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Social Media Guidelines for REALTOR® Association Staff Members by Todd Carpenter, Manager, Social Media and Hilary Marsh, Managing Director, REALTOR.org October 2009

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Page 1: Social Media Guidelines for REALTOR® Association Staff … · Checklist 3: Blogger Relations.....23 Checklist 4: Compensation and Incentives

Social Media Guidelines for REALTOR®

Association Staff Members

byToddCarpenter,Manager,SocialMediaandHilaryMarsh,ManagingDirector,REALTOR.org

October2009

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Contents Foreword: Why NAR has engaged in social media ........................................................................ 3Introduction: What to say and not to say, and how ......................................................................... 51. Global Guidelines.................................................................................................................... 5

1.1. Personal doesn’t mean private........................................................................................ 51.2. Participating in social media on the association’s behalf ................................................ 51.3. Respecting copyright....................................................................................................... 6

2. Blog Guidelines ....................................................................................................................... 72.1. Creating a new blog ........................................................................................................ 72.2 NAR’s blog comments policy................................................................................................. 82.3. How to blog well ................................................................................................................... 8

3 Facebook .............................................................................................................................. 103.1 Facts about Facebook......................................................................................................... 103.2 Why do our members use Facebook? ................................................................................ 103.3 How members use Facebook’s timeline.............................................................................. 113.4 What type of content can be published on Facebook? ....................................................... 113.5 Profiles, Pages, and Groups ............................................................................................... 113.6 Facebook as a marketing and communication tool ............................................................. 12

4 LinkedIn................................................................................................................................. 134.1 Groups 101.......................................................................................................................... 134.2 Groups and Subgroups ....................................................................................................... 134.3 Managing membership (open vs. member-only) ................................................................. 144.4 Moderating discussions....................................................................................................... 144.5 Assigning a manager........................................................................................................... 144.6 Design the group logo to fit LinkedIn’s small standard logo size......................................... 14

5 Twitter ................................................................................................................................... 145.1 Follow and be followed. Twitter is opt-in. ............................................................................ 155.2 @s, Ds, #s, Favorites, and RTs .......................................................................................... 155.3 Twitter is a river of information ............................................................................................ 155.4 Starting a new Twitter account ............................................................................................ 155.5 Using a personal account for business ............................................................................... 165.6 Building a business account ................................................................................................ 175.7 How to access Twitter ......................................................................................................... 18

6 NAR’s HR Social Media Policy.............................................................................................. 197 REALTOR.org Terms of Use ................................................................................................ 198 Disclosure Best Practices Checklists .................................................................................... 21

Checklist 1: Disclosure of Identity ............................................................................................. 21Checklist 2: Personal/Unofficial Blogging and Outreach ........................................................... 22Checklist 3: Blogger Relations .................................................................................................. 23Checklist 4: Compensation and Incentives ............................................................................... 23Checklist 5: Agency and Contractor Disclosure ........................................................................ 24

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Background: NAR’s Social Media Strategy NARin2008proactivelydecidedtoengagewithitsmembersontheleadingedgeofsocialmedia,exploringnewwaystointeractwiththesemembersthroughblogs,Twitter,andFacebookandgatheringinsightandbestpracticesonhowsomeofthenation’smostdigitallyprogressiveREALTORSwereusingsocialmediatoexpandtheirbusinesses.NAR’saggressive,consideredapproachtosocialmediahasthefollowingstrategicobjectives:• Turn monologue into dialogue with our members.

SocialmediaaffordsNARtheopportunitytoevolvehowitcommunicateswithitsmembers,movingfrommostlymonologuetoamoreinteractiveandengagingdialogue.SocialmediaisatoolNARhaschosentoleveragetoactivelylistentoandlearnmoreaboutitsmembers,inanefforttocreatepolicies,products,andservicesthatbettermeetmembers’needs.

• Reach more members with our information – when and where it’s

relevant to them. TheRealEstate.Net,asthecollectiveofrealestateprofessionalsinvolvedinsocialmediaarecalled,isteemingdailywithconversationsabouttherealestatebusiness,marketdata,andtheworkingsofNAR.Thenationalassociationhasmuchvaluetoaddtotheseconversations,andbybeinganactivelistenerandparticipantontheRealEstate.Net,NARcanshareitsresearch,marketdata,orbusinesstipswhenandwhereit’smostrelevanttoourmembers.Wecanbethatproviderofthe“justintime”information,droppingintodiscussionsonmajorindustryblogs,Twitter,orFacebookwheninformationavailablefromNARcanhelpprovideinsight,clarity,oraneededresource.

• Join and influence existing conversations about NAR and about issues REALTORS® care about. WhenNARbegantoregularlytuneintosocialmediaspaces,itbecameclearthatrelevantconversationswerehappeningallaroundtheblogospherethatcouldgreatlybenefitfromNAR’sinformationandperspective.SoNARbegantosharethisinformationviaitsownblogs,commentsonothers’blogs,Facebook,Twitter,andthelike.Byembracingsocialmediaearlyinitsdevelopment,NARwasabletolearnfromtheearlyadoptersinitsmembershipandexperimentwiththem,sothattoday,NARcanhelpleaditsmembersandotherassociationsinbestpracticesinsocialmedia.

• Build deeper relationships with members and others. Accordingtothe2009NARMemberProfile,35percentofmembersuseoneormoresocialnetworkingsitesonaregularbasis,andanadditional14percentplantodosointhefuture.

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REALTORS®posttoblogs;commentonothers’blogs;connectwithcolleagues,customersandclientsthroughsocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebookandLinkedIn;andtagnewsarticlesandWebpagesonsocialbookmarkingsitesincludingDigganddel.icio.us.AndtheywanttobeabletointeractwithNARinthedigitalarena,aswell.“Digitalnatives”(atermthePewResearchCenterusestodescribepeoplewhohavegrownupinawiredworld)getinvolvedinorganizationsbyparticipatinginsocialmediacommunities.Morethananything,thesehighlynetworkedmemberswanttofeel“heard”byNARonissuesofimportancetothem,evenwhentheircommunicationmethodofchoiceisablog.Now,in2009,NAR’scommitteeshaveembracedthisnotionandareexploringwaystoincorporatesocialmediaintoourmemberinputprocess.ThetopsocialmediachannelsandtoolsthatREALTORSuse–and,therefore,thetoponesthatassociationsuse–areFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,blogs,andvideo/photo/mediasharing.

Special thanks to Amy Chorew and Ginger Wilcox of the Social Media Marketing Institute and the Social Media Business Council for their invaluable assistance in creating these guidelines. 

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Introduction: What to say and not to say, and how Anyassociationstaffmemberorelectedleaderengaginginonline,electronicdialogueasadelegateoftheorganizationisrequiredtocomplywiththefollowingguidelines.PleasealsofollowtheseguidelinesforpersonalparticipationinsocialmediachannelswhenyouorothersyouareengagedwitharetalkingaboutNAR.Sincesocialnetworksareaccessiblebyanyonefromanywhere,yourpersonalpostsandcommentsareeasyforpeopletofind–anduseinwaysdetrimentaltoyouandNAR–iftheywantto.

1. Global Guidelines Thesegeneralbestpracticesapplytoassociationstaffmembers’participationinmostsocialmediaplatforms.

1.1. Personal doesn’t mean private • Personalexpression:Whenyouparticipateinsocialmedia,youarelikelytofind

yourpersonalandprofessionallivesbecomingmoreintegratedonline.Whileit’sperfectlyfinetoexpressyourpersonalbeliefs,beawarethatyourparticipationinsocialmediaraisesawarenessofyourprofileamongtheassociation’smembership.Please refer to NAR’s HR policy on social media participation for more details – see Section 6. 

• Beclear:Whenspeakingaboutissuesrelatingtotheassociation(realestate,propertyrights,interestratetaxdeductions,etc.)it’simportanttospecificallystatethatanypersonalopinionsyouexpressmaynotbethesameasthoseofyouremployer.

• Betransparent:Evenwhenstatingyourownpersonalopinion,revealthatyouworkforaREALTOR®associationbeforecommentingonrealestateissues.

• Considerwritingapersonalopiniondisclaimer:IfyouusesocialmediachannelstoexpressONLYpersonalopinions,youcouldplaceadisclaimerinthebioofyoursocialnetworkprofiles.Anexample:“I’mthexxxxxfortheNationalAssociationofREALTORS,andthesearemypersonalopinions.”Refer to the Disclosure Best Practices Checklists, Section 8, for more. 

• Don’tsayordoanythingonlineyouwouldn’tdofacetoface.      

1.2. Participating in social media on the association’s behalf • Knowtheassociation’spositions:Whenspeakingfortheassociationonindustry‐

relatedtopics,itisyourresponsibilitytobefamiliarwiththeassociation’sposition.Ifyouareunfamiliarwiththattopic,itisuptoyoutofindamorequalifiedpersontospeak,ortostatethatthisisnotwithinyourareaofexpertise.

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• BehaveasamemberoftheREALTOR®Party:Inordertoservemembers’interests,theassociationworkswithelectedofficialsfrombothmajorpoliticalpartieswhosupportissuesimportanttoREALTORS.Whenrepresentingtheassociation,considerrefrainingfromexpressingyourownpoliticalviewsaboutindividualpoliticiansandinsteadrememberthattheREALTORPartycomesfirst.

• DeclareyourInternetpresencetoNAR:Whenyoucommentontheassociation’sbehalfinsocialmediachannels,pleasenotifyyourmanagerandToddCarpenterinatimelyfashion,andincludeaninventoryofaccountsorblogswhereyoucomment.Refer to the Disclosure Best Practices Checklists, Section 8. 

• Postingpicturesofmembersandstaff:Beforepublishingapictureofamember,associationemployee,oranyonewithaprofessionalrelationshipwiththeassociation,askforpermissionfromthepersonwhowasphotographed.Thisisespeciallyimportantforpicturestakeninsocialsettings.Also,thinktwicebeforepostingphotosofmembersandstaffinsocialsettings;don’tpostphotosshowingpeopledrinkingorinexoticlocalesbecauseitmaysendanunintendedandunwantedmessagetoviewers.

1.3. Respecting copyright • Copyright:Usecautionwhenpublishingtext,pictures,video,orothercontent

thatwasnotcreatedbytheassociation.Unlessspecificallylicensedotherwise,allcreatedcontentisprotectedbycopyright.Ifyouwanttousecopyrightedmaterial,youmustobtainwrittenpermissionfromtheoriginalauthorofthiscontent.

• CreativeCommons:Inmostcases,contentcreatedunderaCreativeCommonslicenseisstillprotectedfromcommercialuse.Associationstaffmembersshouldn’trepublishCreativeCommonscontentunlessthatcontentisspecificallylicensedforcommercialuse.

• Linkingvs.republishing:Wheneverpossible,linktocontentelsewhereontheWebinsteadofrepublishingit. 

• CopyrightTipsandResources 1. http://www.dailyblogtips.com/copyright‐law‐12‐dos‐and‐donts/ 2. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/07/copyright‐blogging‐

and‐content‐theft/ 3. http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

 SampleblogcopyrightnoticeBypostingcontenttothisblog,youwarrantandrepresentthatyoueitherownorotherwisecontrolalloftherightstothatcontent,including,withoutlimitation,allthe

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rightsnecessaryforyoutoprovide,post,upload,input,orsubmitthecontent,orthatyouruseofthecontentisaprotectedfairuse.Youagreethatyouwillnotknowinglyandwithintenttodefraudprovidematerialandmisleadingfalseinformation.YourepresentandwarrantalsothatthecontentyousupplydoesnotviolatetheseTerms,andthatyouwillindemnifyandholdtheassociationharmlessforanyandallclaimsresultingfromcontentyousupply.Anyandallworksofauthorshipcopyrightablebyyouandpostedtoanassociationblog(“Content”)aresubmittedunderthetermsofanAttribution‐ShareAlikeCreativeCommonsPublicLicense.Underthislicense,youpermitanyonetocopy,distribute,displayandperformyourcontent,royalty‐free,ontheconditionthattheycredityourauthorshipeachtimetheydoso.Youalsopermitotherstodistributederivativeworksofyourcontent,butonlyiftheydosounderthesameAttribution‐ShareAlikelicensethatgovernsyouroriginalcontent.TheAttribution‐ShareAlikeCreativeCommonslicensepermitsRSSaggregatorstocopy,distribute,anddisplayallcontentonthisblog.AllcontentonassociationblogsaresyndicatedforRSSaggregation.

2. Blog Guidelines 2.1. Creating a new blog

• BeforeanewblogcanlaunchatNAR,itmustbeapprovedbytheREALTOR.orgteam.Theywillshareinformationaboutdevelopmenttimelines,platformguidelines,etc.Theteamwillalsowanttoknowthefollowingthingsbeforeapprovingyourrequesttocreateanewblog,soitwillbehelpfulifyouconsidertheminadvanceofyourrequest.

• Whydon’ttheexistingNARblogsaccommodatethenewblog’sgoals?o Isanewblogthebestplacetosharethesemessage?o Whatisthethemeoftheblog?o Whoistheaudience?o Whatarethetopics?o Isthereenoughmaterialforthelongterm?Ablogrequires3‐5postsperweek,or150‐250uniquepostsperyear.

• Doyouhaveacommittedteam?Youwillneedatleastthreecontributorsto

createuniquecontent,eachwithacommitmenttowriteatleastonceperweek.Youwillalsoneedstafftomoderateandrespondtocomments.

• Canyourwritersproduceeffectiveblogcontent?TheREALTOR.orgteamwill

askthatwritersforthenewblogcreatetestcontenttoevaluateifthatcontributorisqualifiedtocommunicatefortheassociationinthismedium.

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• Doyouhavea“blog‐watcher”?Amanagerfromyourdepartmentshouldassignsomeonetomonitortheaccount,moderatediscussion,andactasapointofcontact.

• REALTOR.orgmaysetminimumstandardsforthenumberofnewpostsgeneratedandfortheamountoftrafficgenerated,toeitherestablishorcontinueablog.

2.2 NAR’s blog comments policy TheassociationencouragesmeaningfulexchangeonitsblogsonissuesinvolvingREALTORS®andrealestate.Wepublishallcommentsunlessthey:• containlanguagethatweconsideroffensiveorinappropriate• arenotrelevanttotheposttheyarerespondingto• arepurelycommercialendorsements,includingspam• infringethetrademarksorcopyrightsofNARoranythirdparties

BysubmittingyourcommenttoanyblogpublishedbyNAR,youareallowingNARtherighttouseand/ordisplayyourcommentatitsdiscretion.CommentstoNARblogsmustbeapprovedbytheblog’sownerbeforebeingposted,toensurethattheycomplywiththeaboveguidelines.Wepostapprovedcommentswithintwobusinessdays.Ifyouincludelinksinyourcomment,pleaseincludethefullURL.Andpleaselimityourcommentto1,000characters.Weregretthatwecannotrespondpersonallytoeachcomment.

2.3. How to blog well Beinteresting.Writeblogpostsinahumanvoice,andwriteaboutthingsyouhavefirst‐handknowledgeof.Don’tsoundunprofessional,butthereisnoneedtoadoptthesometimesformaltoneofanewsreleaseorarticle.Blogpostsexpressobservations,shareexperiences,andpointreaderstointerestinginformation.Onegoalofablogpostistostartaconversationwithreaders,sofeelfreetoinvitecomments,askquestions,etc.Bewise.Whetheryou’repostingpersonallyorprofessionally,don’twriteanythinginablogpostorcommentthatyouwouldnotfeelcomfortablebeingpublishedwithyournameandtheassociation’sintheNew York Times.

• Checkyourpostsorcommentsforspellingandaccuracy.• Donotdefametheassociation,yourcolleagues,orindustryorganizationsor

peersbypublishingstatementsthatareharmfuland/oruntrue.Donotpostcontentthatismean‐spirited,illegal,fraudulent,obscene,threatening,infringingofintellectualpropertyrights,invasiveofprivacy,orotherwiseinjuriousorobjectionable.

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FollowtheNARcodeofconduct.BesureyourblogpostsandcommentsconformwiththecodeofconductstatedinNAR’semployeehandbook.See Section 9 for NAR’s HR social media policy. Beconcise.Aimtowritepostsofaboutoneparagraph(approximately50–100words)inlength.Ifyouhavemoretosayinaparticularentry,youcanlinktoaseparatepage,knownas“thejump.”Ingeneral,ablogentryshouldbenomorethanfiveparagraphslong. Identifyyourselfandwhoyouspeakfor.• Whenpostingonarealestateindustryblog,identifyyourselfandyour

relationshipwiththeassociation.

• Ifyoupostapersonalopiniononarealestateindustryblog,pleasestatethattheopinionsexpressedinthepostareyourownandmaynotnecessarilyreflectNAR’sviews–whether or not your opinion is consistent with the association’s position on that issue. 

Writeclearheadlines.Writeeachheadlinesothatitmakessenseoutofcontext;manypeoplewillseeonlytheheadlineofyourpostinareaderthroughsyndicationandwillneedtoclickthroughtoreadthefullpost. Linkintelligently.Linksareawonderfulwaytoaddinteractiveelementstoblogpostsorcomments.Becauselinksdrawreaders,theycanincreasethevisibilityoftheblogtosearchengines(Google,Yahoo,etc.)

o Ifyouaddlinks,credittheoriginalauthor(s)ofthematerial.

o Whencreatinglinks,choosetherightdestinationanduseclearlanguage.o Linklanguage:Provideadescriptionofwheretheuserwillgo.

Example: Good:Smith’sarticleintheWallStreetJournalexplainsthehazardsofmixingammoniaandbleach.Bad:Clickheretoreadaboutmixingammoniaandbleach.

o Linkdestination:Pointreaderstotheexactpageorsectionofthesitethatprovidestheinformationyourefertoinyourpost.

Example: Good:ReadHUD’sGuidetoReverseMortgagestolearnmoreaboutthesefederallyinsuredprivateloans.(linktohttp://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hecm/rmtopten.cfm)

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Bad:FindinformationaboutreversemortgagesatHUD.(linktohttp://www.hud.gov)

• Access:Donotlinktocontentthatreaderscannotaccesswithoutpayingasubscriptionfee,andthinktwicebeforelinkingtocontentthattheusermustregistertoaccess.Ifyoudolinktopassword‐protectedcontent,tellreaderswhattoexpectiftheyclickonthelink.

Consideraddingdepthwithmultimedia.Blogsaregreatplacestoincludevideos,images,orothernon‐textcontent.Ifyouneedhelpcreatingorpostingmultimediacontent,pleaseworkwiththeREALTOR.orgteam. Bepresent.Joiningaconversationisn’tsomethingtopopinandoutof.Ifyou’remakingthecommitmenttoparticipate,bereadytostayinthere. Makesuresocialmediaparticipationdoesnotinterferewithyourotherjobresponsibilities.Ifparticipatinginsocialmediaisnotrelatedtoorpartofyourworkasanassociationemployee,besuretogetapprovalfromyourmanagertospendtimereadingandparticipatinginsocialmediaduringnormalbusinesshours.Please refer to NAR’s HR policy on social media participation for more details – see Section 6.

3 Facebook 3.1 Facts about Facebook • 100millionuserslogontoFacebookatleastonceeachday• AJanuary2009Compete.comstudyhasrankedFacebookasthemostused

socialnetworkbyworldwidemonthlyactiveusers• MostpopularsocialnetworkusedbyREALTORS.

3.2 Why do our members use Facebook? It’sestimatedthatmorethanhalfofallFacebookusersvisitthesiteatleasttwiceaday.Forassociations,thisrepresentsanexcellentopportunitytobetopofmindwithitsmembers.However,it’salsoimportanttorealizethatourmembersaren’tvisitingFacebookwiththeprimeintentionofseeingwhat’snewwiththeassociation.It’sfarmorelikelythatourmembersareusingsocialnetworksforvariouspurposes,inthistypeofpriorityorder:

• Growtheirsphereofinfluenceonapersonalandprofessionallevel.• Maintainorgrowtheirrelationshipswithfamilymembersandfriends.• Connectwitholdfriendsorclassmates.• Sharetheirknowledge,expertise,andlifestorieswiththeirfriends.

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• Findlike‐mindedpeoplewithsimilarinterest,causes,ormotivations.

DoingonlinebusinessonFacebookissimilartodoingface‐to‐facebusinessatachurch,theElksClub,oratalittleleaguegame.It’simportanttorememberthatit’snottheprimaryreasonpeoplevisitthesite.Tobestleveragethetop‐of‐mindaccesstoitsmembershipthatFacebookcandeliver,alighttouchisrecommended.Forinstance,exerciseprudenceinusingFacebook’smessagingtoolsasamassemailplatform.

3.3 How members use Facebook’s timeline Themostcommonmethodforsharinginformationistopostcontenttoagroup,fanpage,orprofilewall.Wallpostsaresyndicatedintoeveryfollowingmember’stimeline.Whenamemberlogsintofacebook,themostrecentwallpostsfromthegroups,fanpages,andfriendstheyfollowaredisplayedinreversechronologicalorder.Becauseofthis,contentthatisevenafewhoursoldwillbepushedoffthefrontpageofthistimelinebymorecurrentcontent.Postinginformationamemberwillfindvaluablemultipletimesadayiskeytoattractingtheirattention.Multiplepoststhatarespreadthroughoutthedayhavethebestchanceofkeepingyourorganizationinfrontofitsmemberswithoutmakingthemfeelasthoughtheyarebeingspammed.

3.4 What type of content can be published on Facebook? • Picturesofmembersandassociationfunctions.• Upcomingeventsincludingsocialevents,education,andonlineeventslike

webinars.• News,orlinkstonewsthatmembersmayfindvaluein.• Updatesabouttheassociationitself.

3.5 Profiles, Pages, and Groups Facebookoffersthreetypesofpresences.Eachisbestformeetingspecificgoals.

ProfilesProfilesareintendedforindividualpeople.AsexplainedbyFacebook:

It’s important to understand the difference between your personal account and your Facebook Page. Your personal account is the regular user account that you log into when you sign in to Facebook, and this is the account you use to manage your Facebook Page. Your personal account profile is separate from your Facebook Page. When you edit your personal account profile or add content to it, these changes will not be reflected on your Facebook Page. Likewise, when you edit your Facebook Page, these changes will not be reflected in your personal account or your personal account profile.

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AnymemberoftheassociationwhowilladministrateorcontributetoaFacebookgrouporpageneedstosetuptheirownpersonalaccount,orusetheonetheyalreadyhave.Youcanadjustyourprivacysettingsifyoudonotwanttoshareyourpersonalpagewithmembers. Pages(formerlyknownas“fanpages”)AssociationsareencouragedtocreateaFacebookpagetoshareinformationandinteractwiththeirmembers.Pagesareoptimizedtorepresenttheassociation,insteadofapersonaluserprofile.Likeprofiles,pagescanbeenhancedwithapplicationsthathelptheassociationcommunicatewithandengagetheirmembers.OnlytheofficialrepresentativeofanorganizationispermittedtocreateaFacebookpage.AuthorizedstaffmemberswithpersonalaccountscancreateandmanageaFacebookpagefortheassociation.Withapage,theadministerofthepageremainsanonymoustothememberswhobecomefans.Anyonecanbecomeafanofapage.Thismeansthatbothmembersandnonmemberswillhaveaccesstothecontentonthepageitself.GroupsFacebookgroupsaredesignedtogivemorepowertothemembersofthegroup.Unlikepages,groupscanbeprivateorcompletelyunlisted.Anadministratorcanchoosetoofferaccesstothegroupbyinvitationonly.Theadministratorcanalsosendall‐membermessagestothegroup,butsocaneveryothermember.HowtochoosewhethertosetupaFacebookgrouporpagePagesaregenerallybetterfortheassociationtopubliclybroadcastinformationtoitsmembers.Basically,anythingthatmightresideontheassociation’swebsiteisbestsuitedtobedeliveredinapage.Groupsarebetterforcreatingsmallerdiscussionsamongafewmembers.Forinstance,agroupchargedwithorganizinganannualholidayparty,oranysortofcommitteeworkgroupwouldbestbenefitbycommunicatingthroughagroup.

3.6 Facebook as a marketing and communication tool Communicationfirst,marketingsecond.AlwaysrememberthatFacebookisopt‐in,meaningthatanymemberwhobecomesafanofyourpageorjoinsyourgroupsubscribestothesepresencesvoluntarily.Becauseofthis,marketingmessagespublishedonFacebookmustholdsomeadditionalvalue,orrepresentonlyafractionofallofthemessagespublishedbytheassociation.ThinkofFacebookasacommunicationtoolfirst,andamarketingtoolsecond.SubjectideasforpublicationonFacebook

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• Events:Anyconference,training,luncheon,orrelatedeventhostedbytheassociationcantakeadvantageoftheeventsfeatureinFacebook.

• News:Newsfromtheassociationorlinkstonewsthataffectmemberscaneasilybepostedtoapagewall.

• Pictures:PicturesofmembersattendingpasteventsareagreatwaytoleverageFacebook’sphototools.

• Causes:Iftheassociationsponsorsacause,oracharity,Facebook’sCausetoolswillhelpbroadcasttheseefforts.

4 LinkedIn • DeferringtotheREALTORSgroup:NARhasalreadyestablishedaprimary

LinkedInGroup.Beforecreatinganewgroup,establishwhythenewgroup’sneedsarenotbeingservedbytheexistinggroup.

• Managingmembership(openvs.members‐only):Members‐onlygroupsallowformorecontroloverwhohasaccesstothediscussionboardsinthegroup.However,thegroup’sassignedmanagerwillberesponsibleformanagingmemberapprovals.

• Moderatingdiscussions:Atleastonepersonwhocontributestothisnewgroupshouldberequiredtomoderatecommentsmadebythereaders.

4.1 Groups 101 FromLinkedIn.com:LinkedInGroupsisyourdestinationtofindandjoincommunitiesofprofessionalsbasedoncommoninterest,experience,affiliation,andgoals.Stayintouchwithorganizations,schools,andcompaniesthatyouareandwereapartof,networkwithprofessionalswithsimilarinterestsandgoals,andcollaborateinaprofessionalcommunityonline.Groupsareanopportunityforassociationstobuildanonlinedestinationformemberstonetworktogether.

4.2 Groups and Subgroups UseaGrouptobuildacentraldestinationonLinkedInforalloftheassociation’smembers.NAR’sofficialLinkedIngroupisNationalAssnofREALTORS:http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=90005&trk=anet_ug_grpproIfyouwanttoengageasubsetofNARmembersonLinkedIn,orengageallmembersonaspecifictopic,it’sbesttostartasubgroupratherthanformanentirelynewLinkedIngroup.NAR’sLinkedIngroupalreadyhas11,000+members(asofOctober2009)whohavebeenvettedasactivemembersoftheassociation,andsubgroupsalsoaddmorevaluebyraisingawarenessabout

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additionaloptionstoexistinggroupmembers.IfyouwouldliketostartaLinkedInsubgroup,contactHilaryMarsh.

4.3 Managing membership (open vs. member-only) Member‐onlygroupsallowformorecontroloverwhohasaccesstothediscussionboardsinthegroup.However,thegroup’sassignedmanagerwillberesponsibleformanagingmemberapprovals.Opengroupsallowanyonetojoin.Thisislessworkforthegroupadministrator,butcanleadtomoremoderationdutiesinthediscussionsbecauseanyonecanpostcontent.

4.4 Moderating discussions Atleastonepersonwhocontributestoagroupshouldberequiredtomoderatecommentsmadebythereaders.Newgroupswillonlybecreatedifthegroup’scontributorspermitcommentsfromtheassociation’sreadersandacommitmenttokeepadialogwiththesereadersisestablished.SeekoutactivemembersofthegrouptoactasmoderatorsoftheLinkedIngroup.Consideraskingcommitteememberstohelp.

4.5 Assigning a manager • WhenestablishinganewLinkedInGroup,atleastonepointpersonandtheir

immediatesupervisorneedstotakeresponsibilityadministeringtheaccount.Thisincludesstorageofthepasswordandaccountinformation,determiningacontentstrategy,andmonitoringgroupdiscussions.

• Anascensionandcontingencyplanneedstobecreatedfortimeswhentheprimaryadministerisoutoftheoffice,orleavestheassociation.

4.6 Design the group logo to fit LinkedIn’s small standard logo size Designalogoforthegroupthat’sreadableatLinkedIn’sformattedsizes,100x50and60x30.

5 Twitter Socialnetworking,140charactersatatime.

FromWikipedia.com

Twitter is a free social networking and micro‐blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text‐based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers, who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website or external applications. 

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Twitter’sforcedbrevityisthekeytoitssuccess.Its140‐characterlimitoneachcommunicationforcesuserstokeepannouncementsandconversationsshortandsimple.

5.1 Follow and be followed. Twitter is opt-in. • CommunicationonTwitterisnotnecessarilyreciprocal.Whenonememberof

Twitterfindsvalueinanothermember’sposts,theychoosetosubscribetothatmemberbyfollowingthem.Thatmembermaychoosetofollowthemback,ormaynot.Eachmember’sTwitterpagelinkstoalistofthememberstheyfollow,andofthosethatfollowthatmember.

• IfyourintentionistouseaTwitteraccountasachannelpurelytobroadcastinformation,thendon’tfollowback.Ifyouplantousethechannelfortwo‐waycommunication,thenmakeitapointtofollowthoseyouhopetocommunicatewith.

5.2 @s, Ds, #s, Favorites, and RTs • WhenyouwishtoreferenceanotherTwitteruserinapostorpubliclyaddressa

posttothem,usethe@symbolfollowedbytheirTwitternameinapublicpost.Thatuserwillbenotifiedthattheyhavebeentagged.

• TosendaprivatemessagetoanotherTwitteruser,typeaD,thenonespace,thentheuser’sname.Note:Youcanonlysendthesedirectmessagestouserswhofollowyou.

• Attachthe#symboltoatopictocreatea“hashtag.”Hashtagsareusedtoreferenceacertainevent,newsitem,orcanevenbeforfun.YoucansearchonTwitterforallpostsusingthesamehashtag.

• Favoritesareawaytobookmarkpostsyouwanttoreferencelater.Clickonthestar‐shapediconnexttoaposttomarkitasafavorite.Clickthefavoriteslinktoviewyourfavorites.

• RTsareretweets–repostinganotherTwitteruser’sposttoshowthatyouagreeorwanttosharetheirmessage.Todothis,[email protected],youcanaddacommentorhashtag.

5.3 Twitter is a river of information • MostTwitterusersonlylookattheconversationshappeninginthelastfew

minutes.• Mostfollowerswillonlyseepostsmadebytheassociationiftheyhappento

tuneintoTwitterataboutthesametimeastheassociationposts.• Bepreparedtopostseveraltimesadayinordertoreachasignificantportionof

yourfollowers.

5.4 Starting a new Twitter account Determineifanexistingaccountisbettersuitedtoleverage.

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• EverynewTwitteraccountmustgainanaudience(followers)fromthegroundup.

• Eachnewaccountwillrequiremultiplepostingsperdaytoeffectivelyreachasignificantportionofitsfollowers.

• Inmostcases,itwillbeadvantagestoaddadditionalcontenttoanexistingtwitteraccountwithanestablishedaudience.

• OnlyconsideropeninganewTwitteraccountwhenthecontentwillnotintegrateintoanestablishedchannel.

• IfyoustartanewNAR‐relatedTwitteraccount,pleaseinformToddCarpenteraboutit.

Automated,handwritten,orboth?• AnewTwitterchannelmaysimplyresyndicateotherworkscreatedbythe

association.AnycontentcreatedonaplatformthatgeneratesanRSSfeedcandriveaTwitteraccount.Ifthisisyourdesiredconfiguration,besuretoframethebioofthispagetoexplainthechannel’spurpose.

• Handwrittenaccountswillrequireanongoingcommitmenttobothpostandlistentotheconversationshappeningintheaccountsnetworkoffollowers.

• RSSfeedscanbeintegratedintoahandwrittenaccounttoautomateaportionofthecreatedcontent.

Choosinganame• Keepyournameasshortaspossible.SinceTwitterpostsarelimitedto140

characters,shorteraccountnamesallowothermemberstoincludemoretextwhensendingan@,D,orRTtoyou.

• Makeyournameeasytospellandremember,sinceusersoftencommunicateonTwitterusingsimpleSMSmobiletexting.

Settingexpectationsinthebio• UseyourTwitteraccount’sbiosectiontoexplainthepurposeoftheaccount

andsetexpectationsofpotentialfollowersabouthowtheTwitteraccountwillbemanaged,whatsortofcontentwillbeposted,andwhatkindofresponseafollowershouldexpectwhencorrespondingwiththispresence.

• ConsiderbuildingalandingpageonyourwebsitethatyoucanlinktofromyourTwitterbiotoexplaintheaccount’spurposeinmoredetail.

5.5 Using a personal account for business

Betransparent.• Letpeopleknowwhereyousitbeforeyoutellthemwhereyoustand.You’re

freetoparticipateinconversationregardingthebusinessoftheassociation,butit’simportanttoannounceyouremploymentand,ifnecessary,thatyouareexpressingyourownopinions.Here'sasampledisclosureforyourbio:“I’mthe[yourtitle&companyhere],andthesearemypersonalopinions.”

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Settingexpectations.• Memberswillfindyourpersonalaccounts,butdon’tletthatdiscourageyou

fromkeepingthataccountpersonal.Beconsistentinhowyouuseyourpersonalaccounttosetexpectationsforthememberswhochoosetofollowyou.

• Ifyouonlyspeakaboutbusinessontheaccountanduseanavatarthatisveryprofessional,thenmemberswillhaveanexpectationthatyouwillalwaysbeprofessional.Iftheydiscoveryouraccountpopulatedwithcasualandpersonalinformation,theirexpectationwillbethatthisisyourpersonalaccountwhereyousometimestalkaboutbusiness.

• Consistencyiskeytosettingtheexpectationswithmemberswhoconnectwithyouonsocialnetworks.

5.6 Building a business account Assigningamanager• WhenestablishinganewTwitteraccount,atleastonepointpersonandtheir

immediatesupervisorneedstotakeresponsibilityadministeringtheaccount.Thisincludesstorageofthepasswordandaccountinformation,determiningacontentstrategy,andmonitoringincomingcommunications(@sandDs)fromfollowers.

• Anascensionandcontingencyplanneedstobecreatedfortimeswhentheprimaryadministerisoutoftheoffice,orleavestheassociation.

Buildingateamofcontributors• Determinewhowillcontributetweetstotheaccountandhow.• Willtheyemailthemtotheadministrator?• Willtheyhavefullaccesstotheaccount?• ConsidertoolslikeCo‐Tweettomanagecontributortweets.• Determineapostingscheduleifnecessary,orascheduleformonitoring

communicationstotheTwitteraccount.

Settingupalertstolisten• Usetoolstomonitorkeywordsorphrasesthatpertaintoyouraccount.• Queriesonsearch.twitter.comgenerateanRSSfeedthatcanbeusedmonitor

theTwitterstreamlive.• ToolslikeTwilertwillmonitorTwitterforselectedterms,thenemailyouadigest

ofdailyresults

Promotingtheaccount• ListyourTwitterpresenceonotherassociationpublications.• NARStaffshouldalerttheREALTOR.orgteamtobeaddedto

http://realtor.org/socialmedia• Alertparticipantstoliveeventsincludingwebinars,seminarsandconferences.

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FindingandengagingwithmembersonTwitter• QualitycontentistheprimaryreasonpeoplewillfollowyouonTwitter.• FindpeopletofollowbyusingTwittersearch.• Findpeopletofollowbylookingatwhofollowsyourfollowers.• Don'tfollowifyouaren'tgoingtolisten.

SomeNARTwitteraccounts• @realtors• @asknar• @realtormag• @narmedia• @NAR2009

SomeNARstaffwithpersonalTwitteraccounts• @tcar• @hilarymarsh• @pamela_kabati

Addingcontext• Linkshorteningtools>bit.lytinyurlbudurl• Pictures>ifrog,tweetpic• Audio>blip.fm• Location>BrightKiteFoursquareMobileClientGooglemaps.

5.7 How to access Twitter WhileTwittercanbeaccessedthroughthewebatTwitter.com,manypeoplefinditeasierandmoreeffectivetomanageTwitterusingdesktopsoftwarethatallowyoutoaccessTwitterwithoutusingawebbrowser.Thesedesktopsoftware“clients”allowyoutosetupsavedsearches,organizeyourfollowersintogroups,andseeanautomaticallyupdatedstreamofcontentfromTwitter.Clientsalsocontaintoolsthatmakeiteasiertoshortenlinks,addpictures,orintegratealocationintoatweet.Desktopclientstocheckout• TweetDeck• Twhirl• Seesmic• Hootsuite

Mobileclientstocheckout• Tweetie‐iPhone• Twitterberry‐Blackberry• Ubertwitter‐Blackberry• Tweetdeck‐iPhone

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• SimplyTweet‐iPhone• Spaz‐PalmPre

6 NAR’s HR Social Media Policy

TheAssociationrespectsyourrighttointeractandcommunicateaboutnon‐workrelatedmattersusingtheInternet.InordertoprotecttheAssociationfromthepostingofcommentsandinformationthatmayhaveaharmfuleffectonitsreputationand/oritsemployees,wehavedevelopedthefollowingpolicy.Forthepurposeofthispolicy,“engaginginsocialmedia”meanspostingoruploadingcontenttoalltypesofinteractiveelectroniccommunicationsincludingbutnotlimitedtowebsites,weblogs,socialnetworks,discussionboards,andlistservs.LimitedandoccasionaluseofAssociation’ssystemstoengageinnon‐workrelatedbloggingisacceptableduringyourpersonaltimeatwork(forexample,duringlunch,duringabreak)ifitdoesnototherwiseviolatetheAssociation’spolicies,isnotdetrimentaltotheAssociation,anddoesnotinterferewithyourregularworkduties.YoumaynotuseyourAssociation‐issuedemailaddresstoengageinnon‐workrelatedsocialmediacommunication.Sincetheinternetispublicspace,youmustrefrainfromengaginginanysocialmediacommunicationthatmaydisparageorharmtheimageorreputationoftheAssociationand/oranyofitsemployees.Additionally,youmaynotengageinanyconductprohibitedbytheAssociation,andyouassumeanyandallrisksassociatedwithengaginginsocialmedia.Asablogger,youmustmakecleartoreadersthattheviewsexpressedareyoursaloneandthatstatements,opinions,andbeliefsdonotreflecttheviewsoftheAssociation.Whenengaginginsocialmedia,bevigilanttoensurethatyoudonotdiscloseanyinformationthatisconfidentialorproprietarytotheAssociationortoanythirdpartythathasdisclosedinformationtous.ThisincludestheuseofAssociationtrademarksormaterial.TheAssociationreservestherighttomonitorsocialmediachannelsandplatforms.Employeeswhoengageinsocialmedia,whetherforpersonalorworkrelatedreasons,andwhetherornottheyareusingAssociationsystems,shouldnotexpecttheircommentstobeprivate.

7 REALTOR.org Terms of Use (excerpts relating to social media) 6.TheSitecontainsacombinationofcontentthatNARcreates,itspartnerscreate,and

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thatitsuserscreate.AllmaterialspublishedontheSiteincludingbutnotlimitedtotext,images,video,graphicsandmultimediafiles(“Content”)areprotectedbyallapplicablecopyrightandtrademarklawsandownedbyNARorthepartycreditedastheprovideroftheContent.AllrightsintheContentareexpresslyreservedbytheapplicablecopyrightandtrademarkowner.a.ReprintingContentfromtheSiteshallbesubjecttotheReprintPolicy.b.Youmaynotsublicense,transferorotherwisemakeanyContentavailabletoanythirdpartyforcommercialpurposesorfinancialgainorusetheContentinanyothermediaorinanyotherlocationotherthanaspermittedinthissection.YoumaynotuploadContentthatcontainsadvertisingorpromotionforaparticularrealestatelistingorforrealestateservices,includingbrokerage,lending,titleinsurance,propertyorcasualtyinsurance,propertymanagement,buildingdevelopingorconsulting.c.AllContentprovidedbyanypartyotherthanNARmustidentifythepartywhoprovidedthatContent.d.BypostingmaterialtotheSite,youwarrantandrepresentthatyoueitherownorotherwisecontrolalloftherightstothatmaterial,includingwithoutlimitation,alltherightsnecessaryforyoutoprovide,post,upload,input,orsubmitthematerial,orthatyouruseofthematerialisafairuse.Youagreethatyouwillnotknowinglyandwithintenttodefraudprovidematerialandmisleadingfalseinformation.YourepresentandwarrantalsothatthematerialyousupplydoesnotviolatetheseTerms,andthatyouwillindemnifyandholdNAR,itssubsidiaries,affiliates,officers,employees,andagents,harmlessforanyandallclaimsresultingfrommaterialyousupply.e.BypostingmaterialtotheSite,yougrantNAR,itssubsidiaries,affiliates,partnersandthirdpartylicenseesanonexclusive,perpetual,irrevocable,worldwide,sublicensable,royalty‐freelicensetouse,store,display,publish,transmit,transfer,distribute,reproduce,aggregateyourmaterialwithothercontent,createderivativeworksofandpubliclyperformthatcontentforanypurposeonandthrougheachoftheservicesprovidedbytheSite.Thislicenseshallapplytothedistributionandthestorageofyourcontentinanyform,medium,ortechnologynowknownorlaterdeveloped.f.NARblogsaresyndicatedforRSSaggregation.YouhavepermissiontosubscribetotheblogcontentviaanRSSreaderore‐mail,andyoualsohavepermissiontoposttheRSSfeedtoaREALTOR®associationorotherrealestate‐relatedWebsite.13.NARencouragesmeaningfulexchangeontheSiteonissuesinvolvingREALTORS®andrealestate.UnlessotherwiseprovidedforregardingaspecificsectionoftheSite,userContentisreviewedbyanNARrepresentativeandapprovedContentwillbepostedwithinapproximatelytwobusinessdays.NARaimstopublishalluser‐submittedContentunlessit:

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•ContainslanguagethatNAR,initssolediscretion,considersoffensiveorinappropriate;•Isnotrelevanttothepostthatisbeingrespondedto;•Isacommercialendorsement,includingspam;or•InfringesthetrademarksorcopyrightsofNARoranythirdparties.a.NARdisclaimsresponsibilityandliabilityforthecontentandopinionsexpressedbyothersontheSiteincluding,butnotlimitedto,contentoropinionsregardinganyproductsorservicementionedontheSite.b.IfyouuploadContenttotheSite,youagreetoindemnifyandholdNARharmlessfromanyandallliability,damagesorexpenseswhatsoeverdue,directlyorindirectly,toanycauseofactionarisingoutoftheContentpostedbyyou.c.YouagreetousetheSiteonlyforlawfulpurposesandnottouploadanyunlawfulContentorinanyotherwayusetheSitesoastoviolateanylocal,state,ornationallaw.d.NARreservestherightbutnottheobligationtorefuse,move,orremoveanymaterialsubmittedtotheSiteforanyreasonandtorestrict,suspend,orterminateyouraccesstoalloranypartoftheSite.(i)Youagreenottopostanydefamatory,libelous,threatening,vulgar,sexualexplicit,abusive,profane,rude,obscene,oranonymousContent.(ii)YouagreenottotakeanyactionwhichwoulddisruptorinterferewiththenormaluseoftheSitebyotherauthorizedusers.(iii)Youagreenottopostanyadvertising,promotionalorothertypeofsolicitationtootherauthorizedusersoftheSiteexceptinthoseareasofREALTOR.orgwheresuchpostingsmaybespecificallyauthorized.(iv)YouagreenottoimpersonateanyotherpersoninanyregistrationorContentyouuploadtotheSite.(v)IndividualsectionsoftheSitemayhaveadditionalrulesandregulationsspecifictothesubjectmatterbeingcoveredinthatsection.Theserulesandregulationswillbepostedonthesection’shomepage.YouagreetoabidebytherulesandregulationsofindividualsectionsontheSite.

8 Disclosure Best Practices Checklists CreatedbytheSocialMediaBusinessCouncil:www.socialmedia.org/disclosure.LicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution3.0UnportedLicense.

Checklist 1: Disclosure of Identity Focus:Bestpracticesforhowemployeesandagenciesactingasofficialcorporaterepresentativesdisclosetheiridentitytobloggersandonblogs.

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Whencommunicatingwithblogsorbloggersonbehalfofmycompanyorontopicsrelatedtothebusinessofmycompany,Iwill:

DisclosewhoIam,whoIworkfor,andanyotherrelevantaffiliationsfromtheveryfirstencounter.

Discloseanybusiness/clientrelationshipifIamcommunicatingonbehalfofathirdparty.

Provideameansofcommunicatingwithme. Complywithalllawsandregulationsregardingdisclosureofidentity. Wewillinformemployees,agencies,andadvocatesthatwehaveaformal

relationshipofthesedisclosurepoliciesandtakeactionquicklytocorrectproblemswherepossible.

Pseudonyms:a. (OptionA)Neveruseafalseorobscuredidentityorpseudonym.b. (OptionB)Ifaliasesorroleaccountsareusedforemployeeprivacy,

security,orotherbusinessreasons,theseidentitieswillclearlyindicatetheorganizationIrepresentandprovidemeansfortwo‐waycommunicationswiththatalias.

“WeDidn’tKnow”:Clearlydiscloseourinvolvementonallblogsproducedbythecompanyorouragencies.

Checklist 2: Personal/Unofficial Blogging and Outreach Focus:Bestpracticesforemployeesandemployersrelatedtopersonalblogsandpersonalsocialmediaparticipationthattalkaboutcompany‐relatedissues.Theseareintendedtosupplementexistingemployeepolicies.Forpersonalblogsorsocialmediainteractions:

Ifemployeeswriteanythingrelatedtothebusinessoftheiremployeronpersonalpages,posts,andcomments,theywillclearlyidentifytheirbusinessaffiliation.

Themannerofdisclosurecanbeflexibleaslongasitiscleartotheaveragereader,directlyconnectedtotherelevantpost,orprovidesameansofcommunicatingfurther(Exampledisclosuremethodscouldinclude:usernamesthatincludethecompanyname,linktobiooraboutmepage,orstatementinthepostitself“Iworkfor__<company>___andthisismypersonalopinion.”)

Employeeswillspecificallyclarifywhichposts/commentsaretheirownopinionsvs.officialcorporatestatements.

Writingwhichdoesnotmentionwork‐relatedtopicsdoesnotneedtomentiontheemploymentrelationship.

Ifemployeesbloganonymouslytheyshouldnotdiscussmattersrelatedtothebusinessoftheiremployer.Ifemployer‐relatedtopicsarementioned,theyshoulddisclosetheiraffiliationwiththecompany.

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Checklist 3: Blogger Relations Focus:Bestpracticesforhowbusinessesinteractwithexternalblogsandbloggers.

Whencommunicatingwithblogsorbloggersonbehalfofmycompany,Iwill: DisclosewhoIam,whoIworkforandanyotherrelevantaffiliationsfromthe

veryfirstencounter. Proactivelyaskbloggerstobetransparentabouttheirrelationshipand

communicationswithme. Alwaysbetruthful. Neverasksomeoneelsetodeceivebloggersforme. Neveraskbloggerstowriteafakeendorsementorsomethingtheydonot

believe. Neveruseoff‐topiccommentforself‐promotionalintent. Nevertakeactioncontrarytothespecificboundaries,termsandconditions,

and communityguidelinessetbyeachblog. Notuseservicesortechnologiesformass‐postingcomments. Useextremecarewhencommunicatingwithminorsorblogsintendedtobe

readbyminors. Complywithalllawsandregulationsregardingdisclosureofidentity. Makeitcleartoouremployeesandagenciesthattheserulesapplytothem.

Checklist 4: Compensation and Incentives Focus:Bestpracticeswhenprovidingincentivestobloggers.Whenprovidingbloggerswithanyformofcompensationsuchasrewards,incentives,promotionalitems,gifts,samples,orreviewitems,Iwillbecompletelytransparentby:

Settingformalpoliciesonusingincentiveswithbloggersforourstaffandagencies.

Reviewproductscanbereturnedattheirowndiscretion. Reviewproductsmustbereturnedorpaidforatfairmarketvalue. Itemsofnominalvalue(lowcostproductsamplesorconsumables)may

bekept. Reviewproductsshouldbereturned,paidfor,orretainedbytheblogger

basedonstandardsforthespecificindustry.(Examples:restaurantreviewerspayforthemeal,techreviewersreturntheproduct,hotelsprovidecomplimentarystays.)

Communicatingthesepoliciesclearlytothebloggerinadvance,andaskingthattheydothesameinanypostthatmayresult.

Encouragingbloggerstodisclosethesourceofanycompensationdirectlyinanyposttheywriteaboutus.

Ifyouchoosetousepaidpostsorreviews,youmustinsurethatitisclearlydisclosedinthespecificpostthatitisanadvertisement.

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Notmanipulatingadvertising,link‐trading,oraffiliateprogramstoimpactbloggerincomeortraffic.

UnderstandingthatifIsendbloggersproductsforreview,theyarenotobligatedtocommentonthematall,andtheyarefreetowriteapositive,negative,orneutralcomment.

Checklist 5: Agency and Contractor Disclosure Focus:Bestpracticesforvendors,agencies,andsubcontractorsthatactonbehalfofacompany.Whenusingexternalagenciesorpersonneltocommunicateonourbehalf,Iwill:

Requiremyagencytodiscloseitsrelationshipwithmycompanywhenitconductsbloggerrelations.

Requiremyagencytobetruthfulandneverknowinglydeceivebloggers. Publiclyacknowledgewhenmyagencyand/orrelatedpartiesactcontraryto

thesepolicies,andquicklytakecorrectiveactionwherepossible. Requireagenciesandagencypersonneltomeetorexceedourinternal

disclosurerequirements. Requireagenciestoenforcetheserequirementsontheirsubcontractors. Alwaysdiscussandsecureformalagreementonthesepracticesbeforeentering

intoabusinessrelationshipwithanagencyinvolvedinsocialmedia.