Yesterday, as part of a comment thread to a blog post by Dawn Foster about the potential value of corporate blogging, I shared the highlights of LiveWorld’s Social Media Content Guidelines.

It only makes sense that I do the same in this space.

Why we have guidelines

As a company that’s all about online social networking and community building, LiveWorld has plenty of employees who regularly communicate across the social web — here on SocialVoice, on their personal blogs, on client sites, on Facebook, etc. It’s a natural part of our DNA.

Sometimes we’re representing the company in an obvious way by the nature of what we write or comment about on social sites. On other occasions, we’re producing seemingly unrelated content around own hobbies or personal interests (movie reviews, gardening, family lives, our own athletic accomplishments, etc.) — but we’re mindful that our work is always a reflection of the company as a whole.

We created these guidelines both to support the talents and online freedom of expression of LiveWorlders and to reflect the best interests and reputation of the company.

We think they’re easy to understand, straightforward, and free of corporate mumbo-jumbo or legalese. See if you agree.

LiveWorld Social Media Content Guidelines

Be transparent

• If you’re writing or commenting about Company business, always identify yourself and LiveWorld by name.
• If you contribute to or maintain a personal blog or website that covers the Company’s business space, make clear that your opinions are your own and not LiveWorld’s.

Be respectful

• We encourage you express your opinions, but we ask that you don’t resort to personal attacks, harassment, cultural insensitivity, or discrimination in the process.

Be yourself

• We value your personality and individual interests, including those that fall outside of your primary work responsibilities. Let that personality shine in your online content!

Be smart

• Some company projects, lessons learned, and success stories are fine to share; others aren’t. Don’t reveal company secrets or proprietary information, and make sure you have permission from our clients and partners before mentioning them by name.
• Your words and statements online are a reflection of LiveWorld. Use your best judgment when deciding whether content is appropriate to publish. If you have any doubts, ask your company executive.

Don’t just take our word for it

IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines are the best I’ve ever seen; they were a model for us, as you’ll see.

(Cross-posted to my LiveWorld blog)

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