Social Notworking

Addressing employers fear that allowing social media at work will decrease productivity

“If you worry about the internet effecting productivity, you’re worrying about people stealing pens from the stationery cupboard”. Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft

Is lack of productivity due to social media really the issue employers are concerned with? Or is the fear born out of the lack of control about what is being said, rather than how often sites are being accessed?

There is a general ground swell of uncertainty attached to the monitoring of how employees use social media. The melding of their personal face with that of the organisations presents both complications and opportunities. Social media, be it good, bad or ugly, is not going away. It is, however, changing the face of how we do business and organisations need to work to embrace it in order to harness how it can work for them and their employees.

When internet based email was first introduced to businesses in 1971, employers panicked about the misuse or decline in productivity from employees this may have. Email policies were common in the early adoption days but I’d challenge you to find an employee that has read, knows where to find or was made aware of their organisation’s email policy on joining the organisation they are now in, assuming, of course, that they haven’t been there for more than twenty years. I’d also challenge you to find anyone that considers email a hindrance to their business.

Blocking employee access to social media sites is not the answer. Employees will simply pick up their iphone or other mobile device and access sites that way. You can’t prevent access in the same way you can’t prevent conversations happening in the social media space about your brand, service or product. Nor should you want to.

Is it not better to be part of those conversations and encourage and nurture a positive experience for customers and employees in order to champion your brand? Creating a social media policy is a good idea, particularly if your organisation is large. Setting out expectations on what can and can’t be shared when it comes to intellectual property and what sort of tone is appropriate when blogging, micro-blogging, pod-casting etc on behalf of your organisation, helps establish a benchmark that you can then tailor as needed.

Harnessed properly, social media can not only grow your business but create thought leaders of your employees, develop networks and collaboration across your industry and provide a platform to develop your employees thinking, making them better at what they do. Remember, social doesn’t necessarily mean fun (although it can be), and while social media can be used for business purposes, the key is to finding a balance to allow your employees time for their own experiences outside of the confines of their work roles.

And trust shouldn’t be underestimated as a way of motivating staff. Knowing they have yours is essential for any employee to grow and develop.

And if you already know all of this but are finding it challenging to convince your colleagues or CEO that social media should be embraced and not shunned, perhaps it’s worth pointing out that whether you’re part of the conversation or not, people will be talking about your brand, service, products and industry in any number of forums. What you learn from, and contribute to, those conversations will make your business smarter.

Your CEO might not think social media is relevant to your business but your customers, stakeholders and employees might have other ideas. Perhaps the best place to start is by creating some listening posts to track conversations about your brand, product, service and industry and then make a decision on whether those are conversations you’re happy to ignore. At least then you’re making an informed decision.

Netiquette

We all have varying degrees of what is acceptable etiquette at the dinner table, in business meetings and when visiting foreign countries, so how do those rules translate to an online environment? Does removing the geographical and cultural surrounds that are so much more ephereal online mean that we all live and breathe the same manners on the Internet?

How do we navigate a vastly more comprehensive network of cultures, standards, and customs without offending? Showing the soles of your feet to people is offensive in some cultures - does using acronyms on the web have the same effect in parts of the internet ether?

There have been various studies conducted (usually with teenagers) to show that we interact via the web in a far more open manner – even with people we know. What we wouldn’t say to them in person, we’re much more inclined to reveal behind the veil of our computers. That makes sense. It’s the same with a telephone conversation and a little bit of bravado never hurt anyone. But where does bravado end and arrogance start? Nowhere is more rife with good and bad behaviour than social media.

Netiquette for social media
Watching organisations and individuals traverse the internet’s social media terrain, there are some that seem to bring their values and manners into the way they apply themselves to the space and others that grew up with elbows on the table and were never taught their pleases and thank-yous.

Treat others how you would like to be treated. It sounds cheesy and a bit school marmish but in the world of social media, having respect for those you are in the same game park as is going to get you further than bullying your way around. Here are a few tips for netiquette in social media:

– Don’t hog the limelight – it’s a moving, breathing space. Make your point and move on.

– Don’t use hash tags that have nothing to do with what you’re writing about. It doesn’t help anyone and annoys most.

– Don’t write the same way you would on your corporate website or on a job application. Be yourself, after all, you’re the only one who can do it well.

– Give your opinion. Good or bad is fine but remember that others can do the same.

– Find out where you stand and the rules before jumping in. Only a fool jumps head first into a pool they’ve never swum in before.

– Give credit where credit is due. People will respect you for it and will do the same for you.

– Be brave and give it a go. If you make a mistake, apologise and move on. Practice makes perfect…or at least moves us in the right direction.

There is no entrance exam on how to behave in social media but common sense and being yourself are a good start.

Post. CD

Annual gratification

I just received an update from slideshare.com on the 2009 activity through the Daemon Digital account and it is easy to see the appeal of sharing presentations when they provide the instant gratification of being able to track how many people view and like your work.

The annual update adds icing and is a great touch by the Slideshare team. For the record, Daemon Digital uploaded 11 presentations during the year, which were viewed 16,066 times at an average of 1,461 each. Social Media Strategies for Business was the most popular with 4,886 views.

Not many by some standards I imagine, but satisfying none the less.