Don’t Let Your Cousin’s Kid Run Your Company’s Social Network

Carl Weinschenk spoke with Dan Hoang, a blogger who covers social-networking topics. He says the key for companies that want to get involved in social networking is to find consultants who are as savvy in business as they are online.

Weinschenk: What should companies do to manage the movement of social networking into the enterprise?

Hoang: I think the line is slowly becoming a little blurry between personal and business social networking. Companies should be proactive and educate employees on what the company’s policies are particularly concerning confidential information and sharing company secrets on your blog. I think they should be aware that this whole phenomenon of social media is new. There are not very many official, well-written policies out there. In my post, I mentioned that IBM’s social computing policy is one of the better ones out there. From what I understand, when IBM created its policies, it was a collaborative effort between the employees and management. It wasn’t management putting a mandate out there. It was a question of how to take advantage of the social media to promote the business.

Weinschenk: Who else has a good approach?
Hoang: I put a ping out there for people to submit comments. Harvard Law was one. Sun also has a really good one. I think every company should look at what its culture is, what business line it is in and then tailor the policies around that. A company can’t just use some boilerplate and slap in on.

Weinschenk: What should the policies cover?
Hoang: I think guidance for personal blogging covers what can and cannot be disclosed by employees about current clients or work they are doing or any information that violates the SEC’s rules and laws. It is not just to protect the company, but the employees themselves. The employees if not properly educated may inadvertently disclose something and a lawsuit may come. It’s for the employees’ protection, especially if it is a publicly traded company.

Weinschenk: Speaking more broadly, what should companies look for in a social-networking consultant?
Hoang: You are starting to see a lot of social-networking consultants or experts. But having good business experience and knowing how to use it at a corporate level is not the same as having a personal Facebook page. I think you definitely need someone in social media who knows what they are talking about. There are not that many people with experience [in this]. You need somebody with a strong business background, [who can help] the company to adapt to new technology. I don’t like calling it a generational gap. It’s more of a gap between people who believe in it and everyone else that aren’t users of it. ... I think from a corporate level there are not a lot of good consultants out there because this is a very new industry. There are a lot of so-called experts, but be cautious. The old business model still works: Be cautious, set boundaries, set policies and talk to people who candidates have worked for. Get references and look at case studies about how other organizations used social media.

Weinschenk: Should all companies use social media?
Hoang: Looking at the case studies, there are companies that have succeeded and some that have failed horribly. Not every company should be users. There is no blanket approach. Some are more conservative by nature and social media may not be their best marketing tool. It’s a case-by-case situation.

Weinschenk: Can you provide an example of a company that did well?
Hoang: Look at Starbucks, which uses crowdsourcing. People submit ideas, which are voted up or down. The customers themselves are giving ideas to the company on what they would like to see in new initiatives. The good ideas are voted up and the bad ideas are on the bottom. That a fantastic use of social media, reaching out touching everyone out there.

Weinschenk: Where would this not play?
Hoang: For example, take the Starbucks idea and port it in a Midwestern town or somewhere where there is little or no adoption, and it is not going to work. In the city, there is a better percentage of people with access to the Internet…but people in small towns [without much access] probably are not going to benefit from it.

Weinschenk: How should companies get involved?
Hoang: My recommendation is to start small. Start with one application and not tackle all at once. Eventually you can build a portfolio of uses and find the right mix of technologies and incorporate them into your company’s social media mix…. Talk to customers. That is the most important, to talk to customers. You have to figure out what kind of tools they prefer, what the demographics of the population are and what their adoption level is. Do they read blogs? Do they have a Facebook page? Do they subscribe to podcasts?

Weinschenk: If you were a consultant, what kinds of questions would you ask clients?
Hoang: If I were to put on my consultant’s hat, I would ask what is the company’s goal, its mission, its values and explore how you can tie that to social media. You don’t implement a Facebook page just to join the crowd. It is about how to strategically use social media to accomplish the goal. What I personally do is do a risk assessment. Can you as a company mitigate risk where it is comfortable to roll out a Facebook page or blog or whatever? You are looking at human resources, what type of people are working for the company, the nature of the business – is it public or private -- the size of organization, whether it is centralized or decentralized and the process that you are going to use. Are you opening up the social media platform for everyone or working through a filtered… gateway?

Weinschenk: You are a consultant who works with the government. What do you see from this perspective?
Hoang: They are beginning to ask how to use social media. Should the government put it on the back burner or get on board? How can they take advantage of crowdsourcing? For example, on Twitter last week, the CTO for the City of Seattle asked a question about what kind of crowdsourcing approaches are available.

Weinschenk: What particular platforms are hot?
Hoang: It depends who you talk with. The experts all rave about Twitter, but from my perspective, you should look at the big picture: Is it the next big thing, or will it be replaced? I think we are seeing a surge to Twitter and Facebook because the cost of entry is so low. It is so cheap to launch a blog or begin to Twitter.