Creating A Common Sense Social Media Policy

As a frequent user of social media, I am often asked how organizations should write their social media policies.  I’m not a believer in putting together a 15 page document of all the do’s and don’ts of using the Internet.  If a company didn’t need it before FaceBook and Twitter, they shouldn’t need it now.  Instead, my solution is to talk with your employees about the proper way to communicate internally and externally when representing the company.  This will then translate to communication they have via telephone, e-mail, in person, and online.

That said, there are still many companies who will spend thousands of dollars to hire consultants to put the list of what not to do together. But wait!

Before you go out and invest all that money in consultants and scare tactics, check out how Disney has decided to inform the preschool/ early elementary school crowd.  They put together a short cartoon clip from Phineas and Ferb that addresses all the issues an organization would need to address.  They run this on their channels during commercial breaks.  It speaks to being direct and using common sense.

So, instead of  spending thousands on a consultant, maybe you should just steer employees to Pheneus and Ferb.  Check it out the short video clip and let me know what you think:

Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb

They also offer parents “Rules of the Road” for parents in the digital age.