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Social media is playing a larger part in the business world than most people think, whether they are a part of the movement or not.  Many companies are implementing social media accounts without a plan or before forming a strategy and some are even allowing their employees to manage their accounts without direction. Having an official company policy and forming a set of guidelines for staff to follow can help regulate unnecessary employee behavior on social networks.

Social media policies can cover many different topics and areas. Because the what not to do list could go on forever, the best way to get the general idea across to your employees is to tackle the policy one area at a time.  Regarding the policy itself, it is important to first state what the reader should learn from the policy, as the American Red Cross did when they stated:

“There are many Red Cross employees and volunteers contributing to online spaces such as blogs, social networking sites, wikis, forums and photo and video sharing sites.

The following guidelines will help you talk about your involvement with the Red Cross in an open and transparent way. The Red Cross must always uphold the trust of the American people, so it is critical that we tell our story responsibly.

All kinds of social media manner of new communication and social networking tools are available to Red Crossers, anyone who wants to share insights, express opinions and communicate in a globally distributed conversation. While the American Red Cross recognizes the value of posting personal online content (Web sites, Weblogs, vlogs, podcasts, photos, chat rooms, forums and wikis), it is important that Red Crossers who choose to tell their Red Cross story online understand what is recommended, expected and required.”

While you can’t control what your employees write or post on their social networks, it’s important to make sure they understand privacy settings, exercise good judgment, act responsibly and know the company expects from them. It can also be beneficial to encourage employees to include their place of work and link back to the company’s site. This will not only increase inbound links but also drive traffic to the site.

Current policies on social media accounts range in length and detail. They are based on the nature of your business and how much of it is regulated. Social media policies can help employees realize what is acceptable and reminds them each user is responsible for what he or she writes.

To read more on Social Media Policies check out these links below:

Social Policy Musts by Mashable
Database of Social Media Policy Examples