What are your social media values?
April 10, 2011 By NEENZ
A few weeks ago I had a discussion with my boss about Oceanit’s social science and community building system, ALIVE. One of the goals in the first step of the process is to draft a social media policy. At the time of initial development, it seemed like a practical and logical goal. However, as we discussed the essence of the practice of social media, he pointed out that a policy for some may be too restrictive. Instead, we concluded that individuals and organizations should adopt a set of social media values.
Social Media is Personal
The purpose, at least to me and in my practice, of social media marketing is to build a sustainable and engaged community. This requires earning the trust of the members of the community who deem you as a credible and valuable resource. It takes more than publishing valuable content to earn the trust of the community, it takes consistent integrity and ethics.
In other words, your social media values should reflect your personal values. Who you are as a person in business and intimate relationships, should be who you are online.
This rule should also be applied when identifying internal evangelists and most importantly when hiring a social media marketer.
Disclosure and Relationships
Take a moment to reflect on your online practices, have you disclosed all of your relationships, associations, employers, clients, gifts, and anything else that may influence your opinion in your online content?
Taking a cue from Chris Brogan whom I have followed and respected since 2007, I created my Communities and Affiliates page. On those pages, I carefully listed all of my employers, companies, relationships, memberships, associations, affiliate marketing accounts, and advertising policy. And, I linked to articles that I’ve published that correspond to the disclosure. I also blog on iNEENZ which has a link to the Communities page in its navigation bar. While it seems tedious, it’s better to be safe than sued.
Disclosure as a Speaker
In the medical industry, it is common for conferences and symposiums to require their speakers to sign disclosure forms. This is to insure the integrity of the organizers and prevent audience members from being exposed to commercial bias. Take a moment to reflect on your past practices; have you disclosed your relationships in speeches, on panels, during the Q&A, or conversations with audience members?
Remember, social media values reflect your personal values. Therefore, failing to disclose a relationship in speeches, panel discussions, or conversations is a reflection of you as a person.
My Social Media Values
Respect, acceptance, and unconditional love are my most important tools in life. These are my personal values in which I both conduct myself and carry over into my online presence. What are your social media values?
Read more: http://faleafine.com/2011/04/10/what-are-your-social-media-values/#ixzz1f3lwyqrV