As social media has become a pervasive and omnipresent means for commercial communication, it is imperative that users of social media understand the impact social media has on the protection and exploitation of intellectual property, in other words, social media: risks and rewards for your real estate website.
Social Media Policy
The time has come. Over 1 billion people are using social media and whether you like it or not, they may be talking about you. As you begin to grow your business, you want the best online reputation possible. You might be looking for investors and if they are interested, they will probably research you on the web. You may be collaborating on a Twitter account with co-founders, or sharing admin rights on a Facebook page. Whatever the reason, and whatever the size of your business, having a social media policy in place is just good business.
There are social media policies available on the internet, and much like any other legal document, you may want to review this with a professional. That said, here are some basic things to consider when instituting a social media policy:
- Who is in charge of the social media accounts
- Who can give access to use the social media accounts
- Are officers/employees allowed to use their personal accounts to comment on business issues
- How do you want posts credited – i.e., determine if all tweets, posts, etc., should have some “code” in them like a person’s initials at the end – this will help to identify who said something
- Ethical standards you want enforced
- Should disclaimers be used when posting
- Specific issues relating to your business that must be included in a social policy
Just like any other HR policy, your Social Media Policy should be updated annually with all employees signing an acknowledgement. As new employees are brought in, they should sign off on the Social Media Policy as well. Here are some websites that can help you create a Social Media Policy:
And of course your website should also have a privacy policy for your website, and if applicable, a Terms & Conditions policy. Below are some websites that provide a free privacy policy template that you can use. Depending on the complexity of your privacy policy, or any of the policies we have mentioned here, you may want to seek the help of a professional.