CORPORATE GUIDELINES AND POLICIES

Companies are starting to regard social networking sites, forums and message boards as significant to the business. These forums contain important content, and companies recognise that they need to apply policies that govern the acceptable use of this content. But is it possible to define an acceptable standard for user generated content? Do you apply something that prohibits the use of social engagement tools in any form whilst inside the corporate firewall? Some companies prohibit blogging, or they block Facebook and Twitter through the corporate firewall. Some companies issue such severely restrictive policies that they are almost impossible to comply with.

ESPN, the sports news channel, has issued very specific and detailed guidelines for social networking for any of their staff engaged with the public discussing sports news:²⁷