The Truth about Social Media's Dark Side
Over the last decade, there's been no shortage of hand-wringing over how the Web leads to lost productivity. Those criticisms are now directed at social media. And yes: Social media can be a time suck and even bring embarrassment to your firm. But while the tool is relatively new, the challenge is not.
"Distractions are distractions, whatever form they take—it could be a phone call, or a television set in the lunchroom, or even that quirky colleague who works down the hall," says David Wescott, vice president, APCO Online.
Likewise, the risks are similar. "Understand that social media tools are just that—tools. We use them for good reasons or bad, but you can embarrass yourself or offend a client just as easily on the phone or in person as you could on a blog," he explains.
Charlie Kondek, director of new media relations, MS&L; Digital, agrees—and thinks such diversions have their place. "I believe it was John Cleese who said, 'If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play," he says. "If gathering around a co-worker's desk to chortle at an old Kids in the Hall clip on YouTube inspires us to greater camaraderie and creativity, then it serves a good purpose."
That said, we checked with your peers seeking guidelines for maximizing social media productivity and minimizing its potential downsides in your and your staff's workdays. Their tips:
1. Decide what's appropriate—contextualize everything. For Wescott, the distinction between time wasted and time well spent is clear. "Our job has always been about maintaining focus on your work and preventing distractions." He expects his social media team to spend its time "identifying online opinion leaders and discussion drivers, and helping clients build relationships with them. You can't do that by playing Scrabble or Twittering about the party you crashed last night."
In many ways, it's just common sense, says Jacqueline Kolek, senior director, Peppercom. Context is everything. For example, she distinguishes between her LinkedIn profile—which is for professional networking—and her Facebook and MySpace presences, which are purely social.
She offers another bit of common sense: "The old adage says never discuss politics or religion in the workplace. Social media should follow those same guidelines."
But even those issues don't have to be off limits, says Kondek. "When we discover something about each other via social media that could potentially be a source of conflict, that same instinct tells us to be respectful of our differences," he says. "I'm thinking of this last election in particular. Seeing your colleague's or client's political views expressed with candor might surprise you, but like anything else in the workplace, it has to be dealt with in a professional manner."
And that touches on another challenge: In an agency, the line between personal and professional is blurred, says Cord Silverstein, Capstrat's EVP of interactive services. "Agency life is absolutely not a nine-to-five gig. There is definitely a challenge when it comes to separating professional and personal time, but that is one of the things that you need to realize when it comes to working for an agency."
2. A little indiscretion is a dangerous thing—seek balance between professional and personal. Not only is the line between personal and professional blurred; the connotation of "personal" has changed. It doesn't necessarily mean "private" any more, warns Wescott. "In the digital age, people use the same social media tools to present themselves both personally and professionally. My clients and colleagues see what I share."
Such discretion sounds like basic common sense, especially for a PR pro, right? Don't be so sure. "I've seen PR professionals share status updates like 'I don't feel like working today' or pictures of themselves drunk," says Wescott. "A good rule of thumb is to think: What would someone who doesn't know you think if the item you're about to share on Facebook was the first thing they learned about you."
It's about finding a balance.
"I believe in free speech—our profession depends on it," says Wescott. "Just understand: You're sharing information with more than your family or close friends. The greatest single threat to your online 'personal brand' is often times your own sick sense of humor."
3. Set limits cautiously—nobody likes command and control. Some firms block access to social media sites; Peppercom has few limits. "Our philosophy is that those who use and embrace social media in their personal lives are better positioned to advise clients on what works and what doesn't when it comes to digital programs. We have multiple agency blogs and encourage all employees to write guest posts or share content on our internal PepperWiki," says Kolek.
What is generally verboten is posting about clients. "Our employees are restricted from blogging about any client-related work, unless of course it is part of a digital media program," she adds.
Capstrat, too, gives its people a lot of flexibility. "The bottom line … is that each individual needs to decide what social media tools and technology will deliver benefits for our agency, as well as our clients—and which do not. They need to make those decisions and then be held accountable for those decisions," says Silverstein.
While there's always the risk of wasting time, you want your people engaged in social media. Capstrat employees are expected to use it daily. They are also expected to manage their time effectively and complete their responsibilities. They are complementary, not conflicting, goals.
4. Have a message for the medium—focus on quality over quantity. It's not just goofing off that wastes time: Even the purely professional use of social media can squander agency resources if you don't know what you're doing.
"It's easy to get enthusiastic about social media, but when it comes to maintaining an official presence, you need to be honest about what you have time and resources to do," says Sam Ford, director of customer insights for Peppercom. "We've had great success … because we limit our focus to make sure we value quality over quantity."
If you haven't been keeping up, don't try to catch up all at once. Start small, counsels Kondek. "Put up a Facebook profile and don't add anything that makes you uncomfortable. Blog about your hobbies, but keep it clean. Use Twitter just to see what the other people in your industry are up to. Then, as you get more comfortable, share." The return will be a better degree of connection "with colleagues, clients, vendors—and an appropriate level of fun."
5. It's not the tool, it's how you use it—put strategy first. "I think that time can certainly be wasted in social media if you don't know what you are doing there," says Ford. Some people think they should be "on Facebook" because that's the latest trend. They don't identify why it makes sense for them or their brand, he says. "Devoting significant time to these communities without a strategy is problematic."
Ultimately, it comes down to engagement. "I consider 'to engage with the community' to be a completely valid strategy in many cases," Ford says. "But bear in mind that truly engaging with a community means being a part of the conversation (not just speaking, but also listening), and that can take a lot of time to do well. If there is a strategic reason and devotion to true conversation, engaging is never a waste of time."
This article originally appeared in the January 21 issue of the Council of PR Firms’ Firm Voice. For more issues of the Council's Firm Voice publication, visit www.prfirms.org .
