For any students reading this blog who are into their social media platforms you will soon discover that many companies have blogging, tweeting or ‘digg-it’-esque guidelines. As the world’s largest software company, Microsoft is not exempt from such guidelines. When you sign that dotted line on the contract you are not only promised work for that period, maybe a salary but also personal discretion of what you are allowed to broadcast.
Recently I completed Microsoft’s Standards of Business Conduct 2010 which included a section tackling information leaks. I must make it clear that ‘information leaks’ doesn’t mean revealing unjust practices (if there were any) within the company but instead personally outing news before the agenda has been set. If Microsoft were to inform me of a new social network they are building and I revealed any details, even suggestions about it, before the PR department does then I would be in risk of losing my job. Better described as ‘contract termination’ when spoken with an American accent.
Anything I type on this blog must be classified as my own views and not the company’s. I must make a concerted effort to always keep mindful of any confidential information or indeed information which just wouldn’t be suitable for public ears. The official Microsoft guidelines highlight that these boundaries are too be dealt with on a personal level. That if I deem it suitable to reveal a piece of information then I may do so but I must have a process of reason behind it.
In a blog post I wrote a little while ago I highlighted one of the problems I had with traditional media as an employee of Microsoft. BBC Radio 2 phoned asking for my views to do with a particular website (which happened to be a competitor of Microsoft’s) and invited me to the studio to speak with Jeremy Vine.
Such an opportunity, especially at my age, was too resistible to turn down. Yet, after much advice and deliberation, I had to decline the offer. Working for my dream company has its sacrifices. I cannot speak over the radio and give the impression that all Microsoft employees have the same view or appear to be speaking on behalf of the company. Thus why I am taking an extended break from radio and instead writing upon this page.
I will never stop loving radio or abandon it as a possible future career but sometimes circumstance is more important than desire. If anything my love isn’t with radio but instead Journalism as a whole which is pushed forward by my love for writing.
Surprisingly social media guidelines stretch to popular (or perhaps un-popular due to recent news) websites like Digg. Microsoft regularly gets into the news and employees are told to never artificially create a sense of popularity on websites by ‘digging’ posts. Public popularity must be genuine.
The reason these guidelines exist isn’t because the company is full of corrupt people but instead to keep communication within Microsoft ethical. It is very easy for Microsoft, as a large company, to bully others with their market dominance but to do so is unethical, against guidelines and will cause the dreaded contract termination.
Social media guidelines are now always at the forefront of my mind. Not because I want to seem special because I may have privileged information but because I would rather not lose my job this year. The extent to which these guidelines may affect me are clear – I constantly blog and tweet about everything I do.
Today I attended a Q&A session with Deputy PM, Nick Clegg, in a virtual town hall session broadcast from MSN in London. To be one of 50 guests at the event does give you a sense of importance – I will not deny that. Although due to this I decided against taking a picture to upload to Twitter. I knew the journalists wouldn’t be uploading their pictures until ½ way through the session and so for me to jump the gun, as an employee and post to Twitter instantly just seemed a little cheeky and wrong. Everyone in the room was actually asked to put their mobiles away.
If I were to be a guest from outside the corporate world then this action would have been okay but reasonable indiscretion told me to leave the camera alone. Perhaps I have taken these guidelines to the extreme? Even if I have I hope you understand my position.
Having said that I will be attending a large Microsoft conference in London early September and I am positive that tweeting from this venue will be kosher.
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