Internal+Issues

=Internal Issues=

Describe how the social media plan will be reviewed and received internally, and how it will be implemented for your organization:
 * Describe how the social media plan will be reviewed and received by senior management and board. What questions do you anticipate?
 * Describe or attach your social media policy – and process for ensuring it is an active, living policy.

Read these tips for drafting a social media policy.

Describe who will be responsible for administering your social media plan and how they will coordinate with other areas of your organization:
 * Who will implement your organization’s social media strategy?
 * Can you allocate a minimum of five hours per week to your strategy once you've passed the learning curve?
 * Do you have the most efficient work flow and tasks in place?
 * Do you need any outside expertise?
 * Will your content updates depend on any other resource or person?

Describe how your organization will handle this culture change:
 * Once you have an initial strategy, how do you get your organization to own it?
 * How will you address any fears or concerns?
 * What is the rate of change your organization can tolerate?

As with the introduction of any new technology or anything new for that matter, there are bound to be fears and concerns expressed by others in your organization. Common concerns about social media from nonprofits may include:
 * Loss of control over your organization's branding and marketing messages
 * Dealing with negative comments
 * Addressing personality versus organizational voice
 * Not being successful, fear of failure
 * Perception of wasted of time and resources
 * Suffering from information overload already, this will cause more

It important to have an upfront understanding of what the organization's staff will and will not do on the social web before implementation begins. If your organization sets up a blog, you need to establish a blogging policy first. The process of creating a policy can also lead to a deeper understanding of the benefits and value of social media.

If, for example, your organization will be using social networking sites, staff members need to figure out how they will professionally represent themselves with their individual profiles. You also need to determine how your organization might respond to negative comments on the blog or on an online forum or social networking site. What will you do if a fan sets up a page on Facebook that doesn't use your “approved” messaging or branding as in this example from the Chicago Symphony.

**Additional reading:**

The Secret Underground Guide to Social Media for Organizations by Colin McKay Ten Common Objections to Social Media Adoption by Marshall Kirkpatrick Five Fears Associations Have About Social Media by Maddie Grant How To Sell Social Media To Cynics, Skeptics, Luddites - Tips, Resources, and Advice by Robin Broitman [|Online Database of Social Media Policies]


 * Resources:**

media type="custom" key="13954088" View more [|documents] from [|Cisco Systems].
 * [|Cisco social media guidelines June 2010]**

media type="custom" key="13954102" View more [|presentations] from [|Dave Fleet].
 * [|Social Media Policies Ebook]**

media type="custom" key="13954118" View more [|presentations] from [|CanadaHelps].
 * [|Kirstin Beardsley - Setting the Boundaries: Developing Social Media Policies for Your Organization]**

[|Tweet Freely: Your Social Media Policy and You] [|Case Study: Red Cross Social Media Policy] [|SNCR Best Practices for Social Media Guidelines] [|7 Critical Questions To Ask About Developing a Social Media Policy] [|Ten Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy] from Mashable [|Examples of Social Media Policies] (Nonprofits) [|Social Media Policy Collection] [|Social Media Policies]