Social media rules and policies are something that every person should have set up. This is not a statement that I thought I would be saying until reading chapter ten. I felt that really only companies and large organizations should have social media policies in place. After talking and making our own policies, I think it’s important to set policies up for each social media site. This chapter really focuses on how to write policies that fit your personal accounts, and of course for a company.
One thing in the chapter really stood out to me, “Social media policies are living documents. This means once they are created they shouldn’t be put away and not look at again.” I think that this is so important because you have to follow those policies everyday. It’s so easy to have those policies in place to just have them but never go back to them. I’m making sure that I don’t do that with my policies. I know there are only a few visitors, and I don’t think people are losing sleep waiting for my blog to come out but I still want to follow them. I am hoping to maintain this blog and grow over my PR career with it, by having policies in place already it sets me up for success. Depending on how many people read my blog, the expectations are already in place for my readers.
Some companies have good social media polices and some do not have them at all. I think that this could really hurt a company’s online relationship with its customers. I found some very good examples of social media policies that are totally worth the read. This can be somewhat of a boring topic but thats where you can make it personal and fitting to who you are. Companies have to focus a little more on the serious side but can still make it their own. When we did our own polices, I tried to make them reflect who I was and what I expected.
Not that they are hard to find, but here is what I came up with:
I believe that communication is a staple for all people, and expressing your own opinion and thoughts is what makes us grow. You can share, learn, create, and connect through social media. While communicating can be an exciting experience, there are certain policies that need to be applied for a open, fun, and safe communication process.
Those following polices include:
Being Respectful To All: This is a place to be open and share your own personal thoughts and opinion on certain topics. With that said, you need to be respectful to yourself and others bloggers. The aspect of respect can shine through by knowing that your not the only one who matters. Be open and understanding for other peoples contributions. Not everyone is going to agree on every topic, but thats okay. To break it down simply, if you don’t have anything helpful or constructive to say, move on!
Don’t Be A Pirate: Words, one of the most powerful weapons has person has. With this said, choose your word choice carefully. There is NO SWEARING at any time. This also includes derogatory or any other offensive language that could be deemed offensive to others. Its simple, reread before you post.
Be Willing To Share: Everyones opinion matters and you should feel comfortable to share what you are thinking. I know that I would love to read them, as well as others. Rather it be a little or a lot, don’t be afraid. This blog is about growing and learning together, and I think its a journey we should share together.
Overall, this blog should be a positive and encouraging place blog. Share, learn, and explore. I ask that you show respect to everyone that comes to this blog, don’t use your words to offend someone else, and please share freely. If you break any of these golden rules, your comment will be removed and if you break them a second time, you will be blocked.
The Social Project 
I really liked you blog this week, when developing our policies in class I was nervous because I wanted them to reflect myself in a nice, professional way. And I like how you said this could be hard for companies when they must develop policies as well. However I feel that it if a company based their policies on their core values and they’re true to themselves then the policies should come into play. I also liked the policies that you made for your blog.y favorite was Don’t Be A Pirate. I feel that this one is important because we use these blogs as a way to share and express our opinions in a professional manner and our guests should respect that as well. Developing policies is a good way for brands make sure their values and beliefs are being shown throughout their social media sites.