revmedimarketing

When it comes to how Americans get their information, television, family and friends still trump social media.
Sure, social media is growing faster than anyone could have imagined. Nearly one billion people have created accounts on Facebook, and millions more are scattered across the social media landscape, that doesn’t mean social media is their only network.
In fact, as the latest research shows, many people use social media to augment their information network, not replace it. They still rely on traditional forms of information networks, gossip from friends and family, and television, as their reliable news source.
This is not meant to show that social media fails to engage people. This also says nothing about the fact that social media is just a scant few years old and has yet to even come close to its prime. It only shows where folks are with it right this second.
I would expect this demographic to change as time goes on, leaving more traditional forms of information gathering, slowly yet inexorably, in the dust.

Despite the growing popularity of social media as means of engaging with causes today, younger Americans still look to personal communication with friends and family as well as traditional media when learning about and telling others about causes. New findings from the Dynamics of Cause Engagement study show that while Generation Y is significantly more likely than its older counterparts to utilize social media to learn about causes, more than 4 in 10 Americans age 18-29 still get their information from family (48%), friends (46%) and TV (45%). The survey was conducted among adults age 18 and over in late 2010 by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, and explored overall trends in cause involvement and the roles of a variety of activities and tools in fostering engagement with social issues.

Offline Exchange Still Vital

Face-to-face, offline conversations appear to still be the way information about causes is most often relayed among Americans of all generations, according to survey data. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (62%) report that being told in person is the way they are typically informed of causes and social issues in which others want them to be involved. Even among generations Y (ages 18 to 29) and X (ages 30 to 45), who are significantly more likely than older generations to report being sent messages or invitations via social media or text messaging, more than half (56% and 59%, respectively) report this face-to-face engagement.

Social Media: Beliefs vs. Actions

Americans are in agreement that they can make a difference by supporting causes; however, they disagree in their perception of the extent to which social media can help accomplish this. When it comes to showing support for causes, generations X and Y subscribe more readily than Baby Boomers (ages 46 to 60) and the Silent Generation (age 61 and over) to the beliefs that social networking sites like Facebook help increase visibility for causes and help them get the word out about causes more easily. Generations X and Y also are significantly more likely to report that they would support a cause online rather than offline (36% and 37%, respectively).

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If your company has begun using social media to expand its reach or engage with customers then it is long past time to take a good hard look at the policy manual and make certain it is keeping up with the times.
Social media is unlike anything we have had before when it comes to the way we do business. Since it is so new, chances are there is nothing in your policy manual designed to handle problems which might arise from the use of social media.
Already the courts have had to step in to settle problems from employers who fired employees who used social media to say something bad about their company. The employees have so far won those cases because social media is considered a protected arena.
If you have a policy expressly forbidding certain behavior, however, you stand a much better chance at protecting your image and keeping your employees “on message.”

Employees are allowed to discuss the conditions of their employment with co-workers — in the break room, in the parking lot or on Facebook.

That was the National Labor Relations Board’s basic position involving an unfair labor practices case the agency brought against an employer.

The back story: A worker — at home, on Facebook — had posted derogatory comments about a supervisor. Co-workers read the post, “liked it” and added barbs.

The employer fired the original author for violating a company policy that barred employees from depicting the company “in any way” on social media.

But the labor relations board said that the policy was too broad and that it infringed on the rights of workers — union and non-union — to engage in “protected concerted activities.”

In settling the case, the employer agreed to narrow its policy so it did not restrict employees from discussing wages, hours and working conditions with co-workers and others while not at work.

In most workplaces, employees are “at will.” Texting or tweeting workers can be fired simply because the boss doesn’t think a post reflects well on the company or the individual.

Lawyers and government agencies will successfully object if the firings violate laws governing discrimination, harassment or other legal protections, such as the “concerted activities” cited in the above Facebook case.

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