business etiquette awareness

Business Etiquette: To tweet or not to tweet
Tips for managing social media communications in the workplace
by Karri Sandino


LEXINGTON, KY - Temptation hits. You're at your desk, taking a break and you want to send a few innocent tweets on Twitter. And maybe post that video of the office softball team party on YouTube.

Before you do, ask yourself, "Is this really appropriate?"

It's no trivial question; today's social media tools — Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and others — are fast, easy and ubiquitous. Most importantly, almost anyone can read what you write — including your boss.

Participation is enormous and growing. Visits to Twitter, for example, jumped from 7.9 million in February 2009 to 22.9 million in June 2009, reports web analytics firm Compete.com. By comparison, USA Today and New York Times Web sites each attract about 16 million monthly visitors.

Tweet with care

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Even as we continue to wrestle with the foibles of e-mail — misspellings, miscommunications and reply-all catastrophes — these new tools aren't here to complicate our communication activities.

Rather than find out the hard way, think twice about what you tweet or post. Review or ask about your organization's policies for social media or online communication.

Local printer and imaging technology firm, Lexmark International, Inc., focuses on educating employees about corporate expectations for their online communications, said Jerry Grasso, vice president of corporate communications at Lexmark. "We ask employees to think about how any comment they make will reflect on Lexmark and provide guidelines," he said.

Here are a few more tips for managing social media in the workplace:

• Mind your meetings. Avoid using your phone during meetings and consider leaving it at your desk. Tweeting is not the same as doodling in the margins as you listen. Your coworkers — or worse yet, potential clients — could think you're ignoring them.

• What's your social media manifesto? Don't shy away from creating your own social media guidelines tailored to your specific job, work habits and lifestyle. For example, if you're not sure you're comfortable having coworkers, clients or your boss join you on Facebook, you could learn to adjust your privacy settings, or invite them to join you on LinkedIn instead and explain that you're saving Facebook for family and friends. Then be consistent by treating future invitations in the same way.

• If you can't say something nice, don't say anything. Steer clear of criticizing your employer. Instead, consider applying the same business-friendly approach to social media that you do to work e-mail.

• Words travel fast — especially on the Web. Keep in mind that your employer could hold you responsible for any negative perceptions resulting from something you've written. Assume that every word you write online could eventually make its way back to your boss and the CEO of your company. Sarah Pitt, corporate human resources officer with Forcht Group, said, "Social media has been useful for recruiting as an organization. But as a human resources person, I would tell employees to be careful about what they post. If we found out that someone posted something negative or potentially damaging about the company, there could be disciplinary action."

• Remember how wide your audience can be. Speaking of recruiting, keeping your posts free from inappropriate information, photos and videos is essential for job seekers. Take time to spiff up on your online presence. Even among followers or friends, use sensitivity and plain old common sense. If you just received a raise, for example, don't tweet about going out to celebrate. Many of your colleagues, who may not be getting raises, could see your tweet.

Businesses with social media guidelines

Passing trend or not, numerous businesses have already committed to reaping the benefits of the word-of-mouth connections that Twitter and Facebook can cultivate. Think of your favorite local business, and you'll probably find them there. According to news and ad monitoring service VMS, Twitter is capable of generating about $48 million worth of marketing action, or about three billion impressions in 30 days.

For those interested in developing a social media policy, grab a few tips from several national brands.

The Associated Press wrote in a memo to employees, "The bottom line is that the company supports social networking as a personal and professional tool, but expects employees to bear in mind how their actions might reflect on the AP … We all represent the AP, and we all must protect its reputation."

With a nod to common sense, Cisco Systems encourages employees to consult its policy, saying, "If you are writing about Cisco business where you have responsibility, you may wish to make sure your manager is comfortable with your taking that action."

Wal-Mart's Twitter policy, posted on its Web site, helps consumers identify designated Wal-Mart twitterers. It reads, "While many of our 2.2 million associates around the world are using Twitter and other social networks, all official Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Twitter users will be identified on this landing page and will have a link back to this page (http://walmartstores.com/9179.aspx) from their Twitter profile." It adds this disclaimer, "Nothing in any Twitter page constitutes a binding representation, agreement or an endorsement on the part of Wal-Mart."

In other words, feel free to post, but consider your reputation and your employer's point of view first.

WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!

Well, this article about business etiquette should make us stop and think for awhile before writing anything on the social networks. The social networks are so "free" we can get carried away. I guess the key in business etiquette when using social networks is discernment and discretion. Use the message boxes which are more private than writing on the walls!