{"id":4925,"date":"2012-10-03T08:43:06","date_gmt":"2012-10-03T13:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=4925"},"modified":"2012-10-03T08:50:21","modified_gmt":"2012-10-03T13:50:21","slug":"5-key-considerations-developing-framework-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/5-key-considerations-developing-framework-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"5 key considerations when developing a framework for social media use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five key considerations when developing a social media policy, or a framework for social media use in your business or organisation.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/agree-terms.php\"<\/a>In our most recent news roundup<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, the Government of Jamaica announced that by early 2013, \u201cthere should be a full-fledged social media policy in place, with guidelines for order and professionalism in Government<\/em>\u201d (Source: Jamaica Information Service<\/a>). Without a doubt, it is heartening that the Government of Jamaica is preparing a social media policy that ought to standardize management and use of the various platforms across its Ministries and associated agencies. However, much of the private sector across the Caribbean \u2013 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as large corporates\u2013 is still grappling with how best to use social media.<\/p>\n

More importantly, although a number of businesses and organisations might be using select social media platforms, that use might be ad hoc, or has not been considered within a wider context. This post outlines five key considerations when developing a social media policy, or a framework for social media use in your business or organisation.<\/p>\n

Although some of you might begin to feel anxious by the words \u201cpolicy\u201d or \u201cframework\u201d, these documentsdo not need to be complicated. They can be less than one page, but their main purpose is to provide a structure for social media use, in order to achieve the organisation\u2019s goals, and to ensure that this use is aligned with the organisation\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Be clear about the purpose, function and goals of social media in the organisation<\/h3>\n

Determining the purpose, function and goals of social media in your organisation, from the outset, will not only be critical to the framework, it will have a direct impact on which platforms are selected, how they are used, along with emphasising the perceived importance of social media to the organisation. As indicated in our presentation at Avaya Evolutions 2012<\/a> delivered earlier this year, businesses typically use social media for one or more of the following purposes:<\/p>\n