a relationship with the public sector through Web 2.0 or Government 2.0 have a more solid set of guidelines to follow. These guidelines have been developed to aid in the transmission of information from official government departments to citizens. The tone, format and in some cases frequency of postings, wikis and/or imagery has already been determined.

Whatever specific policy an organization chooses to use, maintaining a consistent approach will help the organization to foster meaningful ties with the online community. These ties can help bolster sales, increase participation or simply aid the public perception of the organization. “eEtiquette” is definitely a worthwhile investment.

Related Articles
Rules of Social Media Engagement (mashable.com)
Social Media Engagement Strategy and Policy Development (radian6.com)
eEtiquette: Social Media Engagement Policies (CSEDEV.com)