This is the latest version (10/27/2011) of my social media overview for HR pros. It is a crash course and intended only to familiarize HR pros with the most common social media tools and concerns for employers. Each section could easily be a full presentation.

1. The Business Case
for
Social Media
in HR
M

2. What is Social Media?
Definitions of Social media on the Web:
Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
media that is created to be shared freely
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/social_media
Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.[1] The term most often refers to
activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. ...
www.creativemediafarm.com/information/glossary
Social media are works of user-created video, audio, text or multimedia that are published and shared in a social environment, such as a blog, wiki or
video hosting site.
www.capilanou.ca/help/login-page/active-cms/glossary.html
Any website or web service that utilizes a 'social' or 'Web 2.0' philosophy. This includes blogs, social networks, social news, wikis, etc.
webtrends.about.com/od/web20/a/web20-glossary_2.htm
Software tools that allow groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content (examples are YouTube, Flickr,
Facebook, MySpace etc)
www.bottlepr.co.uk/glossary.html
The term social media describes media that is posed by the user and can take many different forms. Some types of social media are forums, message
boards, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Social media applications include Google, Facebook and YouTube.
www.searchenginepartner.com/SEO-glossary.html
Social media is any form of online publication or presence that allows end users to engage in multi-directional conversations in or around the content on
the website.
www.onlinematters.com/glossary.htm
A million different definitions from a million different people. But over at Duct Tape Marketing they say ―[s]ocial media is the use of technology combined
with social interaction to create or co-create value.‖
www.no2pen.com/blog/2010/01/social-media-dictionary-for-small-businesses/
A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking
sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit,
and other sites that are centered on user interaction.
searchenginewatch.com/define

3. What is Social Media?
―I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of
material I understand to be embraced within that
shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"]; and
perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so.
But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture
involved in this case is not that. [Emphasis added.] ‖
— Justice Potter Stewart, concurring opinion in
Jacobellis v. Ohio 378 U.S. 184 (1964), regarding
possible obscenity in The Lovers.

4. Blogs
Originally short for
―web logs‖ –
histories of
individual’s internet
travels. Now
encompasses
everything from…

5. Blogs
…purely personal
items,
http://dailydoseofjack.blogspot.com/

6. Blogs
…purely personal
items, political
commentary,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

7. Blogs
…purely personal
items, political
commentary,
professional news
and opinion,
http://www.hrcapitalist.com/

8. Blogs
…purely personal
items, political
commentary,
professional news
and opinion,
company and
institution
news,
http://txstateu.wordpress.com/

9. Blogs
…purely personal
items, political
commentary,
professional news
and opinion,
company and
institution
news,
http://blogs.imperativeinfo.com/

10. Blogs
…special focus
issues,
http://startelegram.typepad.com/dfwjobs/

11. Blogs
…special focus
issues, or whatever
someone is willing
to take the time to
write (even if no one
reads it).
http://blog.trutv.com/dumb_as_a_blog/

12. Blogs
Companies are
using employee
bloggers to spread
the company’s
culture.
http://www.rackertalent.com/blog/

13. Blogs
Blogs are a great
place to find
passive candidates
or identify
communities of
interest to potential
candidates.
http://technorati.com/search?return=sites&authority=all&q=water+treatment

14. LinkedIn
• 90 million users
• Professional
networking
http://www.linkedin.com/in/imperative

15. LinkedIn
• Professional
networking
• 90 million users
• Groups (alumni,
professional,
and interest)

16. LinkedIn
• Job postings
and job seekers
http://www.linkedin.com/jobs

17. LinkedIn
• Job postings
and job seekers
• Company
profiles and
career portals
http://www.linkedin.com/company/intuit

18. Facebook
• Started with
Facebook US Population .edu addresses
Unknown
• Originally
3,126,820
Females 3%
56,026,560
54%
strictly social
(non-business)
Males
• 103 million US
43,932,140
43%
users
http://www.istrategylabs.com/2011/01/2011-facebook-demographics-
and-statistics-including-federal-employees-and-gays-in-the-military/

19. Facebook
• 156 million US
users
Facebook US Population by Age
55+
9,763,900,
10%
Unknown
1,067,780
1%
13-17
10,680,140
10%
• 64% over age
18-24
35-54,
29,917,640,
26,075,960
25%
25
29%
• Think this is just
kid stuff?
25-34
25,580,100
25%
http://www.istrategylabs.com/2011/01/2011-facebook-demographics-
and-statistics-including-federal-employees-and-gays-in-the-military/

20. Facebook
New profiles contain additional
education and professional info

21. Facebook
Company pages
are getting
sophisticated but
don’t necessarily
have to be
http://www.facebook.com/intuitcareers

22. Facebook
Apps like Work
For Us allow you
to easily post
jobs.
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=404596412628

23. Facebook
BranchOut
is a jobs and
career
networking
app.
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=404596412628

24. Facebook
BranchOut
is a jobs and
career
networking
app.
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=404596412628

25. Twitter
• 370K new users
daily
• 200M tweets per
day
• 1.6B search
queries per day
• 200M users
http://business.twitter.com/basics/what-is-twitter

26. Twitter
Tweet: short
message (140
characters or less)
Retweet: when
someone sends
your tweet out to
their followers
http://twitter.com/#!/jimschnyder

27. Twitter
Tweets can be
sent to all of
twitter or to only
those you choose.
http://twitter.com/#!/Fishdogs

28. Twitter
Follow: To
subscribe to
someone’s tweets
Follower:
Someone who
follows your tweets
http://support.twitter.com/entries/166337-the-twitter-glossary

29. Twitter
Companies post
jobs (for
free), industry-
relevant
information, and
generally helpful
information to
build a following.
http://twitter.com/#!/IntuitCareers

30. Twitter
Jobseekers
search for key
terms to find
positions.
http://twitter.com/#!/search/engineering%20job%20austin
http://twitter.com/#!/search/laredo%20jobs

31. Twitter
Look at the profiles of people tweeting items
of interest to your ideal jobseekers.
Who do they follow? Who follows them?

32. Twitter
Look for communities of interest to the
candidates you are seeking.

33. Does Social Media Replace Other
Recruiting Sources?

34. Does Social Media Replace Other
Recruiting Sources?
No (not yet) but it is becoming critical in:
• Identifying candidates
• Evangelizing for your firm
• Spreading the word about open positions
• Making your job-board search engine
relevant

35. “Checking Out” Applicants
Poll:
How many of you have ―checked out‖
applicants’ social media presence or just
Googled them?
How many of you have allowed that
information to affect the hiring
decision, positively or negatively?

36. “Checking Out” Applicants
How do you prove
that an applicant’s
union-affiliation
didn’t affect the
hiring decision in an
NLRB unfair labor
practices claim?

37. “Checking Out” Applicants
EEOC claims by
applicants
• Age
• Race
• Sex
• National origin
• Religion
• Marital status

38. “Checking Out” Applicants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
There is a challenge in verifying the
authenticity of a profile.

39. “Checking Out” Applicants
Is the info really
job-related or
just prurient?
What does your
policy say?
http://blogs.forbes.com/kashmirhill/2010/09/30/the-privacy-landmine-
that-is-duke-graduate-karen-owens-senior-thesis/

40. “Checking Out” Employees
Poll:
How many of you have been alerted to
information of concern on an employee’s
social media profile?
How many of you have a policy that
addresses employees’ social media
activities?

41. “Checking Out” Employees
The NLRB found
that an employee’s
negative comments
about a supervisor
constituted
―protected activity.‖
http://www.nlrb.gov/shared_files/
Press%20Releases/2010/R-
2794.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/business/08labor.html?_r=3&scp=8&sq=lawyer&st=nyt

42. “Checking Out” Employees
It is becoming
increasingly
common for
employees to be
disciplined for
after-hours
social media
posts.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/24678250/detail.html

43. “Checking Out” Employees
It is becoming
increasingly
common for
employees to be
disciplined for
after-hours
social media
posts.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/042810dnspob
asik.4199268.html

44. Policy Considerations: Social Media
Gut instinct:
Your CEO doesn’t
want you to hire
freaks. (That is this
guy’s earlobe she’s
looking through.)

45. Policy Considerations: Social Media
How will you avoid
obtaining protected
class information?

46. Policy Considerations: Social Media
How will you avoid
identifying active
union members?

47. Policy Considerations: Social Media
Will the public (read
“juries”) accept
employers’ reasons for
not checking social
media sites after a
tragedy?
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_f4631ce3-
4210-5a82-bbb6-7408c94511a2.html

48. Policy Considerations: Social Media
Common HR sense says:
1. Hiring managers/supervisors don’t do it.
2. Have a clear definition of when the candidate
sourcing process ends and the applicant screening
process begins.
3. Be sure your pool of candidates from all sources
properly reflects the labor market.

49. Policy Considerations: Social Media
4. If the decision is to use social media in candidate
screening, HR should have predetermined, legally
defensible, job-related items for which they they are
looking:
a) technical competence or other job-related skills,
b) drug abuse or other overtly criminal activity,
c) abusive, threatening behavior,
d) public image concerns for high-profile
employees.

50. Policy Considerations: Social Media
5. FIREWALL: Consider using your background
screening firm as a gatekeeper, passing on only
information that meets the company’s guidelines.
(Note that the FCRA will now apply.) This might
also be done by someone in HR or Security who
understands the EEO and NLRB issues and has
no other involvement in the hiring decision (and
can keep their mouths shut).
6. Print and document the use of all information
found. Remember that it can change tomorrow.

51. Policy Considerations: Social Media
7. Segregate the information from that provided to
the hiring manager/supervisor.
8. How will you handle post-hire reports of
questionable information on the web?
9. Before taking any adverse action, consider seeking
legal counsel.
10. Always weigh risk of ignoring information and
risk of using the information.

52. Policy Considerations: Social Media
11. Be sure the the Fair Credit Reporting Act is
followed before and after taking any adverse
action based in whole or part on information
purchased from a third-party (background
screening firms, data miners, etc.)

53. Policy Considerations: Social Media
There is no strong case law
on this issue.
If employers ignore social media and something bad
happens, the media and the plaintiff lawyers will be
all over it.
If employers unwisely use social media as a screening
tool, the media and plaintiff lawyers will be all over it.

54. Policy Considerations: Social Media
A good social
media policy
governs all
representations of
the company by
employees.
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php

55. Policy Considerations: Social Media
A good social
media policy
governs all
representations of
the company by
employees.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217813

56. Policy Considerations: Adverse Action
Document:
 FCRA pre-adverse action communication on
―management review‖ or ―not eligible‖ scores
before making a final decision.
 Subsequent communications with applicant.
 Reasons behind each ―management review‖
decision.
 Reason for any variations to guidelines.
 FCRA post-adverse action communication.