Social Media Etiquette – “SAP” Savvy

Hi All,

I am a new employee within SAP Product Support – Dublin. I recently completed my Masters in Information Technology at NUI Galway. My Masters’ Thesis researched integration of ICT and Teaching Strategies within Irish Higher Education environment and one of the main findings was that Learners and Educators made a distinction between Personal and Educational (Work) Social Media Platforms and this in turn dictated how they interacted with each Platform.

Currently a hot topic within many Corporate Circles is the use of Social Media tools as a way of engagement and connectivity with other colleagues and customers / clients.

Many organisations and individuals are using a multitude of Social Media Platforms i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Corporate Portals, Forums, Blogs and even Snaps etc.

The first query I have relates to linking your personal and private Platforms with the corporate or public Platforms:
Should / do you actively maintain a segregation between personal and work profiles and content?

Secondly, relating to the Medium /Platform, what the subject matter is and to whom you are communicating:
Does the way you write matter? I.e. use text talk, emoji’s, worry about grammar and punctuation etc.?

I believe in transparency and openness in a working environment but am aware how this extends to private / family content and that any personal views may not necessarily support or reflect the views of the organisation you work for.

If you are willing to actively publish information on Social Media you should not only be mindful of your target audience but also of other interested parties that may be able to access that information and be professional at all times.

I suggest that everyone should be aware of corporate guidelines or policies pertaining to Social Media that are in place and partake in any training or info sessions that are available.

Finally, as a “tongue in cheek” guideline for Social Media Etiquette I would like to refer you to a video that was produced by Mr W A Yankovic. Happy watching ;).
“Weird Al” Yankovic – Word Crimes: http://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc (note due to restrictions on some company IT settings this Music video may not be accessible).

Let’s get out there and be “Social And Professional” – “SAP” Savvy.

Regards,

Nik  🙂