Managing Social Media Risk Up Next

Time to look ahead to the next Buzz2010 breakfast on July 20–Managing Risk with Mark Story, Wendy Harman, and Alex Levit. The challenge with creating an education event about managing risk is that each and every association is facing different types and levels of risk, depending on their industry, their members, and the types of social media they are engaging in. And yet, still this is a topic on everyone’s mind, and for association leaders, taking the steps to mitigate risk and alleviate fear–both internally and externally–is a critical component to social media success.

So as we hear from Mark, Wendy, and Alex next month, we’ll hear about the specific risks they’ve tackled. Our three panelists are not lawyers or risk managers–though I hope to have some savvy lawyers and risk managers in the room. They will not be able to give you specific legal advice. But what they can do  is tell you how they went about building consensus and overcoming the fear that social media inevitably stirs. That’s the real golden nugget here–this idea that yes, there is a path to greater openness and acceptance of new media, so long as we’re willing to walk it one step at a time and bring our colleagues along on the journey. That means identifying problem areas, working with the legal team, HR, and executive management (among others) to work through them, and finding the right balance of risk and reward.

Enough of my rambling. What about the risks?

Compliance/Legal Risk
Mark Story from the SEC has some really fascinating perspective on using new media in industries with strict regulatory environments. He’s also got some great experience with Investor.gov, creating a space for watching and sharing (the foundation of the engagement pyramid as Charlene Li explained) that is well within the comfort zone of the SEC. (By the way, Mark is also an adjunct professor of public relations at the University of Maryland, so he knows all about communications risk, too.)

Communications/Brand Management Risk
As social media manager for the American Red Cross, Wendy Harman has faced down some serious crisis situations, with her organization at the center of the response effort. She’s also tackled the ARC efforts to coordinate social media efforts across their nearly 700 chapters, in an effort to unify brand and voice. She’s got some fascinating stories to tell about risks they’ve faced–both foreseen and unforeseen–on the communications and brand management front.

Workforce Risks
Bestselling author Alex Levit has written five books and a nationally syndicated column on workplace issues–especially focusing on career success and GenY. She understands the internal issues that a lot of associations are concerned with–especially the balance between personal and professional personas, and productivity in the age of Facebook. As an example, just yesterday, I spoke with an association concerned about members having access to staff photos on Facebook. Alex has it covered.

The format of the breakfast will be a fairly informal discussion with the panelists, followed by some serious audience interaction–we want you to walk away with an action plan for tackling the risk issues that have been holding your organization back. That’s the goal. Let’s make it happen.