Happy Social Media Day (#SMDay) !!! On this day, all over the world, people are going to MeetUps, TweetUps, and parties, all in the name of celebrating social media. Social media for me is all about connecting with people and building community. What does is mean to you?
Our lives have changed in the past few years as social media has become another way for us to interact with friends, colleagues, clients and anybody else out there who is listening.
I use social media pretty much every day. I have a fair amount of knowledge on the subject. I’ve spoken on a panel about social media for small businesses. I’ve advised business owners on social media strategy. I’ve been interviewed about social media policies in the workplace, and just yesterday I advised a business colleague about social media strategies, tools and etiquette.
In our conversation yesterday, she asked me if our company had a social media manual, a ‘how-to’. It was a good reminder for me that I haven’t written one yet. I have verbally trained staff at our company how to use certain tools, etiquette, strategy etc. But I admit, I have not written it down on paper.
I firmly believe that companies should have a social media policy set in place. We have our new employees read and sign the policy during the onboarding process. Our employees use social media to connect and reach out to their networks. It is part of our corporate culture. Many companies still have yet to embrace social media because they don’t know where it fits in with their corporate culture.
Understanding the value of social media in the workplace is the first step. Creating a policy for existing and new employees is next. Writing a social media manual, and integrating that into the onboarding and training process is the next step for our company. I guess I better get writing.
photo credit: Lee Hopkins
Filed under: corporate culture
