If you are a company:

• And using a Social Networking Site to create an online brand by customizing pages on third party media sites, you should review the terms of use and privacy policy and adopt a procedure to monitor usage and content and to respond to negative posts. In fact, you must ensure that your activities and their implementation comply with the Providers terms of use and in order to ensure that the content posted does not contain confidential or proprietary information, is not defamatory and does not harm your (or a third party’s) reputation.
  • In order to do so, you will need to have adopted and be able to quickly implement a monitoring programme and an internal response strategy. Part of the program would be a Social Media Policy; part of the response strategy would include:
    •  a request that the post be taken down;
    • a response via other blogs or a press release;
    •  if the post appears in the company’s own website reserving the right to delete the post, the right to take disciplinary action (and therefore  abuse of the company’s Social Media Policy should be a reason for taking disciplinary action in the employees handbook or other employment documentation); and
    • of course and in any case the right to take legal action.
• And using Social Networking Sites to gather employment information, you must ensure that information gathered is not used to discriminate employees and take adverse decisions.
  • In order to do this, you will need to maintain consistent approach and use of Social Media; comply with the provider’s terms of use and privacy; and cross- check facts in an objective manner; and if appropriate ignore certain facts (for example if you learn via a Social Networking Site about a candidate’s sexual preferences or religion).
• A Social Media Policy is therefore extremely helpful and will address the following:
  • Whether social media use in company’s time is allowed;
  • Whether the company will permit/allow use of social media for business development;
  • How the company will deal with employees that post illicit photos or infringing material;
  • How the company will protect its reputation and promote its corporate image;
  • How the company will monitor compliance and enforce policy and the consequences for employees for misusing the policy including whether it may involve disciplinary action or even dismissal.

For more information on this and other online matters, including if you require a Social Media Policy, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it