Let's Talk Social Media @ Work

Social media keeps changing. It’s not just Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Orkut, Bebo, Ning, Tumblr, Meetup, and Foursquare anymore. Now there’s Pinterest, Google+, Quora, Imgur, GetGlue, and Letterboxd. Tomorrow there’ll likely be some sparkly new network to drag your friends to (Psst: Just today I discovered AamigoO.com, which hasn’t been unveiled yet).

As social networking continues its expansion, it’s pretty much imperative that HR professionals have a grasp on it. The only way to do that is to jump in with both feet.

On March 21—between 3 and 4 p.m. EST—I’ll be the special guest on my first ever chat for SHRM’s We Know Next to discuss Why Companies Should Embrace Social Media. You can follow the conversation on Twitter with the #nextchat hashtag.

New to Twitter? Figure it out by reading my last blog: Still Stumped About Twitter? Don’t Be. You might find it easier to follow us on Twitter if you go to Tweetchat.com and sign in there.

Here are some things I’d like you to think about:

Q1.  How has social media been your company’s greatest ally at the office?

Q2.  Has social media created any new nightmares for your organization that didn’t exist before?

Q3.  If you could only have one social media platform at the office, what would it be and why?

Q4.  How do you discipline employees whose productivity is dropping off due to their social media usage?

Q5.  Have any of your employees complained about their colleagues’ behavior on Facebook by showing you printouts of their pages?

Q6.  Have you asked for or would you reveal your Facebook password (or any others) for employment reasons?

Social media isn’t inherently evil. After all, if it’s helping recruiters find employees. Shouldn’t it be used by employees to help them broaden their knowledge base, collaborate with peers, and make innovations that can benefit the bottom line, too?

Thanks! I’m looking forward to the discussion!

Aliah Wright is a Manager/Online Editor for SHRM covering Technology & Global HR Issues. She was an Entertainment Editor for a division of USA Today and a Business Reporter and Political Correspondent for the Associated Press in Pennsylvania.