Wrap Up

With conflicting views of corporate privacy versus the right of the individual, you may be wondering what you can actually do to protect your company from potential social media threats. As with all potential threats, the first line of defense is monitoring potential hot spots of activity. Key websites, such as digg, Twitter Trends, Technorati, and industry forums, along with Google Alerts can function as simple, but effective, early warning systems. All company employees engaged in social media activity (especially those with access to sensitive information) should report on their activity on a daily basis, and their interactions should be monitored for possible breaches in protocol. Additionally, employees should be made aware that accessing individual social network profiles during company hours or via company-provided equipment subjects them to investigation in the event of a security breach. This strategy does break down when employees are on their own time and using devices or cellular networks that cannot be tracked by the company. We will discuss more monitoring solutions that can look for all information like this in Part IV of the book.

A system of response and enforcement should be an integral part of your social media security policy and developed in tangent with your Legal department. Clear analysis of the threat level is necessary to gauge the appropriate response and determine the correct channels for engagement and/or legal action, which you can do with a clearly defined policy and careful implementation of the H.U.M.O.R. Matrix outlined in this book. We show you the steps to take to develop a successful social media security strategy that not only keeps you secure but also engages your community in a constructive manner that does not alienate them.

To know what is being said about your company requires consistent processes for monitoring sentiment. Specific steps need to be in place for what to monitor and how to monitor those mentions that impact your company.

Improvement Checklist

Are you monitoring what is being said about your company across the Internet?

Do you have a process in place to respond proactively to any potential threats?

Do you receive consistent daily reports on what is being said online about the company?

Are you monitoring employees’ activities with the company name being mentioned?

Do you have scenarios designed to test for potential damage to the company over social media?