A lot has been said and promoted about social media and the fact that companies need a social media strategy. While I think there is a lot that might go into such a strategy, there is something to be said for exploring the media and learning how it might benefit your organization.
I monitor a lot of different forums and discussions, and recently a thread caught my attention. B2B companies that are blocking access to Facebook and LinkedIn from their corporate networks. The "liberal" ones are graciously allowing access before 8am, over the lunch hour, and after 5pm.
It wasn't just one or two posts that admitted this, it was plenty of them. More interesting is that Marketing was fighting the ban. (?? who controls the Internet and web access at your organization, the IT department?)
I call this the "Ostrich Strategy For Social Media". And now for a little ranting...
I'd like to know WHO at these companies is establishing this rule. It's ABSURD! It shows how much of an Ostrich the company is (i.e. putting their head in the sand under some other guise of not wanting to disturb employee productivity or some other nonsense).
OK – never underestimate the executive who doesn't “get it” and the mandates they apply out of ignorance or fear -- but is that leadership?.
Is your company an Ostrich? It would be fun to find out which companies are actually blocking access to these sites and what the rationale is for doing so.
Possible rationale (figuring out why organizations would put such a rule in place):
Allowing access to social media sites will disrupt employee productivity. I find myself wondering about the effectiveness of the managers and leaders within the organization if they're unable to motivate their staff to continue to get their work done. Do these companies also confiscate all cell phones at the door when employees enter? Or prohibit any cell networks from getting a signal from within their walls? Certainly leadership and management training would be a better investment.
Employees might say things about the company, and they're not 'cleared' as spokespeople. Again, I'm curious what morale is within the organization. Or what is the real 'fear' behind that sort of rationale? I think companies would be surprised when employees speak authentically and listen/engage in social media. Does anyone have examples of this going really badly for an organization? I've only seen the cases where being an ostrich has cost a company enough to make them rethink and embrace the social realm.
??? (i invite your input here -- help me to understand this...)
I'd welcome any insights that you have, but given that 25% of adults in North America who are online are participating in the social media, and given that if you're a B2C organization you might find Facebook useful for creating relationships about what your organization does, or if you're B2B then LinkedIn may provide some real value – putting your head in the sand and mandating action that deafens your organization to any sort of participation seems like a backward strategy no matter how it's conceived or why.
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