Unvarnished

While LinkedIn allows community users to post recommendations about other professionals, Unvarnished promotes itself as “providing candid assessments of coworkers, potential hires, business partners, and more.” The objective is “by contributing Unvarnished reviews, you can share your knowledge of other professionals, giving credit where credit is due, and valuable feedback where needed.” In essence, by providing anonymous user feedback, a person will be more inclined to share balanced feedback giving readers a more realistic assessment of a person’s performance.

While I am skeptical Unvarnished will reach its goal with anonymous reviews, nonetheless, it is a site that garners a professional’s attention. Be sure to read the suggestions for managing your professional reputation and the guidelines for writing a review.

For readers who have attended my seminars, the following comment may sound familiar: Nothing on the Internet is 100% private. If a person gains unauthorized access to a site, even momentarily, your name and associated words, photos, etc. are accessible to the public. Even Unvarnished states, “reviewers, while not identified, do have identity and a reputation on the site, and gain authority over time through their highly-voted reviews and the creation of recognizable patterns within their professional network.”

From an etiquette perspective, before posting on Unvarnished or any social network site, think about your intention of the post. Is an anonymous text-based post the best communication method to convey your intended message? Can the text-based message potentially be misunderstood by the reader? Do the words convey consideration for the other person? If in doubt, pick up the phone to communicate the message or meet the person face-to-face for a discussion.

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Unvarnished Site May Tarnish Your Business Reputation is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

The service provider Teneros says its solution “empowers companies to monitor employee public activity on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook [My Space and LinkedIn this summer] helping to eliminate corporate risks related to: compliance, leakage of sensitive information, HR issues, legal exposure and brand damage.”

Domino’s Pizza knows all to well the damage a social media misstep can have on a company’s reputation. When two employees taped a prank video depicting unsavory food practices, the video went viral and within a few days there were more than a million views on YouTube.  According to YouGov an online research firm, the perception of Domino’s brand quality went from positive to negative in approximately 48 hours.

The lesson learned: Whether intentional or unintentional, video, photos, words, etc. posted on public social networking sites can be misinterpreted, sometimes with negative consequences. Pause before you post.

Below I’ve listed a few social networking guidelines from three prominent companies that I find helpful when engaging in the world of social media.

“Perception is reality. In online social networks, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred. Just by identifying yourself as an Intel employee, you are creating perceptions about your expertise and about Intel by our shareholders, customers, and the general public-and perceptions about you by your colleagues and managers. Do us all proud. Be sure that all content associated with you is consistent with your work and with Intel’s values and professional standards.” – Intel Social Media Guidelines

“Protecting confidential and proprietary information. You must make sure you do not disclose or use IBM confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company in any online social computing platform. For example, ask permission before posting someone’s picture in a social network or publishing in a blog a conversation that was meant to be private.” – IBM Social Computing Guidelines

“Keep your cool. One of the aims of social media is to create dialogue, and people won’t always agree on an issue. When confronted with a difference of opinion, stay cool. Express your points in a clear, logical way. Don’t pick fights, and correct mistakes when needed. Sometimes, it’s best to ignore a comment and not give it credibility by acknowledging it with a response.” – Kodak Social Media Policies

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Software Uncovers Employees’ Social Networking Faux Pas is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

In his blog post, Brian reminds us we are casting ‘digital shadows’ each time we post information to the Internet via a Twitter update, blog post, comments on articles, video, etc.

He challenges us to search our name in Google, Twitter, PeopleBrowsr or Collecta and see if the results reinforce our intentions or portray an unexpected picture.

If the results do not portray the reputation we seek the good news is, “…the search experience related to you is defined by you” says Brian. “Acceptance of this reality represents half the distance to crafting a more strategic and effective representation of who you are and what you stand for online and in the real world.”

Brian then gives us advice on creating our online reputation, “Decide whom it is you’re trying to impress with your social profiles and updates and realize that answer may change over time. Just ‘think’ about what it is you’re sharing and why before you upload to the public Web. Anything not conducive to the reinforcement of a strategic outward facing personal brand should be relegated to private viewing.” 

As people searches become more of the norm before an employment interview or even choosing key stakeholders, crafting a personal social media strategy is key to creating a digital reputation that mirrors your real life.

I encourage you to read Brian Solis’s blog post in its entirety for additional insights.

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Does Your Digital Silhouette Mirror Your Real Life Reputation? is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

People connect with family and friends on Facebook but what about co-workers? Is it a good idea? What is the business etiquette for befriending your boss on Facebook?

View the video for my thoughts on the business etiquette for Facebook.

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Should You Friend Your Boss on Facebook? is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Recently Paddy asked the same question to several other people who use Twitter on a regular basis or as he calls them, the “Twitter Elite” and shared their thoughts in a post on John Haydon’s blog.

Chris Brogan “No, but what’s interesting is, as online social tools are encouraging less real-world-socially-equipped people to meet up in the real world, I find that we’re flooded with a whole new generation of not-exactly-social people who thrive with the tools, and now need to learn their offline analog. I think it’s an exciting opportunity.”

Guy Kawasaki “I could make the case either way. In one sense, if you’re glued to a monitor and never get out, then your real-life social skills will decline. However, email and social media tools enable me to connect with thousands of people. I could not do this with only face-to-face meetings. I can tweet that I am going to be in many cities in the world and organize a tweetup. I’ve done this in Istanbul, Moscow, Mumbai, and Honolulu so far. In this sense, social media is increas[ing] social skills-to the degree that a tweetup is social.”

Darren Rowse “I’m not so sure, in fact Twitter has opened up social opportunities for me and given me plenty of chances to have face to face and engaging interactions. I guess some people’s personalities might be the type that would use Twitter to hide away from real life social interaction but if it wasn’t Twitter they’d probably do it with something else. The majority of us are having our eyes opened up to all kinds of new and interesting social interactions as a result of the tool.”

Paul Boag “Not at all. In fact I think the opposite is true. Now when I meet people in the flesh I have something to talk to them about because I know more about their daily lives.”

David Lanham “I can definitely see that happening to an extent. But one of the things I love about twitter is that it introduces all those (mostly) pointless bits of information back into the conversation. And it’s always the little strange things and quirks that make people interesting”

I think social media platforms open a sea of communication exchange! Recently I hired a web architect to move my blog from Blogger to WordPress. I never met him in person. In fact, I never talked with him on the phone. I “met” him through a connection on Twitter. Because we’ve exchanged several emails – and I’ve found out he has quite a sense of humor – if I ever do meet him face-to-face, I know the conversation will flow smoothly.

For those who find face-to-face socializing a bit intimidating even after a few social media exchanges, here are a few tips.

1. Be your genuine self. People want to know what you have to offer. In addition to your elevator speech, prepare a few fun tidbits about yourself to share at the event. People enjoy hearing about your activities outside the business environment.
2. Smile. Look at others in the eye. Don’t glance off looking for the next person to start a conversation. Show an interest in the people in your group. Ask them questions. If the interest is not sincere, others will sense it.
3. If your confidence is shaky, practice conversations with a friend or colleague to build your courage. You are there not only to meet others, but to share your talents too.

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Social Media Opens the Door to Real Life Socializing is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

So, with the rapidly expanding phenomenon of Twitter’s micro-blogging, what is the etiquette of twittering when the President is talking in front of you?

My opinion is to give the President respectful attention and save the twittering for after the speech.

Certainly the technology is tantalizing and it’s fun to be the first to break the news. I use Twitter too. On the flip side, it takes time to look at others, to be aware of them, to acknowledge them, to show regard for them. In this case, I’ll take altruism over self-interest.

Twitter Etiquette in the Presence of the President is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog

Below is the executive summary of IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines directly from their website.

1. Know and follow IBM’s Business Conduct Guidelines.
2. IBMers 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.
3. Identify yourself—name and, when relevant, role at IBM—when you discuss IBM or IBM-related matters. And write in the first person. You must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of IBM.
4. If you publish content to any website outside of IBM and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with IBM, use a disclaimer such as this: “The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.”
5. Respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws.
6. Don’t provide IBM’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 IBM.
7. Don’t cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval. When you do make a reference, where possible link back to the source.
8. Respect your audience. Don’t use ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or engage in any conduct that would not be acceptable in IBM’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.
9. Find out who else is blogging or publishing on the topic, and cite them.
10. Be aware of your association with IBM in online social networks. If you identify yourself as an IBMer, ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself with colleagues and clients.
11. 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.
12. Try to add value. Provide worthwhile information and perspective. IBM’s brand is best represented by its people and what you publish may reflect on IBM’s brand.

UPDATE Social Computing Journal published an article with links to approximately 40 corporate social media guidelines. Companies include Cisco, Dell, Sun, Harvard Law School and many others. The list serves as a resource when writing your organizations etiquette and social media behavioral guidelines.

Company Social Media Guidelines for Employees is a post from: Carol Bory's Business Etiquette Blog