Empirical Evidence Shows That Work Place Social Media Policies Never Work

Original Post by Mary Steward

Response by: Miss. Bayo Elizabeth Cary, AA, BA, MLIS

To: All Employees of Marketing Matters

From: Darcy M. Diamond

Subject: New Social Media Policies

Employees of Marketing Matters,

Good morning everyone.  It has come to my attention that employees are posting inappropriate pictures and comments on social media.  Marketing Matters embraces social media and networking as a great tool to connect with current and potential clients but there is a line that should not be crossed.  Everything that you do is a reflection on Marketing Matters.  Once a client or potential client gets your name they have the potential of looking you up on social media.  They have the potential to see your posts and pictures.  Though we all have rough days at work and even clients that may be difficult, that does not mean we should share it on social media.  We all just need to be careful of what we share.

Even though Marketing Matters believes in information sharing and collaboration tools does not mean we should be on social media all of the time.  We need to remember our policy on internet use and social media.  Social media is a great tool but I am seeing that it is taking up too much of our work time.  Social media should be just one tool that we use, not the only tool.  Due to the misuse of social media, starting today, we will no longer be able to access Facebook at the office.  We also need to remember that everything that we post online can be seen by people we don’t even know.  If you are commenting about something at work and a current or potential client sees it then they may think that Marketing Matters is not a place that they want to conduct business.    

I hope that everyone understands the positives and negatives of social media.   We all want Marketing Matters to succeed and continue to help our current and future clients.

Very Respectfully,

Darcy M. Diamond

Director, Network Defense

Marketing Matters

11-3-2017

Response from: Miss. Bayo Elizabeth Cary, AA, BA, MLIS

      Social media, is a vital part, of every business. In today’s market environment-whether domestic or International, there is no way to exclude, what is shared online. While it is imperative, to have guidelines in place, for employees-what happens online, impacts a company, when employees return home, as well. In a social media study conducted, by: Wu He, at the University of Norfolk, Virginia-through the IT Department, Mr. He (2012), found, that popular online social networking websites, like:

·         Blog;

·         Facebook;

·         MySpace;

·         Twitter;

·         LinkdIn. (He, 2012, p. 171)

. . .Can create, very serious threats, to a business-particularly, to security matters, and the IT department (He, 2012, p. 171). Studying social phenomena, to discover the usual outcomes, and then to develop a pro-active, plan, to fight against a failing status quo protocol, is generally untaken, by a sociologist. However, in the IT environment, looking at behavior patterns, and trying to predict the next move-can be attributed to furthering the knowledge collected, to bolster and support: “US Game Theory.” A breach of security, in relation to data loss, and to secured information-a “Breach,” is commonly referred to being, the result of a cyber-attack-under current contemporary analysis.

        When an IT department, at any given American University, looks at the issues of cyber security, under the lens of a microscope, what the academic-in this-day-and-age-is attempting to determine, is how to prevent, the next monolithic cyber-attack, the cyber war-to end all wars, against the United States. Although, considerations, for a strict IT policy, could in theory protect an International company, from huge litigious matters, derived from online social networking activities, by employees-both: at work, and at home-this is only in theory (He, 2012, p. 171). Research has shown, a positive correlation, between having computers at work, and the negative effectives, of online activities-by given employees, regardless, of whether-or-not, policies regarding Internet and online social networking, are in place (He, 2012, p. 171)

References

He, Wu. (2012). A review of social media security risks and mitigation techniques. Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences. Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. p. 171-180. Retrieved from www.emeraldinsight.com/1328-7265.htm