INTRODUCTION
This Social Media policy governs the use of social media accounts by the Kika Social Media team and employees, either in the context of their functions or for personal purposes.
For the purposes of this policy, social media means any facility for online publication and commentary, including, but not limited to, the most popular social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus, as well as public content platforms such as blogs, forums and wikis.
In addition to adhering to the present Social Media policy, all Kika employees should avoid being in violation of any other company codes of conduct or regulations, including those stipulated in their employment contracts, when being active on social media. This policy is in addition to and complements any existing or future policies regarding the use of technology, computers, e-mail and the Internet.
Kika reserves the right to suspend, modify, or withdraw this policy at any time. The Kika Social Media team and employees are therefore responsible for regularly reviewing its terms.
ELIGIBILITY
The Kika Social Media team is comprised of employees and contractors who have been given written approval to publish content on the official Kika social networking accounts and content platforms. They are free to publish or comment via social media in accordance with this policy.
Kika employees who are not part of the Kika Social Media team are not allowed to publish or comment via social media in any way during work hours or using work facilities, or in any way that suggests they are doing so on behalf of Kika.
APPROVAL
The Social Media team is expected to obtain written approval from the assigned account manager at Kika before publishing content on the official Kika social networking accounts and content platforms. This is mostly to ensure that the content is properly optimized for SEO and respects Kika’s brand messages.
The Social Media team does not need to seek approval before participating on already published content or responding to readers’ comments – unless they comprise of negative reviews or attacks on the company.
ACCOUNT
The Social Media team can seek assistance in setting up Social Media accounts and their settings, as well as company profile information from the assigned account manager at Kika.
Social media identities, logon ID’s and usernames may not use the Kika name without prior written approval from the Kika account manager. Official company photographs must be used for the profile image. Company photographs can be obtained from the assigned Kika account manager.
CONTENT
The content that the Social Media team develops should always follow the Kika voice and should take the official Kika position on all subjects and issues. It should be directly relevant to Kika and its industry and should use approved messages for more sensitive topics such as pricing, future products, and competitors.
RULES
Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other kind of publication or commentary. All uses of social media must therefore abide by the following ethical standards and rules.
- Confidential Information
Kika Social Media team and employees are free to talk about their work, have a dialog with the community and share Kika content, such as images, videos, advertisements or product information, as long as this content is already publicly available. They should abstain from discussing or sharing content containing sensitive or classified information that has not yet been made publicly available by the company, and should seek counsel or approval from the assigned Kika account manager when in doubt about specific material.Confidential information includes unpublished details about the products or services, current projects, future product ship dates, financial information, research, and trade secrets. They must respect the wishes of [company name’s] corporate customers regarding the confidentiality of current projects. They must also be mindful of the industry’s competitiveness. - Privacy
Privacy settings on Kika’s social media platforms should be set to allow anyone to see profile information similar to what would be on the company website. Other privacy settings that might allow others to post information or see information that is personal should be set to limit access. The Kika Social Media team and employees should be mindful of posting information that they would not want the public to see. - Honesty
Kika believes in transparency and honesty. The Kika Social Media team and employees should not say anything that is dishonest, untrue, or misleading. If there is a vested interest in something being discussed, they should point it out. But they should also be smart about protecting themselves and their privacy. What they publish will be around for a long time, so they should consider the content carefully and also be cautious about disclosing personal details.In addition, they should not publish content anonymously, using pseudonyms or false screen names. They should use their real name, be clear who they are, and identify that they work for Kika. Nothing gains more notice in social media than honesty – or dishonesty. - Copyrights
Proper copyright and reference laws should be observed by the Social Media team when posting online. It is critical that they show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use or fair dealing of copyrighted material owned by others, including Kika’s copyrights and brands. They should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else’s work, and always attribute such work to the original author/source. It is good general practice to link to others’ work rather than reproduce it. - Respect
The public in general, and Kika’s employees and customers, reflect a diverse set of customs, values and points of view. Kika takes a harsh stance against dishonorable content. This includes not only the obvious (no ethnic slurs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, 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. They are not tolerated in the workplace and will not be tolerated online. - Customers, Business Partners & Suppliers
The Social Media team should never cite or reference customers, partners or suppliers without their written approval. They should never identify a customer, partner or supplier by name without permission and never discuss confidential details of a customer engagement. It is acceptable to discuss general details about kinds of projects and to use non-identifying pseudonyms for a customer (e.g., Customer 123) so long as the information provided does not violate any non-disclosure agreements that may be in place with the customer or make it easy for someone to identify the customer. - Controversial Issues
If the Social Media team sees misrepresentations made about Kika in the media, they may respond with respect and with the facts. If they speak about others, they should make sure that what they say is factual and that it does not disparage that party. Arguments should be avoided. Brawls may earn traffic, but nobody wins in the end. The Social Media team should not try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. They need to make sure what they say is factually correct. Kika employees should never respond to negative reviews or attacks on the company. They should contact the assigned Kika account manager if they think something should be done. - Errors & Omissions
Should a Social Media team member make an error, they should be up front about the mistake, correct it quickly and communicate their excuses to the right party. If the team member chooses to modify an earlier post, it should be made clear that this was done. If someone accuses the Social Media team of posting something improper (such as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment about them), it should be deals with quickly. It is better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of a legal action. Contact the assigned Kika account manager to make sure they know what happened and are able to help. - Consequences
The Social Media team publishes content and interacts with the audience not in their names but in the name of Kika on official public channels of communication. As a result, they should always keep in mind the consequences that any of their content could generate. Kika employees who have publicly declared themselves as such on their social media accounts and other online accounts also become brand ambassadors for the company, and should take this into consideration in their posts and interactions, for example by avoiding inflammatory topics and remaining respectful at all times.
Kika managers and directors should take especial care in the content they distribute publicly since, by the nature of their positions, the audience may infer that their opinions reflect that of the company. For example, consider what might happen if a Kika employee is in a meeting with a customer or prospect, and someone on the customer’s side pulls out a print-out of a blog post and says “This person at Kika says that product sucks.” Saying “Product X needs to have an easier learning curve for the first-time user” is fine; Saying “Product X sucks” is risky, unsubtle and amateurish. Once again, it’s all about judgment: using social media and content platforms to trash or embarrass Kika and their customers or co-workers, is dangerous and ill-advised. - Disclaimers
The Social Media team should assume responsibility for the content they post, and include a prominent disclaimer notifying readers that the views and opinions communicated in their posts are their own, and not those upheld by Kika. This is good practice and is encouraged, but should not be counted to avoid trouble – it may not have much legal effect.
Kika employees are invited to publicly declare themselves as such on their social media accounts and other online accounts. However, they should include a prominently placed statement declaring that all content and opinions shared are their own and do not reflect Kika’s public position. - Job Responsibilities Kika employees should restrict their use of personal social media in the workplace as much as possible, even if they are posting Kika-related content. Job responsibilities come first, and unless the employee is part of Kika’s Social Media team or have been mandated by Kika to post on social media as part of their tasks, social media should never affect work performance or interfere with commitments to customers.
TIPS
The following tips are not mandatory, but will contribute to successful use of social media. The best way to be interesting, stay out of trouble, and have fun is to write content on familiar topics. There is a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring if content is written on foreign topics.
Quality matters. The Social Media team should use a spell-checker for all written content and ask other team members to verify whether the content design looks decent. If in doubt over a post, or if something does not feel right, the Social Media team member should either let it sit and look at it again before publishing it, or ask another team member for advice and recommendations.
RIGHTS
Kika respects the copyright and intellectual property of the Social Media team members. However, all content published on official Kika social networking accounts and content platforms falls under the company’s marketing efforts; Kika therefore reserves the right to alter or remove posts or comments that do not follow Kika’s communications policies.
LIABILITY
The Social Media team is legally responsible for the content they publish on social networking accounts and content platforms, whether Kika or personal, and are therefore liable if posts are found defamatory, violent, etc. Kika is not liable, under any circumstances, for any errors, omissions, loss or damages claimed or incurred due to any published content that has not been approved by the assigned Kika account manager prior to its publication.
ENFORCEMENT
Policy violations will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination for cause.
