Plan USA | Official Social Computing Guidelines
Blogs, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds and social media
Introduction
Responsible engagement in innovation and dialogue
Whether or not a Plan USA employee chooses to create or participate in a blog, wiki, online social network or any other form of online publishing or discussion is his or her own decision. However, emerging online collaboration platforms are fundamentally changing the way Plan USA employees work and engage with each other, sponsors, donors and partners.
Plan USA is increasingly exploring how online discourse through social computing can empower Plan USA employees as global professionals, innovators and citizens. These individual interactions represent a new model: not mass communications, but masses of communicators.
Therefore, it is very much in Plan USA's interest - and, in each Plan USA employee's own, to be aware of and participate in this sphere of information, interaction and idea exchange:
To learn: As an international organization, we believe in the importance of open exchange and learning. The rapidly growing phenomenon of user-generated web content - blogging, social web-applications and networking such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - are emerging as important arenas for that kind of engagement and learning.
To contribute: As our organization’s activities increasingly focus on the provision of transformational insight and high-value innovation - whether to sponsors, donors, or those in the public, educational or health sectors - it becomes increasingly important for Plan USA and Plan USA employees to share with the world the exciting things we're learning and doing, and to learn from others.
We continue to advocate Plan USA employees' responsible involvement today in this rapidly growing space of relationship, learning and collaboration by introducing the Plan USA Social Computing Guidelines.
Plan USA Social Computing Guidelines | Summary
Note: Postings will be monitored at random to ensure adherence to these guidelines for the sake of quality control of the Plan brand and mission. Loss of Blogging privileges and possibly further action will be taken for those that do not adhere to the following guidelines with special attention given to the disclosure of any confidential or internal information regarding Plan.
1. Plan USA employees are personally responsible for the content they publish on blogs, wikis or any other form of user-generated media. Be mindful that what you publish will be public for a long time—protect your privacy. Don't provide Plan USA's or another's confidential or other proprietary information. Ask permission to publish or report on conversations that are meant to be private or internal to Plan USA.
2. Identify yourself—name and, when relevant, role at Plan USA—when you discuss Plan USA or Plan USA-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of Plan USA.
3. If you publish content to any website outside of Plan USA and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with Plan USA, use a disclaimer such as this: "The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent Plan USA's positions, strategies or opinions."
4. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
5. Don't cite or reference sponsors, donors or partners without their approval. When you do make a reference, where possible link back to the source.
6. Respect your audience. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in Plan USA's workplace. You should also show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion.
7. Find out who else is blogging or publishing on the topic, and cite them.
8. Be aware of your association with Plan USA in online social networks. If you identify yourself as a Plan USA employee, ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and clients.
9. Don't pick fights, be the first to correct your own mistakes, and don't alter previous posts without indicating that you have done so.
10. Be mindful of associations between other employees using social media sites. Keep in mind that depending on privacy settings, any work-related posting, positive or negative, could be seen by other co-workers, managers, sponsors, donors and/or board members.
11. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective. Plan USA's brand is best represented by its people and what you publish may reflect on Plan USA's brand.
12. When blogging on behalf of Plan or identifying yourself as a Plan employee carefully consider how much personal information you include. At a minimum you should include your first name, that you work for Plan USA and your role at Plan if relevant. If you choose to use your full name or personal contact information, be aware that readers may “Google” you and you will need to make sure that your online presence (both personal and private) does not reflect poorly on Plan USA.
Plan USA Social Computing Guidelines: Detailed Discussion
The Plan USA Team Member Guidebook provides the foundation for Plan USA's policies and guidelines for blogs and social computing.
The same principles and guidelines that apply to Plan USA employees' activities in general, as found in the Plan USA Team Member Guidebook, apply to Plan USA employees' activities online. This includes forms of online publishing and discussion, including blogs, wikis, file-sharing, user-generated video and audio, virtual worlds and social networks.
Plan USA supports open dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
Plan USA regards blogs and other forms of online discourse as primarily a form of communication and relationship among individuals. When the organization wishes to communicate publicly as an organization—whether to the marketplace or to the general public—it has well established means to do so. Only staff officially designated to speak on behalf of the organization should do so on the official Plan USA Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites. All staff may choose to comment on these sites, but must make it clear that they are speaking for themselves and not on behalf of Plan USA.
Plan USA trusts—and expects—Plan USA employees to exercise personal responsibility whenever they participate in social media. This includes not violating the trust of those with whom they are engaging. If and when staff engages in social computing for the organization, they should identify themselves as such.
What does a Plan USA employee’s personal responsibility mean in online social media activities? Online social media enables individuals to share their insights, express their opinions and share information within the context of a globally distributed conversation. Each tool and medium has proper and improper uses. While Plan USA encourages all of its employees to join a global conversation, it is important for Plan USA employees who choose to do so to understand what is recommended, expected and required when they discuss Plan USA-related topics, whether at work or on their own time.
Be who you are. Never pretend to be someone else and post about Plan. Tracking tools enable supposedly anonymous posts to be traced back to their authors. There have been several high-profile cases involving negative posts which were traced tocompany employees or executives. We believe in transparency and honesty. If you are talking about your work for Plan USA or commenting on topics related to your work at Plan USA, we encourage you to use your real name, be clear who you are, and identify that you work for Plan USA.
Protect your identity.While you want to be honest about yourself, don't provide personal information that scam artists or identity thieves could use against you. Don't list your home address or telephone number or your work telephone or e-mail address. It is a good idea to create a separate e-mail address that is used only with a particular social media site.
Be thoughtful about how you present yourself in online social networks. The lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred in online social networks. By virtue of identifying yourself as a Plan USA employee within a social network, you are now connected to your colleagues, managers and even Plan USA's clients. You should ensure that content associated with you is consistent with your work at Plan USA. If you have joined Plan USA recently, be sure to update your social profiles to reflect Plan USA's guidelines or take steps to keep you personal profiles private
Speak in the first person. Use your own voice; bring your own personality to the forefront.
Use a disclaimer. Whether you publish to a blog or some other form of social media, make it clear that what you say there is representative of your views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of Plan USA. At a minimum in your own blog, you should include the following standard disclaimer: "The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent Plan USA's positions, strategies or opinions."
Managers and executives take note: This standard disclaimer does not by itself exempt Plan USA managers and executives from a special responsibility when using social media. By virtue of their position, they must consider whether personal thoughts they publish may be misunderstood as expressing Plan USA positions. And a manager should assume that his or her team will read what is written. A public blog is not the place to communicate Plan USA policies to Plan USA employees. Be mindful of associations between other employees using social media sites. Keep in mind that depending on privacy settings, any work-related posting, positive or negative, could be seen by other co-workers, managers, sponsors, donors and/or board members.
Be aware of liability.You are legally responsible for what you post on your own site and the sites of others. Individual bloggers have been held liable for commentary deemed to be proprietary, copyrighted, defamatory, libelous or obscene. The fact that you may identify yourself as being associated with Plan will not insulate you from liability for posting such objectionable material.
Respect copyright and fair use laws. For Plan USA's protection and well as your own, it is critical that you show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including Plan USA's own copyrights and brands. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else's work. And it is good general blogging practice to link to others' work. Keep in mind that laws will be different depending on where you live and work.
Protecting confidential and proprietary information. Social computing blurs many of the traditional boundaries between internal and external communications. Be thoughtful about what you publish—particularly on external platforms. You must make sure you do not disclose or use Plan USA confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or organization in any online social computing platform. For example, ask permission from said co-worker before mentioning them specifically, posting their picture in a social network or publishing in a blog a conversation that was meant to be private.
Plan USA's business performance. You must not comment on confidential Plan USA financial information such as Plan USA's future business performance, business plans, or prospects anywhere in the world. This includes statements about an upcoming quarter or future periods or information about alliances, and applies to anyone including conversations with the press or other third parties (including friends).
Protect Plan USA's sponsors, donors, business partners and suppliers. Sponsors, donors and/or partners should not be cited or obviously referenced without their approval. Externally, never identify a client, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a client engagement.
Respect your audience and your coworkers. Don't be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, etc.) but also proper consideration of privacy and of topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—such as politics and religion. For example, if your blog is hosted on the Plan USA Blog, avoid these topics and focus on subjects that are business-related. If your blog is self-hosted, use your best judgment and be sure to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yours alone and do not represent the official views of Plan USA. It is fine for Plan USA employees to disagree, but don't use public social media channels to air your differences in an inappropriate manner.
Add value. Blogs and social networks that are hosted on Plan USA-owned domains should be used in a way that adds value to Plan USA's organization. If it helps you, your coworkers, our sponsors, donors or our partners to do their jobs and solve problems; if it helps to improve knowledge or skills; if it contributes directly or indirectly to the improvement of Plan USA's services, processes and policies; if it builds a sense of community; or if it helps to promote Plan USA's mission, then it is adding value. Though not directly business-related, background information you choose to share about yourself, such as information about your family or personal interests, may be useful in helping establish a relationship between you and your readers, but it is entirely your choice whether to share this information and your responsibility to protect your privacy and to respect the privacy of others