May. 6, 2009 - Social Media Policy for Associations
(Author’s note: I’m not an attorney. I wanted to be, but my parents thought I should be an English teacher. I’m not an NAR policy or legal staffer either. Don’t take these recommendations without consulting your association attorney and the appropriate NAR expert).
Background
Policy manuals aren’t written on engraved tablets. They are, in fact, the cornerstone of any smooth-running Realtor association—they enable the strategic plan, they guarantee operational consistency and efficiency, and they clarify the values of the association in language which is clear to employees and members alike. Policies are the way an association implements the policies and guidelines adopted by its members in its bylaws.
But policy language doesn’t remain unchanged forever. Savvy AEs know that they need to be alert to policy modifications. They listen in the Board of Directors’ meetings to motions which may, in fact, be policy motions, however awkward or subtle they might be. They are alert to legal and legislative environment which may require changes to the body of association policies. And they monitor the behavior of employees and members as they anticipate the need for new or revised policy statements which correspond with the changing times.
Social media has appeared on the association management scene as a useful tool for building a membership community, and it is gaining wide recognition among AEs as a valuable component of the management toolbox, one that can be easily utilized by association managers and their staff. In fact, because using digital media is so much a part of the way our members do business, AEs find that they really don’t have a choice about using social media—our primary audience, the membership, requires it!
Like it or not, then, we are committed tousing social media to one degree or another, especially as our general membership quickly fills with Gen X and Y faces. And like it or not, that means that social media policies need to be incorporated into your association operations manual.
Of course there are several levels on which you might address the issue: public relations, leadership, and staff management. This paper is concerned primarily with the staff management part of the equation.
By way of background in understanding what the social media topic implies for association staff, first of all you need to know that the topic of social media includes a wide array of technologies, some new and others not so new. All are based on the principle of two-way communication, however: there’s always a statement and the opportunity for feedback. That important concept is a radical departure from old ways of association interaction: “I’ll send you a news letter once a week so you’ll know what we want you to know/think/do.” Or, “Come to the meeting and we’ll count you as an involved member.”
Social media demands respondents be given equal time to communicate: a concept familiar to all of us who visit websites to rate products or services, comment on news articles or editorials, join a group of people with the same interests, and share a more personal side of our lives through photos, personal profiles, and ideas. But how, then, do you raise the consciousness of your staff about the impact their social networking has on their work lives and their relationships to members and to the public?
That’s the opportunity that a social media policy presents.
Here’s a case example. Your membership services director, Ellen, is a very pretty young college graduate in her 20’s. She’s got lots of energy and enthusiasm for her job, and you bring her along with you to the Leadership Planning Retreat held at a nearby resort. The evening’s activities include a cocktail hour, a nice dinner, and a free evening for socializing.
Ellen takes the socializing part seriously—and proudly reports on her FaceBook page that she had a great dinner with lots of wine, and then spent the evening in the hot tub with the President, followed by a hot game of Texas Hold ‘Em into the small hours of the morning. And your Realtors will think WHAT of your Leadership Retreat? Of Ellen? And of you, her ‘boss’? Can’t you just hear it? “My dues paid for this???”
Ok, point made. And lest you think it a fantasy, consider the two Dominos employees who sabotaged the company’s food preparation on a You Tube video. The publicity from that incident was quickly circulated around the world, and although the employees were fired and the company filed criminal complaints against them, Dominos’ reputation suffered a disastrous blow. The question is: how do you anticipate this type of private use of public media? How can you develop a policy that embraces different social media spaces and different roles of the players, and yet encompasses the risks involved with each? According to Eric B. Meyer, who’s an Associate in the Labor and Employment Group of Dilworth Paxson LLP, organizations should consider the following two important points:
1. Employers need to be upfront with employees that they have no right to privacy with respect to social networking. “Employers reserve the right to monitor employee use of social media regardless of location (i.e. at work on a company computer or on personal time with a home computer).”
2. Employees “should be made aware that company policies on anti-harassment, ethics and company loyalty extend to all forms of communication (including social media) both inside and outside the workplace.” People need to remember that bashing your organization/boss/co-workers online can lead to consequences at work.
It would stand to reason, then, social media guidelines need to be included in your organization policy manual right beside your other communications policies, and you need to offer training to all employees in how to use these guidelines effectively. Aside from minimizing risk and potential embarrassment, this training will give you an opportunity to review the Realtor organizational values and the alignment you expect employees to have with those values.
It’s important to remember (and convey to your staff) that the guidelines are not a forced external morality, but a compliance with the shared values of the organization.
Opportunities to use Social Media
Let’s divide the association use of social media into two types: ‘official’ and ‘unofficial”, or ‘formal’ and ‘informal’.
Because social media is such an important tool in creating community, your association will want to utilize many of the tools available. You might want to have blogs, FaceBook pages, Twitter groups, public and private forums, strategic planning or project wikis, and media sharing. You’ll want to use these tools in an official capacity and endorse them and encourage staff to use them. A Twitter account is a good example: you might have your MLS department sending messages to members, perhaps announcing new listings or sales, or new programs or software changes.
But you should be aware that there will also be informal, non-sanctioned uses of social media as well. Ellen’s personal FaceBook page is one example. But you can also imagine a staff member Twittering away about a terrible speaker at one of your education programs, or a ridiculous motion being considered in a directors’ meeting.
In each case, the risks to the association are different. In the officially sanctioned use of social media, AEs must be aware of some very familiar risks: antitrust, defamation, and copyright violations are a few of those pitfalls. In informal use, the previously mentioned risks are still there—but add to them embarrassment, weakened public image and credibility, member unrest, and plain old misinformation.
It’s no surprise to any AE that the Realtor environment is litigious and our association activities and our members’ business structures are frequently challenged. This environment won’t change, and may even be enhanced by our use of social media tools.
But make no mistake about it. You really can’t shut your eyes and hope that social media will go away. It won’t. Realtors and staff will be using these tools increasingly more frequently on an informal basis whether you like it or not.
Simply declaring that “I don’t think we should have a blog/FaceBook page/Twitter account because of the liability” naively avoids the reality that SM is happening anyway, and just because you haven’t adopted a formal use of it doesn’t mean the risks aren’t there. They are. So get over it, and take charge of your association’s social media use.
Good Policy Building
The social media environment is a dynamic and changing one, with new technologies being developed daily. Your association will utilize those technologies which best suit its needs, particularly in terms of adopting tools already being used by members. For instance, it makes good sense to use FaceBook if it’s popular among your Realtors.
By the same token, your association policies regarding social networking should be cast as general principles of social networking, rather than attempting to target them to specific technologies. One of your purposes in constructing policies is to encourage the use of social networking tools by your staff—and they will be much more comfortable with these skills if they know what is expected of them and are aware of the impact they as staff can have.
The second purpose of SM policies is to develop an atmosphere which avoids the unfortunate risks and legal liabilities and allows your blogs, forums, networking, and Twitters to be used by staff to the association’s fullest advantage. Think of your association social media policies as general guidelines for successful use of the many social tools rather than as a negative list of what NOT to do and the punishments straying outside the ‘law’.
Many social media policies have been developed because organizations were responding to embarrassing or illegal public statements like Ellen’s. They were developed in crisis mode, a knee-jerk reaction to a bad PR hair day. Again, think of your policy as a proactive, a positive set of ‘how-to’ guidelines, and make sure they encompass the basic tenets of your overall public relations policy.
A quotation from IBM’s paper, Social Computing Guidelines, states the issue more in a more positive, futuristic framework: “IBM is increasingly exploring how online discourse through social computing can empower IBM…. These individual interactions represent a new model: not mass communications, but masses of communicators. Therefore, it is very much in IBM's interest—and, we believe, in each IBMer's own—to be aware of and participate in this sphere of information, interaction and idea exchange.”
Also as you write, keep your policy interesting. As an association manager, you are trying to encourage responsible, effective use—not scare and intimidate your team away from building a more effective organization.
Then, once you have the guidelines in place, I would strongly encourage you to have a face-to-face meeting with staff to review and discuss them. Emphasize the potential benefits of SM to the association, then let them ask the inevitable “what if” questions, pose possible scenarios, and generally become comfortable with the parameters you’ve set. It will also let staff understand that their AE is really serious about this whole “SM thing”.
Lastly, make sure your leadership (probably still largely Boomers) is on board with the idea. As with staff, sell them on the benefits, although the more enlightened may probably be way ahead of you.
A Prototype
Let me hasten to say I’m not an attorney, and any organizational policy you put into place should be scrutinized by a legal professional. But I’ve drafted a template which you might use as a starting point for constructing your own policy. I’ve used several sources to put this together, and I encourage you to make full use of the resources cited at the end of the chapter. There are other available resources as well, both within and outside the Realtor organization. A Google search for ‘Social Media Policy Association’ will put you in touch with a wealth of information. ( I’d also suggest you hook up with some association social media Twitters, including NAR’s own Todd Carpenter (@tcar), NAR’s Social Media Manager for the National Association of REALTORS. Having a helpful Twitter stream will provide a flow of updates on this rapidly evolving field of social media.)
Here goes:
Social Media Policy for the ___________BOR
Adopted: (date)
Last Update: (date)
Social Media Definition:
‘Social media’ is the term commonly given to websites and online tools that allow users to interact with each other in some way - by sharing information, opinions, knowledge and interests. As the name implies, social media involves the building of communities or networks, encouraging participation and engagement.
Principles:
These are the official guidelines for social media at __________BOR. If you're an association employee, contractor, or volunteer creating or contributing to blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of social media both on and off our association website, these guidelines are for you. We expect all who participate in social media on behalf _________BOR to understand and to follow these guidelines. These guidelines will continually evolve as new technologies and social networking tools emerge—so check back occasionally to make sure you're up to date.
Emerging social media platforms for online collaboration are fundamentally changing the way our association engages with customers/members, colleagues, and the world at large. As an association we believe social computing can help us build a stronger, more successful real estate community, and it’s a way for staff, members, and the public to have conversations about matters important to our real estate environment
As a member of the ___________BOR staff, keep the following principles in mind:
Be professional; remember that you are an ambassador for our organization both on and off the job. Wherever possible, disclose your position as a representative of _____BOR.
Be responsible and honest at all times.
Be credible, accurate, fair, and thorough.
Post meaningful, respectful comments - in other words, no spam and no remarks that are off-topic or offensive.
Respect proprietary information and confidentiality both of our members, and of our internal operations.
When disagreeing with others' opinions, be objective and respectful.
Always remember that your online comments are permanently available to all, and may be republished in other media.
Don’t disclose sensitive or “inside”information, make commitments or engage in activities on behalf of ___BOR unless you are authorized to do so. If you are in doubt, avoid any contribution until you have received express permission from the AE. In other words, “If in doubt, leave it out.”
Even in your private communications, don’t forget your day job. You are a representative of __BOR.
A more thorough explanation of these guidelines includes the following:
Be honest and transparent. Social Media is no place to hide. Use your real name if you are commenting about the association or its programs and identify yourself as a staff member. Don’t violate _________BOR’s privacy though, and protect your own personal privacy as well. Remember that what you post will be available for a long time, as will photos of you and your personal comments. In other words, think before you post.
Make a mistake? If you make a mistake, admit it. Be upfront and be quick with your correction. For example, if you're posting to a blog, you may choose to modify an earlier post—just make it clear that you have done so.
Be Fair. There can be a fine line between healthy debate and hysterical reaction. Do not badmouth ours or other associations and, even more importantly, other staff, our leaders, members, and their profession in general. See if you can invite differing points of view without inflaming others. Remember that once the your words are online, you can't recall them. And once an inflammatory discussion gets going, it's hard to stop.
Add value. There’s lots of traffic on today‘s social media. The best way to get yours read is to contribute subjects or information your readers will value. Social communication from our association should help our members and co-workers. It should be thought-provoking and build a sense of community. If it helps people improve knowledge or skills, build their businesses or solve problems, or if it helps them understand our association better—then it's adding value. If you are tempted to post about your breakfast cereal or your new haircut…don’t.
Be Conversational. Social Media is conversational, so talk to your readers like you would talk to real people in professional situations. Encourage comments. You can also broaden the conversation by citing other experts in your blogs, or by ‘reTweeting’ others’ comments.
Perception is reality. In online social networks, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred. Just by identifying yourself as an ___BOR employee, you are creating perceptions about our association by our members and by the public.
Write what you know. Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise. Use the first person. If you publish to a website outside ____BOR, please use a disclaimer something like this: "The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent ___BOR’s positions, strategies or opinions." Also, please respect brand, Realtor trademark, copyright, fair use, confidentiality and financial disclosure laws. If you have any questions about these, see your AE. Remember, you are personally responsible for your content.
Moderating Content:The ___BOR encourages its staff to maintain a responsible and balanced online dialogue, and respects each staff person's responsibility to maintain adherence to that principle. However, ______BOR does reserve the right to moderate content of employee postings. Should ____BOR staff exercise that prerogative, content moderation will be based solely on whether or not the content violates the law, or is offensive and/or denigrating to the organization or to personalities involved.
Respecting Association Commitments: Unless specifically assigned, social media activities should not interfere with regular work commitments. Association staff is expected to respect other appropriate policies relating to work performance.
May. 8, 2009 - RE: Social Media Policy for Associations
Posted by John Reilly
Another great post, Judith. We'll be sure to include a link to this information in the upcoming release of NAR's Web 2.0 Social Networking online course.
Aug. 18, 2009 - RE: Social Media Policy for Associations
Posted by Belton Jennings
Judith: GREAT post! Several weeks ago when you asked me to comment on the draft, I knew this was going to be something really valuable. Sure enough! There isn't an association out there that couldn't benefit from it. Let's hope it "virals" itself well outside the Realtor world.
Another great post,I knew this was going to be something really valuable. Sure enough! There isn't an association out there that couldn't benefit from it.
A behind the scenes look at organized real estate--what works in an association, what doesn't, and what a long time AE sees as challenges facing the industry from the viewpoint of its professional organization.
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