The purpose of our social media principles and guidelines

Everyday, people discuss, debate and embrace our brands in thousands of online conversations.  We recognize the vital need to participate in these conversations through social media in the right way and encourage.

 

The purpose of the social media guidelines and principles is to empower  employees to participate in the next wave of marketing and communications, represent our COMPANY and share the optimistic and positive transformation of our brands.

 

We encourage all employees to explore and engage in social media at a level that they feel comfortable.  Have fun, but be smart.

 

This document is about how you can help the COMPANY to leverage social media to obtain our goals.  We define social media as social networks, blogs, professional networks, video sharing, social sharing, social bookmarking, chat and new technology that may evolve as a tool that you use to communicate and interact with the public and each other.

 

When you are using social media always remember who we are and what our role is in the social media community.  We encourage you to talk about our business, products and events.   Exercise good judgment and common sense. Topics that are confidential in nature such as internal policies, customer information, legal matters and /or proprietary information should never be shared.

When using social media, use your name and when appropriate your COMPANY name and title.   Let people know who you are and be certain the content is something that you would be proud to put your name next to.  Unless you are an official spokesperson do not speak “on behalf of the COMPANY”. We encourage you to speak “about” the COMPANY.

Remember that with social media, the entire world could eventually see your postings and interactions.  Make sure that your comments, discussions and postings, both personally and professionally, are appropriate and interesting for the audience you are trying to reach.

We all have opinions, but in our media business we have to pay attention to how and when we share opinions and the lines of personal and professional activities.  Refrain from comments that can be interpreted as slurs, demeaning or inflammatory.  Avoid being sucked into arguments.

As an employee of the COMPANY, you will need to balance personal and professional information as you build a community of followers.  Build a social community where people feel comfortable, sharing, connecting and receiving help.  It is important to participate in communities exhibiting behaviors of leadership, collaboration, integrity, accountability, passion, diversity and quality.

Social media will pay off if you use it as a medium to add value to your sphere of friends, followers and fans.   We encourage you to use your social networks to bring value to the community, as a tool to do your job and to help build buzz around our business.

While there is a big difference between speaking “on behalf of the COMPANY” and speaking “about” the COMPANY, we encourage you to use these reference points to your personal or unofficial social activities when you speak “about” the COMPANY.

1. When using social media, adhere to the COMPANY values and policies, our Business Code of Ethics and applicable laws.
2. Be responsible for your actions.  Anything that you post that potentially could tarnish the COMPANY is your responsibility.  We do encourage you to use social media but urge you to do so properly and exercise sound judgment and common sense.
3. Be a lookout for compliments and criticism.   Even if you aren’t an official online spokesperson, you are one of our most vital assets for monitoring the social media landscape.  If you come across positive or negative remarks that you believe are important and need to be addressed, email them to:
4. Let subject matter experts respond to negative posts.  It’s so tempting to take on negative or disparaging posts about the COMPANY, but unless you are an official spokesperson, it’s important to resist the urge to react.  Pass the post along to the email or official in-market spokespersons or to subject matter experts who are trained to address such comments and they will dive in to help.
5. Be conscious when mixing your business and personal lives.  Your personal and business personas are likely to intersect on the Internet. We respect free speech and the rights of all our employees.  Keep in mind that customers, colleagues and supervisors, can be, and often are, your followers. Be mindful that your postings can and will be forwarded, quoted and used.  Remember to NEVER disclose non-public information of the COMPANY (including confidential information) and be aware that taking public positions online that are counter to the COMPANY’s interests may cause conflict.

Respect copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, third party rights, including rights with user-generated content.

Protect the COMPANY’s privacy and keep proprietary information, internal policies and financial information securely out of your social media postings.

Protect our consumers and customer’s privacy and keep their identifiable information safe. Never share any information about an individual or collection methods including how we collect, store and use information.  Familiarize yourself with our privacy policies and laws that protect privacy.

If you have been assigned to officially represent the COMPANY through the COMPANY’s social channels, that’s great! Here are the expectations that we have for our spokespeople as they manage the COMPANY’s reputation and engage and participate in conversations representing the COMPANY.

1. Be mindful that you are a representative of the COMPANY.  It is important that you convey the COMPANY’s positive and optimistic spirit.  Be respectful of all individuals, races, religions, and cultures.
2. Fully disclose your affiliation with the COMPANY/brand.  It is not acceptable to use aliases or otherwise deceive people.  Make sure that you present yourself as a representative of the COMPANY.
3. Follow the COMPANY’s Values, Code of Ethics and policies.
4. Keep records.  It is very important to keep records of interactions, activities and conversations that we engage in.  Our COMPANY statements are held to the same legal standards as our traditional media.
5. You are responsible for the words you post and the actions that follow.  As a spokesperson, your posts must be accurate and not mislead anyone.  When in doubt, DO NOT POST.  If there is a situation where you are uncertain how to respond, contact your manager or this send a request through this email:  .
6. Give credit where credit is due and don’t violate other’s rights.  Make sure you credit the proper author and you have the proper rights to use their content.  Do not violate copyrights, trademarks or other rights without having the proper permission.
7. Your work is permanent.  Once information is published, it is of public record and later attempts to remove/delete or make anonymous are not good options.  If there is a need, explain the context or correct errors quickly through another post or link to a space where the message can be expressed accurately and completely.
8. Be responsible for your work.  Engage in online activities that are helpful for COMPANY affairs and don’t become a distraction.