Digital Compliance
With the growth of social media and increased awareness by companies of Online Reputation Management, it is little wonder that issues around online defamation, privacy and employee engagement have sparked debate. Social networking is becoming increasingly integrated into professional life and as a company you want your people sharing, but not everything and not with everyone. For this reason, saidWot has partnered with Jacobson Attorneys to put together a Reputation Management Checklist that ensures that you have the right digital compliance framework in place to cover yourself.
Building a reputation in the first place
- Watch out for defamatory material, in other words information that may tend to discredit or malign your company or brand.
- Be aware of the fact that belittling or demeaning your competitors could be seen as unlawful competition, particularly where there is no real justification for your comments.
- Always ensure that any content you use is yours or licensed for use to eliminate the risk of being portrayed as a content thief.
- Be credible in what you say online.
- Make sure that if someone is writing or posting on your behalf that they are 100% clear on how to present you and your brand. If not they can bring you and your brand into disrepute or even land you in court.
- Authenticity is vital and much too often underrated and completely ignored. It can mean the difference between credibility and ridicule.
Area 1
What the marketplace is saying about you
- Track mentions of your brand, products, company and key personnel to ensure that anything you need to act upon reaches your attention in good time.
- The decision to listen to customers online must be accompanied by a serious commitment if it is going to be effective.
- The more you listen the more potential pitfalls and legal potholes are avoidable.
- Keep records: If you do pick up defamatory postings, capture them as screenshots or PDF screen captures along with the date and time of mention. Make a note of defamers profile information on services they defame you/your brand/your company on and capture any personal information which may have been published, it might not be there later. Capture copies of any discussion about defamatory material (for example discussions on forums, comments, re-tweets and other re-postings).
Area 2
Engaging
- Give meaningful and sincere feedback, even if it is just to say you’ll get back to a customer (then do it).
- Lawyers are not your first port of call, they should be your second or third (lawyers very rarely understand social media well enough to effectively guide you when an issue arises).
- Pick a lawyer who understands social media and your goals on the social web and involve your lawyer in your campaign and engagement initiatives (these initiatives have legal ramifications so you should make sure you understand and cater for them (in advance).)
- Consider the consequences of your responses, particularly the disproportionate responses.
- Be prepared for your communication with your customers to become public and tailor your communications accordingly.
- Maintain detailed records of all interactions with customers, they may become litigious.
- Develop and implement appropriate and effective policies to help guide how you and your business engages with customers, critics and other stakeholders.
Area 3
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Broadly speaking, we build better legal frameworks for our clients and help our clients make better decisions about their legal relationships, the Web and digital media. We are a niche new media law firm and provides services tailored for the Web and digital media as well as a range of commercial and corporate legal services. Please visit our website for more information about our services, who we are and what we are thinking about.
