This document provides guidance on creating an effective social media policy for a company. It defines what a social media policy is and why companies need them to protect themselves, employees and customers. It lists different types of social media policies and offers templates. It also gives principles for appropriate social media use called the "5Rs" and advises checking laws regarding social media. The document provides many resources for creating policies like templates, checklists, and advice from experts. It aims to help companies draft comprehensive yet clear social media policies.

1. Social Media Governance & Policy Creation
Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

2. Lessons to Learn
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

3. What is a Social Media Policy?
“A social media policy (also
called a social networking
policy) is a corporate code of
conduct that provides
guidelines for employees who
post content on the Internet
either as part of their job or as
a private person.”
(SearchCompliance, n.d., para.
1)
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

4. Why the Need for a SM Policy?
• “The goal of a social media
policy is to set expectations for
appropriate behavior and
ensure that an employee's
posts will not expose the
company to legal problems or
public embarrassment.”
(SearchCompliance, n.d., para.
2).
• Bottom-line: Protection Company, Employees &
Customers
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

5. Types of Social Media Policies
• Employee Code of Conduct for
Online Communications
• Employee Code of Conduct for
Company Representation in
Online Communications
• Employee Blogging Disclosure
Policy
• Employee Facebook Usage Policy
• Employee Personal Blog Policy
• Employee Personal Social
Network Policy
• Employee Personal Twitter Policy
• Employee LinkedIn Policy
• Corporate Blogging Policy
• Corporate Blog Use Policy
• Corporate Blog Post Approval
Process
• Corporate Blog Commenting
Policy
• Corporate Facebook Brand Page
Usage Policy
• Corporate Facebook Public
• Comment/Messaging Policy
• Corporate Twitter Account Policy
• Corporate YouTube Policy
• Corporate YouTube Public
• Comment Policy
• Company Password Policy
List by: Jason Falls, a Social Media Strategist at Social Media Expert, LLC
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

6. The 5Rs of Social Media
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2.
3.
4.
5.
“Reason. Simply put: use reasonable etiquette, the
same as you would offline.
Represent yourself. Anonymous profiles lend
themselves to more negative content.
Responsibility. Make sure that what you’re saying
is factually correct, and also that it doesn’t violate
any legal guidelines that prohibit revealing
information that is material to a company’s stock
price.
Respect. What you say online is a permanent
record, so don’t say anything online you wouldn’t
feel comfortable saying to the whole office – with a
camera rolling.
Restraint. Before you hit that send button, pause
and reread. If you wouldn’t want that particular
thought or contribution forever associated with
your name, don’t post it.” (Meister, 2013, para. 15)
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

7. Know the Laws
• National Labor Relations Board: THE NLRB and Social Media http://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/fact-sheets/nlrb-and-socialmedia
• Electronic Communications Privacy Act https://www.cdt.org/issue/wiretap-ecpa
• FCC Social Media Guidelines - http://vimeo.com/75972337
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

8. How Do You Create a SM Policy?
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

9. Now Create a SM Policy?
Example of Dell’s SM
Policy – Simplistic &
to the Point
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

10. SMPolicy Checklists
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

11. Advise From The Experts
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To Do: Update Company's Social Media Policy ASAP http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2013/
02/07/to-do-update-companys-social-media-policyasap/
Unsure About An Effective Social Media Policy?
Check out This Guide http://www.betakit.com/unsure-about-an-effectivesocial-media-policy-check-out-this-guide/
How to Draft a Social Networking Company Policy http://www.thehrspecialist.com/article.aspx?articlei
d=27808
How to Develop a Social Media Policy http://humanresources.about.com/od/socialmediaa
ndwork/a/social_media_2.htm
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

12. RESOURCES: TEMPLATES, TOOLS,
BOOKS, SITES, AND MORE
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

13. Templates & Tools
• Policy Tool for Social Media http://socialmedia.policytool.net/
• Social Media Governance http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php
• Employee Social Media Policy Template - Free Download http://www.viralinnature.com/component/k2/item/307employee-social-media-policy
• Toolkit Café - http://toolkitcafe.com/product/social-mediapolicies/
• Customizable social media policy template http://blog.hirerabbit.com/social-media-policy-templatefree/
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

14. Templates & Tools
• SHRM’s Social Media Policy Template http://www.shrm.org/templatestools/samples/policies/pages/socia
lmediapolicy.aspx
• 57 Social Media Policy Examples and Resources http://socialmediatoday.com/davefleet/151761/57-social-mediapolicy-examples-and-resources
• How to Build Your Social Media Governance Policy FREE eBook http://www.elevarmedia.com/resources/social-media-governancepolicy-ebook/
• Disclosure Best Practices Toolkit http://www.socialmedia.org/disclosure/
• Social Media Policy Template and Guide http://paragondigital.com/social-media-policy-template-and-guide/
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

15. Books on the Subject
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

16. Useful Websites on Laws &
Regulations for Social Media
• Social Media Laws and Regulations You Should Know http://www.metia.com/seattle/johnporcaro/2011/08/social-media-laws-and-regulations-youshould-know/
• FCC - http://www.fcc.gov/
• FTC - http://www.ftc.gov/
• FDA - http://www.fda.gov/
• FINRA - http://www.finra.org/
• HIPPA - http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/
• NLRB - http://www.nlrb.gov/
• Legally Social - http://www.legallysocial.com/
• NetworkEtiquette.net - http://www.networketiquette.net/
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

17. Articles & Blog Posts
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How To Develop a Social Media Policy for Your Business http://brightbluewave.com/blog/how-to-develop-a-social-media-policy-for-yourbusiness/
How to Write a Social Media Policy - http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/writinga-social-media-policy.html
How to Develop a Social Media Policy http://humanresources.about.com/od/socialmediaandwork/a/social_media.htm
How to create effective social-media guidelines - http://www.poynter.org/howtos/digital-strategies/217139/how-to-create-effective-social-media-guidelines/
How to Draft a Social Networking Company Policy http://www.thehrspecialist.com/article.aspx?articleid=27808
Unsure About An Effective Social Media Policy? Check out This Guide http://www.betakit.com/unsure-about-an-effective-social-media-policy-check-outthis-guide/
Social media safety for businesses: ten tips for online responsibility from Hallam
Internet - http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/12/05/social-media-safetybusinesses-ten-tips-online-responsibility-hallam-internet
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

18. Articles & Blog Posts
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How to Build a Social Media Governance Policy http://socialmediatoday.com/tatiana-aders/1917386/template-how-build-socialmedia-governance-policy
Social Media Law Policies: Do you need them? http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/technology/social-media-law-policies-doyou-need-them-04122013.html
Is it time to revisit your company’s social media policy? http://wallblog.co.uk/2013/12/04/is-it-time-to-revisit-your-companys-socialmedia-policy/
What are best practices for social media use by media companies? http://inlandpress.org/articles/2013/12/05/knowledge/online/doc4de50b546a1e
4496341675.txt
CIPD: 26% use social media for work purposes http://www.ashdowngroup.com/news/cipd-26pcent-use-social-media-for-workpurposes-news-801669028
Create a social media policy for your nonprofit http://www.socialbrite.org/2013/02/05/create-a-social-media-policy-for-yournonprofit/
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

19. REFERENCES
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

20. References
Black, T. (2010, May 27). How to write a social media
policy [Blog post]. Inc.com. Retrieved from
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/writing-asocial-media-policy.html
Meister, J. (2013, February 7). To do: Update company’s social
media policy ASAP [Blog post]. Forbes.com. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2013/02/
07/to-do-update-companys-social-media-policy-asap/
SearchCompliance. (n.d.). Definition: Social media policy.
Retrieved from
http://searchcompliance.techtarget.com/definition/soc
ial-media-policy
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

21. IMAGE CREDITS
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

22. Image Credits
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ECI.com. (2011). Social network compliance [Image file]. Retrieved from
http://www.eci.com/blog/images/3-17-11%20social-network-compliance.jpg
Krishnade.com. (n.d.). Social media policy [Image file]. Retrieved from http://krishnade.com/wpcontent/themes/01.solid-wp/solid-wp/_layout/images/social-media-policy.jpg
Recruitmentbuzz.co.uk. (2012). Legal illegal social media fotolia [Image file]. Retrieved from
http://recruitmentbuzz.co.uk/recruitment/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Legal-Illegal-SocialMediaFotolia_38612092_XS-copy.jpg
Slide1 [Image file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://8d71e8427fdcc21f206784a1890711b0dd8128ddf7a206da0505.r9.cf1.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Slide1.jpg
Slidesharecdn.com. (n.d.). How to transform your small business with social media [Image file].
Retrieved from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/smbchecklistnew3-131009115908phpapp02/95/slide-1-638.jpg?cb=1381852389
Smedio.com. (2011). Social media expert e1303883412241 [Image file]. Retrieved from
http://smedio.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Social-Media-Expert-e1303883412241.png
SocialStrand.com. (2011). Social media policy [Image file]. Retrieved from
http://www.socialstrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/socialmediapolicy.jpg
UpwardAction.com. (2011). Social media 2 [Image file]. Retrieved from
http://upwardaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/social-media-2-300x250.jpg
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

23. ABOUT DR. POST
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

24. Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS
©Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS