by Lisa Colton and Miriam Brosseau

Some organizations jump into social media with great excitement. Others with great trepidation. What we know is that the rules of engagement in social media are in many ways fundamentally different than those of other communication tools we’ve used in the past. A good social media policy provides clear guidelines as to how staff should represent themselves and the organization when posting and interacting with the community, freeing them up to think more strategically. A social media policy is also likely to help leadership feel more comfortable with the less formal nature of social media by letting them establish boundaries for its use. Often to gain comfort and confidence, we need to reduce the fear, get clear on expectations, and be on the same page with our staff, supervisors, board members and the community.

It is with all this in mind that Darim Online has created the Social Media Policy Workbook for Jewish Organizations. This Workbook is designed to help you, as an organization, ask important questions about social media, and how you will manage it and use it to your advantage, thoughtfully. It is intended to help you think through how you will act, and react, in digital communities, and how you will represent the voice, vision, and values of your organization online just as you do on-land. The Workbook walks you through a collaborative conversation to address issues including:

• Social Media Roles: Who is responsible for which spaces
• What Should You Say Online: Which topics are always appropriate, which require sign-off and which are never acceptable
• Copyright and Attribution: How will you protect your own work, and be respectful of others
• Personal vs. Professional: Social media blurs the boundaries between our personal and professional lives – how will you and your staff navigate this new territory.

The Workbook is offered as a PDF download free of charge, thanks to The AVI CHAI Foundation, The Union for Reform Judaism and See3 Communications.

Click here to download the PDF, then gather your team together, start the Social Media Policy Workbook, and enjoy the journey. Make sure to report back and share your progress! Interested in learning from others who are working on their social media policy too? Join the discussion in the Social Media Policy Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/socialmediapolicy.