subject: Creating A Social Media Policy [print this page] Creating A Social Media Policy Creating A Social Media Policy
Dewitt, NY December 13, 2010: The Fourth Quarter 2010 issue of The MHEDA Journal, the leading online magazine for the forklift, storage and handling, and general material handling equipment industries, focuses on the importance of creating a social media policy at a business. Storage equipment distributor Josh Smith, director of sales and operations at AK Material Handling Systems in Maple Grove, Minnesota, outlines considerations that a company must make when electing to pursue use of social media tools as a marketing outlet.
According to Smith, the elements of an effective social media policy include a list of company-approved sites and accounts, explanation of appropriate subject matter, linking strategies, policies for use of copyrighted material, privacy protection tips, response timelines and consequences for violating the policy. In describing his company's social media initiative, including the steps taken to implement a policy for proper use of these tools. "The benefits are many, but there can also be some drawbacks if employees don't use these tools properly. We developed a policy to help ensure that we stay on course as a company, and at the same time safeguard our employees' personal privacy. There are a number of details to consider," he says.
Among those details are maintaining a good online reputation, brand management, being transparent, protecting key relationships, staying timely, safeguarding personal and company information and heeding security warnings.
The full text of the article, "Creating A Social Media Policy," is available at The MHEDA Journal Online. The print version of The MHEDA Journal is mailed out to subscribers in January, April, July and October. For more information, contact Chris Powers, editor of The MHEDA Journal, (315) 445-2347, e-mail: chris@datakey.org.
