(this is a repost from http://bit.ly/c9z7oV)
One the reasons why many businesses are still hesitant to embrace social media as part of their overall operations is their fear of losing control over sensitive company information. Many executives and business owners are quite nervous over what employees and officers may tweet or post in their blogs and other social networks.
We cannot blame business owners for these worries. After all, industrial espionage and online reputation sabotage is a real menace and companies all over the world do spend a small fortune to secure classified and even mundane information ( from delivery schedules to the latest production and even details on the latest corporate meetings) lest it falls on "enemy" ears and hands..
Banning Isn't The Answer
However, totally banning the use of social media tools and sites from the work place isn't a very realistic solution. All employees do have a life outside the office and whether employers accept it or not, they WILL talk about work whether the location is inside a pub or over the dinner table in their own homes.
What's is not sure however, is if the topic of conversation is flattering to your business or not. This where executives & businessmen can actually learn a thing or two from a most unlikely organization: the military.
The Military Embraces Social Media
In a recent report, the
Telegraph reported that a British army battalion commander will start tweeting during his six month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Dougie Graham commanding officer of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, a force of about 450 soldiers, plans to tweet regular updates on his unit so that families back home can get in touch with them constantly. It is also a way to get messages of support from the home front to the men.
Lt. Colonel Graham also said that he and the British Defence Ministry are in discussions on the content to be posted and other issues before going live very soon. He added that opening a Twitter account is the natural thing to do since all of his friends and that of his men communicate regularly via social media such as Facebook, Myspace and of course, Twitter.
Now, if there's one organization that should be understandably paranoid on social media, that should be the military. After all, it's all about life and death. Ever heard of the saying: 'Loose lips, sink ships'? That's how serious the Defence establishment is with regards to information security and management but now the ministry is very open to such initiatives, with some caveats of course.
It is not only the British armed services that has opened its doors and minds to the use of social media.
Even the
United States military has recently reversed a total ban on the use of social media among its soldiers. Of course, there were some guidelines and other rules in place to ensure security is not compromised but on the whole and as a general rule, soldiers can communicate freely with friends and family using social media tools.
Social Media Strategy & Policy Is The Key
Given these very welcome developments, shouldn't businesses shed off its fear of social media and start using it to grow their business?
Based on the examples shown by the US and British military, companies need to have a social media strategy and policy to ensure everyone is in the same the page and understands the risks and benefits involved.
For sure, the Defence establishment has realized the enormous benefits to both morale and public relations if they loosen up their social media policy while businesses should realize that their employees' personal social network can contribute to the over all growth of their operations. That is an untapped network of prospective customers who already trust a member of their organization, a source for new & talented employees and 24/7 channels that exposes and enhances your company's brand image.
In summary, you cannot stop your employees from talking about your business. However, businesses can influence the messages your own people will be relaying to their own personal social networks and make it work positively for the company.