social media policies for public media stations

Social Media Policy

Ashley JefcoatKevin Dando

Who I Am

When I started at MPB…• There was no existing social media policy OR

overall digital media strategy.• There were official accounts, but no plans for

creating new ones or making better use of assets at the station.

• Employees were given no guidance on what is considered appropriate for them.

Why did we need one?• Lots of successful local production for both radio

& TV, but no real outreach.• Limited digital media staff means making use of

everyone around the station…• …and that means adding work. • Needed to ensure existing employee policies were

up-to-date for the digital world.

How did we create our policy?• Researched what other stations had created,

as well as looked at other businesses.• Meeting with executive staff AND employees

to find out what their department needed to get out of social media, as well as their concerns.

How did we create our policy?• Discussions specifically within the

PR/Communications department to discuss the use of social media as a PR tool.

• Meeting with our lawyer to firm up language and ensure employee policy protected rights AND MPB.

• Lots and lots and lots of drafts.

What did we include in our policy?• Policy came in three parts:– An explanation of employee rights and some general

“best practices” rules to enable employees to make smart decisions regarding their personal social media accounts.

– A detailed explanation of how MPB-owned accounts are to be created and maintained, including defining abandonment and all related procedures.

– A special addendum for news and reporters.

Some highlights include…• Who do you talk to if you

want to create a social media account for your production/initiative?

• What is accomplished in that meeting?

• Who do you talk to if you need help?

Training is key!• When we rolled out the policy, we had a full-staff

meeting to walk people through the entire thing.• Anyone coming to get a social media account created

gets a review of the important parts of the policy.• Administrators get training on how to post effectively

and are hand-held through the first month of their account being live.

What happened next?• Policy resulted in the creation of 10+ new social

media accounts. Some successful, some not.• Concerns from employees about the new policy.• State adopted (unrelated to us) a very similar

employee social media policy.

What happened next?• Updated document 1 year later.• Created a group on Facebook for MPB employees

who want to learn more about social media. • Send out a bi-weekly email to highlight new tools

and coordinate efforts with social media admins.• Currently conducting department-by-department

training.

What are YOUR first steps?• Start asking member stations for their policies.• Start meeting with the necessary folks at your

station. • EVALUATE what is currently working and what

isn’t, then figure out your need.

What challenges should you be prepared for?

• Pushback – from administration, from employees.

What challenges should you be prepared for?

• Failure – not all great ideas are meant to be.

What challenges should you be prepared for?

• Enforcement – it will happen eventually, be ready for the next steps.

What challenges should you be prepared for?

• Updates – social media is always changing, and your policy should always be up-to-date.

What challenges should you be prepared for?

• Training – without it, you’ll have a bunch of confused people.

Just remember…• It IS worth it! A good policy should be a friend

to all.• You DO need one. It protects you AND the

other employees at the station.• And a strategy? This can become one more

tool to help make awesome things.

Social Media Policy

Kevin Dando

Questions?

@linen