Although electronic communication has been growing exponentially in recent years, communicating in person is still considered very important. Maintaining goodwill is a critical aspect of any company. Goodwill can be maintained via electronic correspondence and through in-person communication. Striking the right balance between virtual and personal communication is the most effective way to maximize the use of technology and still sustain face-time with people.
There also are many factors that govern what type of communication should be sent and in what format. Being conscious of, for example, the legal requirements surrounding communication is also vital in circumstances where a misinterpreted or misunderstood communication could have serious consequences for the organization. One area where many organizations are still struggling is integrating social media as a tool for interacting with various stakeholders.
For this assignment, consider the scenario discussed on page 226 under Cases, Social Networking Skills, 8-25. Media Skills: Social Networking; Online Etiquette [LO-2], Chapter 8:
Imagine that your company has recently experienced a rash of product quality problems, and these problems have generated some unpleasant and occasionally unfair criticism on a variety of social media sites. Someone even set up a Facebook page specifically to give customers a place to vent their frustrations.
You and your public relations team jumped into action, responding to complaints with offers to provide replacement products and help customers who have been affected by the quality problems. Everything seemed to be going as well as could be expected, until you were checking a few industry blogs one evening and discovered that a couple of engineers in your company’s product design lab have been responding to complaints on their own. They identified themselves as company employees and defended their product design, blaming the company’s production department and even criticizing some customers for lacking the skills needed to use such a sophisticated product. Within a matter of minutes, you see their harsh comments being retweeted and reposted on multiple sites, only fueling the fire of negative feedback against your firm. Needless to say, you are horrified.
After taking this issue to the CEO, you have been tasked with creating a new policy for the use of social media within your organization or company.
This assignment has two parts that should be included in a single Word document submission:
Part 1:
Write two or three paragraphs answering the following question:
What would you argue are the five most important rules you should establish in this new policy? Why?
Present relevant information, including references to module learning materials, to support your argument and display evidence as an in-depth analysis of the topic.
Part 2:
Compose the new policy with the business situation and those key rules in mind.