Thursday, April 29, 2010
How Much Is Too Much
How much regulation of social media is too much? Major League Baseball is apparently grappling with this question and might have gone too far. There are those who say any attempt to regulate social media is foolhardy. There are others who believe it can and should be held tightly. The answer appears to be closer to the former than the latter. There is little one can do to set and enforce guidelines for blogs, tweets, Facebook and other media. An appeal to common sense and the Golden Rule is about the best one can achieve. On the other hand, there should be rules to control rogues and those with little judgment. However, telling baseball writers they may only tweet about baseball is dumb.
More organizations will need to confront the issue of regulation for social media, if they have not done so. Uncontrolled speech in organizational ranks can be deeply harmful to other individuals and the organization itself, especially if a writer's intent is to hurt. Organizations do not have to allow employees who would destroy them to remain uncontested. It is a gray area, though, especially if an employee points to dangers an organization is unwilling to confront. Look for more conflict. It will come.
More organizations will need to confront the issue of regulation for social media, if they have not done so. Uncontrolled speech in organizational ranks can be deeply harmful to other individuals and the organization itself, especially if a writer's intent is to hurt. Organizations do not have to allow employees who would destroy them to remain uncontested. It is a gray area, though, especially if an employee points to dangers an organization is unwilling to confront. Look for more conflict. It will come.
Comments:
Post a Comment