March 2010

In last month's BurrellesLuce newsletter we "separated social media fact from fiction." This month we thought we would address some of the common misconceptions public relations and marketing professionals have about their online and social media activities.

The Truth Behind 5 Common Online and Social Media Misconceptions

1. When using social media, as long as I set my "privacy settings" my employer, clients, or prospects won't see the information I publish.
Setting your privacy settings can help you control some of what's made public. However, social network creators and third-parties are finding ways to work around these parameters. According to this article, Facebook "founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, believes that 'people no longer care about personal privacy,' referring to Zuckerberg's recent justification for new privacy settings that make a host of information available by default." This sentiment isn't unique to Facebook alone. Earlier this month, Classmates.com settled a suit in which users alleged the site practiced "deceptive marketing" to get them to sign-up for paid memberships. This came just weeks after users "sued over opt-out privacy setting changes" that made members' information available across the Internet at large. And sites like Please Rob Me are quick to take advantage of the lack of discretion that users show when posting their activities online. Even the Fed's are going undercover on social networks to gain information, seemingly hidden behind privacy walls or that is freely distributed, to track down suspects and to confirm alibis.

2. Because social media sites are secure, I'm protected.
As we see an increase in the popularity of social media, we also see an increase in the number of hackers, spammers, and phishing tools looking to capitalize on a site's vulnerability. Hacks to Twitter, that force users to reset passwords, and fake virus alerts on Facebook, that implant malicious viruses, have become commonplace. Even more traditional online media isn't immune, as researchers have identified a new malvertising strain that infects users even if they don't click on an ad. No wonder 72 percent of companies believe their employees' activities on social networking sites could endanger their business's security, at least according to a report by Sophos. Other data backs up that fear: The number of businesses that were targets for spam increased from 33.4 percent in April 2009 to 57 percent in December 2009. When it comes to online security, common sense prevails. In other words, strengthen your password and change them often and don't click on a link that doesn't come from a trusted source or that looks suspicious. Don't give out any sensitive or personal information and where relevant, be sure to back up your information or content - this way if something does happen you will be able to re-establish contacts quickly and get your blog or profile up efficiently.

3. I am not liable for the content I publish online or in social media.
The ease of which we can post content to the web and social media has given some the false security that they're not responsible for the material they publish. And now with sites like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft indexing this material, even after it has been deleted or no longer been made public, there's even more potential for this activity to damage the hard-earned reputations of brands and companies. Some Internet legislation may seem to protect users and social networks who post defamatory content, for the time being. However, many have still filed suit and won. Even businesses are getting in on the action. Most corporate social media policies have a clause about wittingly or unwittingly publishing protected content found on the web and holding the individual - not the company - responsible for employees' activities. Even if employees are official representatives of the organization, regardless of whether they are acting on behalf of the company at the time of posting, the individual is still responsible for his/her actions.

4. To make it big in social media my content has to go viral.
Who doesn't want to reach a million+ viewers or fans or have their text, video, or podcast spread across the web at lightning speed? The reality, though, is that this isn't possible for most brands or companies. Instead, you should set a realistic standard of "viral" based on your industry or segment and work towards it. Remember: forge long lasting relationships and put quality before quantity. And never forget that one set of the right eyes (e.g. a stakeholder's) is more important than millions of random eyes.

5. My top executive(s) must be involved in the company or brand's social media activity.
It's not necessarily the best use of time or talent for your CEO to be stationed inside a trade booth while attending an industry event. Similarly, you wouldn't necessarily want your chief executive blogging. Instead of focusing on the role of the blogger in the structure of the organization, "a company should choose its bloggers on the basis of their potential to write well and interestingly on one or more topics relevant to the company's business," writes Joel Postman in the SocializedPR blog post entitled, Debunking Five Social Media Myths. In the case of Marriott's On the Move blog, for example, it makes sense that CEO Bill Marriott would pen the blog. The content is done in his own voice and aligns with corporate objectives and, after three years, Marriott appears quite comfortable in his role as a corporate blogger. But the same may not be true for the CEO or chairperson of your company or client's.