I recently crafted this social media policy for our organization.I loved writing this policy. It was fun. That may sound weird, but it was cool to be able to write a policy with a little bit of personality. I heart our social media policy!

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council’s Social Media Policy

We think social media is super cool. And so do our customers. We invite our employees to become social media butterflies…with the guidelines below in mind.

The Policy:
1. Tell the truth.
2. Have a purpose.
3. Add value.
4. Be authentic.
5. Speak for yourself.
6. Play nice.
7. Respect copyright and fair use.
8. If it’s confidential, keep it that way.
9. Be social.
10. Use common sense.

The Policy Explained:
1. Tell the truth.
No explanation needed.

2. Have a purpose.
Like everything else in life, reaching your goals is a lot easier when you have some clue what you’re trying to accomplish.

3. Add value.
Bottom line: say something helpful, or witty, or informative. The world doesn’t need to know what you ate for breakfast this morning.

4. Be authentic.
This is not the place to develop an alter-ego. Let people know who you really are and what you do.

5. Speak for yourself.
We know your opinions may not always be the same as the council’s. And that’s cool. Just make sure that your presence in the social media world is in the first person – lots of “I” and not so much “we”.

6. Play nice.
Respect people. Don’t be mean. Don’t call people names. Don’t use racial slurs. Don’t use foul language. Don’t be a jerk.

7. Respect copyright and fair use.
Don’t use people’s stuff without giving them credit (and don’t use stuff you’re not allowed to use). That’s just tacky. And in some cases, it also happens to be illegal.

8. If it’s confidential, keep it that way.
You don’t like people sharing your personal business without your permission. So if somebody has told you that information is confidential, keep it that way.

9. Be social.
Don’t be in a one-way social media relationship. If people comment on your blog, respond nicely to their comments. It’s called “social” media for a reason.

10. Use common sense.
We try to hire employees who have common sense and we trust them to use it. Think of social media as a giant world-wide billboard. What you post can be seen by anyone – your boss, your co-workers, your mom. You don’t need a poorly chosen Tweet to wreck havoc on the council or your life.