[Company]’s social media objectives are:

- To establish [Company] as an expert in the field of risk management and risk management planning through publishing content and contributing online.

- To promote [Company] and build interest in the organization, its products, and its people.

- To build relationships with and engage the risk and insurance community.

We encourage you to guide your conversations with openness, transparency and responsibility for what you share with the online world. Always remember that it’s your name and your identity that is linked to what you share online, so make sure you are willing to take ownership over it. Always strive to exercise good judgment and common sense in your online communications. 

It's a Two-Way Street
The goal isn't to get everyone at [Company] contributing online. The goal is to become part of the industry conversation. So, if you are going to write, look around and do some reading first so you learn where the conversation is and what people are saying. Remember that the web is all about links and relationships. When you see something interesting and relevant, link to it. You'll be doing your readers a service, and you'll also generate links back to you. It’s a win-win situation. 

Be Respectful
Whether in the actual or a virtual world, your interactions and discourse should be respectful. For example, when you are in a virtual world as a [Company] representative, your avatar should dress and speak professionally. We all appreciate actual respect. You are allowed to disagree with [Company]’s leaders electronically, provided your tone is one of respect. If in doubt, we suggest you “sleep on it” and then submit your entry to [the Company Social Media Representative] before posting it to a blog, forum, email, etc. 

 
It’s About Community
Much of our online communications centers on the building and maintenance of community. We often contribute to environments of support where professionalism and transparency are integral. When sharing, connecting and collaborating, always keep the importance of community in mind. It may sometimes be appropriate to challenge an idea or opinion in the interest of learning and engagement, but always do so with respect and a positive goal in mind.

Consider Your Audience
Always remember to whom you are speaking and with whom you are sharing. Keeping this in mind (and keeping in mind who may be listening) will help you make sure that your contribution does not give your audience the wrong impression and will help you to provide something of value to those listening. 

Bring Value
Social media and online communications offer us great opportunities to bring value to customers and prospective customers. Always remember to listen, be receptive, responsive, helpful, accessible and approachable. 

Don't Tell Secrets
Anything you post online is accessible to anyone with a browser. Some sites have a restricted content feature, but keep in mind that external content is NOT as secure as content that resides on a protected intranet — you are responsible for the content you post and the restricted spaces you manage. Common sense should be at work here; it's perfectly OK to talk about your work and have a dialog with the community, but it's not OK to publish the recipe for one of our secret sauces. Content requiring a non-disclosure agreement or considered [Company] proprietary content should NOT be published on [Company]’s community sites — even in spaces set up to restrict access to [Company] employees only. If the judgment call is tough, it's never a bad idea to get input from [the Company Social Media Representative] before you publish.

 
Quality Matters
Use a spell-checker. If you're not design-oriented, ask someone who is and take their advice on how to improve. You don't have to be a great or even a good writer to succeed at this, but you do have to make an effort to be clear, complete, and concise. Of course, "complete" and "concise" are to some degree in conflict; that's just the way life is. There are very few first drafts that can't be shortened and improved in the process. 

Be Interesting, but Be Honest
Writing is hard work. There's no point doing it if people don't read it. Fortunately, if you're writing about a product that a lot of people are using or are waiting for, and you know what you're talking about, you're probably going to be interesting. And because of the magic of linking and the web, if you're interesting, you're going to be popular at least among the people who understand your specialty.

Another way to be interesting is to expose your personality. Almost all of the successful online voices write about themselves, about families or movies or books or games, or they post pictures. People like to know what kind of person is writing what they're reading. Once again, balance is called for. A community site is a public place and you should avoid embarrassing the company and/or community members. 

One of [Company]’s core values is integrity, so be considerate in your online community contributions. Would you want what you said or wrote read back to you by the plaintiff’s attorney when you were sitting in the witness stand? Authenticity should guide all online communications when you are sharing as a representative of [Company]. You may find it valuable to your audience to include your name and title as well as your [Company] contact information and links to [Company]’s website. Deciding what information to include should be decided on a case-to-case basis and you are expected to use good judgment in the decision. 

Don't Write Anonymously
If you comment publicly about any issue in which you are engaged as a [Company] employee, you must make your status as a [Company] employee clear. You should also be clear about whether, in such commentary, you are speaking for yourself (presumably the normal case) or for [Company] (permission should first be requested). 

Write What You Know
The best way to be interesting, to stay out of trouble and to have fun is to write about what you know. If you have a deep understanding of Search Engine Optimization or the latest Java innovation, it's hard to be boring or get into too much trouble writing about that. On the other hand, a marketer who publishes rants on web development strategy or tax policy has a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring. 

Press Inquiries
Social media postings may generate media coverage. If a member of the media contacts you about a [Company] related posting or requests [Company] information of any kind, contact [the Company Social Media Representative].

Think About the Consequences
The worst thing that can happen is that a [Company] sales pro is in a meeting with a prospect, and someone on the customer's side pulls out a print-out of something you've posted and says "This person at [Company] says that product sucks." In general, "XXX sucks" is not only risky but unsubtle. Saying "Online analytics needs to have an easier learning curve for the first-time user" is fine; saying "Free analytic programs suck" is just amateurish. Once again, it's all about judgment. Using your public voice to trash or embarrass the company, our customers, your co-workers, or yourself is not only dangerous, but not very smart. 

Responding to Criticism
In the past, many companies have shied away from negative comments posted online about the organization, its brand or products. With the emergence of social media, this is no longer an option. Deriving value from negative comments about [Company] is a multi-step process. First, you must determine whether a comment is worth responding to. If the author provides criticism about [Company] that reflects a genuine weakness or issue, it may be necessary to respond. If an author has nothing more to say than offering some vague negative comments, it may not be worth responding to. In the event that a comment is made that is too vague to fully respond to but that you feel may warrant a response, reply and welcome the author to contact the organization to discuss their concerns. If an author online provides specific and valid feedback or opinions about [Company], you can:

• Thank them for sharing their opinion and let them know that their feedback is valued, and
• Encourage them to continue the dialogue with [Company] so that we may help them in any way we can.

Any comments that warrant a more involved response should be brought to the attention of [the Company Social Media Representative].

Always remember that criticisms and negative comments online, if valid, can be used by [Company] to better our products and services. When someone takes the time to speak about [Company] online, they are providing us with feedback that we may never have otherwise received. In providing this feedback, they are also providing us with the opportunity to do better. Being aware of this and receptive to what is said is very valuable, so always respond accordingly with this in mind. 

 
Moderating
Some community sites, such as wikis, require a [Company] employee moderator. Optional moderation on other sites such as a group blog and forum can add value by maintaining content organization and responding to ongoing decisions and questions. The goal of moderating is to "guide and nurture" not "command and control." 

Other People's Information
It's simple — other people's information belongs to them (be it Intellectual Property or Personal Information). It's their choice whether to share their material with the world, not yours. So before posting someone else's material, check with the owner for permission to do this. If you're unsure, [the Company Social Media Representative] can offer guidance. If you are certain that you are seeking to use content where usage rights have been granted, make sure that you provide proper attribution and that you give credit where credit is due. 

Business Outlook Rules
There are all sorts of laws about what we can and can't say business-wise. Talking about revenue, future product ship dates, pricing decisions, roadmaps, unannounced financial results, our share price or similar matters is apt to get you, the company, or both, into serious legal trouble. Stay away from financial topics and predictions of future performance. 

Communicating in a Crisis Situation
While social media brings us great opportunities to provide timely and relevant content to a global audience, refrain from communicating online in any crisis situation that directly or indirectly involves [Company]. Such communications should be managed by the legal and/or public relations representatives.

No Comment
Do not comment on work-related legal matters unless you are [Company]’s official spokesperson for the matter, and have [Company] legal and management approval to do so. 

Disclaimers
Many employees put a disclaimer on their front page saying who they work for, but that they're not speaking officially. This is good practice, but don't count on it to avoid trouble; it may not have much legal effect. Community sites contain material written by [Company] employees and are governed by company policies. When employees leave [Company], material written during their employment normally remains in place and is subject to the same policies. Please be aware that the company may request that you temporarily confine your website or weblog commentary to topics unrelated to the company if it believes this is necessary or advisable to ensure compliance with security regulations and other laws.

Company Time
You should make sure that you online activities do not interfere with your job or commitments to customers.

Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or you’d like more guidance on communicating online as a representative of [Company], please contact:

[INSERT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR COMPANY SOCIAL MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE]