Social networking is everywhere. It is common to find parents, children, coworkers and even the elderly on the networks across the social media world on sites such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. With social networks people across the world have access to tools and options that were previously non-existent. However, there are just as many new opportunities to connect as there are to get into potential danger. Social networking has opened up many new doorways for cyber-crime, and with all the people on social networks who are completely new to technology, it is more important than ever to make sure people are aware of the risks.
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Back in the old days, companies were always leery of jumping on technologies and new mediums that they perceived would damage their security and drive down employee productivity. Many still are. When telephones first came out, employers thought they should never have one on each employee’s desk, because then they would call people all day. When personal computers were new, many of the employees had to share them or they weren’t allowed to have personal disks, because employers were afraid that employees would not spend their time doing company business, or would leave the premises with copyrighted, proprietary information and take it straight to their competitor. Then there were company laptops, company cell phones and being able (or unable) to access the internet at work. The cry was still the same: employees will stop working and security will be compromised.
Social media laws / guidelines are still pretty murky at best at most companies. While many corporations are aware that they need to have a social media presence, that they need to wage social media marketing campaigns, and that they have to actively manage their company’s online social reputation, very few are wading in to take advantage of the many benefits that could come from allowing their employees access to social media sites while at work.
It is incredibly important for corporate entities to develop legal guidelines regarding the use of social media by their employees. Although the prevailing instinct is to prohibit the access of all social media sites from employee use, this may not be the wisest course of action. Companies might be surprised to know that their greatest fears will not come true if they have a corporate legal policy. In other words, despite sounding counter intuitive, their employees won’t spend all day ignoring their work as they Facebook their friends and corporate secrets will not end up on the web.
Guess what? It’s easy for any schmuck with a laptop to post fraudulent content online. These days the internet is filled with a dizzying array of user-generated content sites like Wikis, blogs, social networking sites, review aggregators, fake news and even fan fiction. The upside? More personal expression. The downside? It’s tailor-made for deception, smear campaigns, envy, jealousy, vendettas and worse.
You might not know it if you’re not looking, but your online business or organization could be getting negative attention on the Internet at any given time. In today’s competitive business world and with our challenged economy, it is more important than ever to gain new customers while keeping your existing client base happy. Part of that public relations responsibility involves monitoring how your business is faring in public opinion, and how your name and your company’s name are thought of online. It’s about Reputation Management and the strategies needed to build and maintain strong appeal.