INF506 Evaluative Report: Part A

An evaluative statement using three experiences documented in your online learning journal (OLJ) as evidence of meeting the learning objectives of the subject (@ 750 words).

OLJ entries selected for evaluative report:

• Privacy and safety in online social networks
• Social media policies and guidelines
• Redefining content authenticity in a connected world

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According to a Nielsen Company 2010 report, growth in online social networking (OSN) has increased, with Australia leading the average time spent per person on social media sites (1). New social applications and tools and improved ICT infrastructure have enabled this growth; however with a different way of communicating and interacting online comes challenges. A key challenge is not about ‘getting online’ but issues around implementation and operationalisation within a framework that embraces concepts of Web 2.0 and OSN, as well as realising organisational strategic value. The three OLJ entries indicated above have been selected because they represent complex issues. Additionally, exploration of these issues by the author demonstrate the author’s understanding of the interplay between people, culture, content, process and technology.

Privacy and safety in online social networks highlights cyber-security issues associated with privacy and safety, and reasons why many people, even though they realise the importance of privacy, continue to engage in potentially risky online behaviour.

Drawing attention to the reasons for engaging in risky behaviour and the impact of these behaviours can help improve privacy and safety awareness and limit risks. For information professionals this knowledge can be used in a personal capacity to protect personal and professional information, identity and reputation (2), and in a service capacity to develop relevant literacy programs and resources that encourage online participation while mitigating privacy and safety risks. Additionally, with more information services using OSN and social media, information professionals can advocate for privacy and security feature improvements.

Despite the positive benefits associated with OSN, there is a requirement to address the risks of privacy and safety in both practice and policy (3), which is of importance when considering the ‘public’ versus ‘private’ nature of online interactions.

The blurring of lines between personal, work or educational use of OSN and social media has meant that organisations need to provide guidance in the appropriate use of these services and tools. This need has been highlighted by the increase in cases of employees being fired for inappropriate online behavior (4), which may be inadvertent or deliberate. One could therefore assume that many organisations would have, or be in the process of developing policies/guidelines; however a 2010 study indicates that only one in seven companies have formal processes associated with adopting OSN and one in five have policies concerning the use of OSN technologies (5).

While it is noted that different sectors (corporate, not-for-profit, government, education, health) will have specific issues that need addressing, the five policies/guidelines listed in a Social media policies and guidelines... a taster can be used as resources to inform the development of a social media policy or guideline.

Each resource was selected based on the ‘product’ being user-centred, jargon-free, readable and accessible (6). Additionally, these resources have not been developed in isolation; they refer to associated material including: related policies, guidelines and other documentation; training resources; communications to encourage employee engagement with and take up of the new policy/guideline; and guides for use of social media tools.

As Web 2.0, in particular OSN and social media encourages collaboration, conversation, community, content creation and co-creation, and crowdsourcing (7) policies and guidelines need to balance individuals’ right to privacy and freedom of speech with encouraging social participation and mitigating risks for individuals and the organisation (8); aspects which are highlighted in the five selected policy/guidelines.

Many policies/guidelines include good practices for online engagement. Of interest is ‘add value’ or ‘give added value to content’, which result from active user participation; a core component of Web 2.0 (9). Content generation in Web 2.0 is across multiple platforms (blogs, wikis, micro-blogs, social bookmarking, multimedia) and takes a variety of forms such as, individual thoughts, crowdsourced ideas, comments and tags. For some, ‘Web 2.0 grey content’ is considered a critical source of professional information (10), others use the insights gleaned from user-generated content (UGC) to inform their business (11), or to incorporate into learning case studies (12); while microblogging content at conferences is used as a means of co-creating knowledge (13).

This varied nature of UGC makes it hard to define and evaluate its quality and credibility. Redefining content authenticity in a connected world explores these issues. In this exploration, an area identified where information professionals can impact on the emerging field of “social construction of meaning via diverse media” (14) is by providing metaliteracy training/education, which includes traditional areas of critical thinking and information literacy as well digital, media, visual and technology literacy framed within the social constructs of emerging technologies (15).

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Endnotes

1. Led by Facebook, 2010.
2. Graham, Faix & Hartman, 2009, p. 234, para. 4.
3. Third, Richardson, Collins, Rahilly, & Bolzan, 2010, p. 8, para. 2.
4. Grensing-Pohal, 2010, p. 1, para. 2.
5. Cisco, 2010, 'The need for more governance and IT involvement in social media efforts' section, paras. 1-2.
6. Junco, 2011, p. 61, para. 5.
7. Hay & Wallis, 2011, 'What is Library 2.0?' section, para. 1.
8. Gevertz & Greenwood, 2010.
9. Levey, 2007, p. 122, para. 4.
10. Bank, 2010, p. 220, para. 3.
11. Ghinn, 2010.
12. Kane, Robinson-Combre, & Berge, 2010, p. 64, para. 6f.
13. Ross, Terras, Warick & Welsh, 2011, p.231, para. 5f.
14. Ipri, 2010, p. 567, para. 1.
15. Mackey & Trudi, 2011.

References

Bank, M. (2010). Blog posts and tweets: the next frontier for grey literature. In D. Farace & J. Schöpfel (Eds.) Grey literature in library and information studies, pp. 227-238. [Adobe Digital Electronic versions]. doi: 10.1515/9783598441493. Available from: http://www.alia.eblib.com.au

Cisco. (2010, January 13). Global study reveals proliferation of consumer-based social networking enterprise and a growing need for governance and IT involvement [Press release]. News@Cisco. Retrieved 2011, May 20 from Cisco website: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/prod_011310.html

Gevertz, D. & Greenwood, G. (2010). Crafting an effective social media policy for healthcare employees. Health Lawyer, 22(6), 28-33. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Ghinn, D. (2010, January 5). Pharmaceutical industry: a discovery-led approach to social media. FUMSI. Retrieved from FUMSI website: http://web.fumsi.com/go/article/use/4436

Graham, J.M., Faix, A., & Hartman, L. (2009). Crashing the Facebook party. One library's experiences in the student's domain. Library Review, 58(3), 228-236. doi:10.1108/00242530910942072

Grensing-Pophal, L. (2010). The new social media guidelines. Information Today, 27(3), 1, 46-48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hay, L. & Wallis, J. (2011). Library 2.0 and participatory library services.
What is Library 2.0? [INF506, Module 3.1]. Retrieved May 20, 2011 from Charles Sturt University Website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/tool/26d2b18e-4584-45cd-0045-a63fefd27c80

Ipri, T. (2010). Introducing transliteracy. What does it mean to academic libraries? College & Research Libraries News, 71(10), 532-533, 567. Retrieved from http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/10/532.full

Junco, R. (2011). The need for student social media policy. Educause Review, January/February, 60-61. Retrieved from Educause website: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM1118.pdf

Kane, K., Robinson-Combre, & Berge, Z. L. (2010). Tapping into social networking: Collaborating enhances both knowledge management and e-learning. Vine, 40(1), 62-70. doi:10.1108/03055721011024928

Led by Facebook, Twitter, global time spent on social media sites up 82% year over year. (2010, January 22). Nielsenwire. Retrieved May 20, 2011from: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/led-by-facebook-twitter-global-time-spent-on-social-media-sites-up-82-year-over-year

Levy, M. (2007). Web 2.0 implications on knowledge management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13(1), 120-134. doi:10.1108/13673270910931215.

Mackey, T.P. & Jacobson, T.E. (2011). Reframing information literacy as metaliteracy. College & Research Libraries.72(1), 62-78. Retrieved from http://crl.acrl.org/content/72/1/62.full.pdf+html

Ross, C., Terras, M., Warwick, C., & Welsh, A. (2011). Enabled backchannel: conference Twitter use by digital humanists. Journal of Documentation, 67(2), 214-237. doi: 10.1108/00220411111109449.

Third, A., Richardson, I., Collins, P., Rahilly, K., & Bolzan, N. (2011). Intergenerational attitudes towards social networking and cybersafety. A living lab. [Research report]. Melbourne: Cooperative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing. Retreived from http://www.interactivemediarelease.com/download.php?f=5fouxy_FINAL_Living_Lab_Report.pdf&fc=FINAL_Living_Lab_Report.pdf


In text links were made to the following OLJ blog posts

Hayward-Wright, N. (2011, May 17). A visual framework for social media implementation. Modified 2001, May 24 [blog post]. Available from: http://knowledge-bites.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/framework-for-social-media.html

Hayward-Wright, N. (2011, May 17). Social media policies and guidelines… a taster [blog post]. Available from: http://knowledge-bites.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/social-media-policies-and-guidelines.html

Hayward-Wright, N. (2011, May 14). Privacy and safety in online social networks [blog post]. Available from: http://on-socialnetworking.blogspot.com/2011/05/privacy-and-safety-in-online-social.html

Hayward-Wright, N. (2011, May 14). Redefining content authenticity in a connected world [blog post]. Available from: http://knowledge-bites.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/redefining-content-authenticity-in.html

Hayward-Wright, N. (2011, May 11). Information policy… or is it a guideline or standard? [blog post]. Available from: http://knowledge-bites.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/information-policy.html

A visual framework for social media implementation

Know your people

source: http://forrester.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c50bf53ef0120a932b364970b-pi

Segment and profile your audience

Develop different strategies for each segment

Have a strategy

source:  http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html   

Your strategy provides a framework for conversation, discussion and critical thinking

Your strategy is about people and relationships

Technology is an enabler

Be engaged and dynamic

source: http://www.personalizemedia.com/the-future-of-social-media-entertainment-slides

INVOLVE – live the social web, understand it, lurk, listen

CREATE – create relevant content for communities

DISCUSS – engage in two way conversation

PROMOTE – actively, respectfully, promote the content into the networks

MEASURE – monitor (audience, engagement, loyalty, influence, action)

ITERATE - iteratively develop; it's a continuous cycle

Cohesively tie your efforts together

Source: http://www.rossdawsonblog.com/SocialMediaStrategyFrameworkv2.pdf

Sources

Dawson, R. (n.d.). Social media strategy framework (Beta version 2). Retrieved from http://www.rossdawsonblog.com/SocialMediaStrategyFrameworkv2.pdf

Bernoff, J. (2009, January 19). Social technographics: Conversationalists get onto the ladder [blog post]. Retrieved from http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2010/01/conversationalists-get-onto-the-ladder.html

Bernoff, J. (2007, December 11). The POST Method: A systematic approach to social strategy [blog post]. Retrieved from http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html

Hayes, G. (2008, October 26). Future of social media entertainment [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.personalizemedia.com/the-future-of-social-media-entertainment-slides/

Li, C. & Bernoff, J. (2008). Chapter 3. The social technographics profile In Groundswell. Winning a world transformed by social technologies. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press. Excerpt available from http://www.forrester.com/groundswell/assets/groundswell_excerpt.pdf

Saddington, J. (2010, April 15). Using POST method to craft a social media strategy for ministry [blog post]. Retrieved from http://churchm.ag/using-the-post-method-to-craft-a-social-media-strategy-for-ministry

updated: 2011, May 24

Social media policies and guidelines... a taster

When developing a social media policy consulting relevant polices and guidelines is good practice to inform your knowledge. Depending on your organisation and sector, the following resources may be useful.

Social Media Policy
Victorian Department of Justice | 24 March 2011 | Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License | web page

A good example of a well constructed policy as it includes scope, compliance, definitions, related policies, references, status and review process.

Social Media policy includes: overview/ principle, general responsibilities as a public sector employee, compliance, identifying inappropriate use, definitions (social media tools), statement of policy (professional and personal use), guidance for navigating legal issues.

Also includes an excellent 4:20 min YouTube to promote the policy and engage employees.

Social Media Guidelines
NSW Department of Education & Training | 15 March 2011 | 4 page PDF

A concise and well written policy. First page recognises importance of online conversations and the social voice, while promoting responsible engagement in social media activities. There are 12 social media rules of engagement which are listed in a one page summary. A more detailed explanation of each rule is provided over the next two pages.

This Guideline is also supported by a Social Media Policy (28 March 2011) which provides standards of use when engaging in online conversations.

For DET staff additional internal support material is available: “Online Social Media and Technology Guide for staff” and Intranet section on “Communication Planning and Management”.

Social Media Action Plan – Part 1: Policy
Victorian Department of Health | Final Version 1.0, 2010 | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia Licence | web page and 14 page PDF

An example of a well constructed policy. The Forward, Introduction and Scope contextually frame the policy and clearly define how and when the policy applies. The next section details the Department’s Social Media Register for Departmental Web 2.0 initiative, including conduct guidelines for social media engagement. The final sections cover social media engagement for business purposes and for personal purposes. Finally roles and responsibilities are clearly identified.

The Policy forms a 3 part series in a social media action plan, which also includes Part 2: Staff toolkit (guidelines and templates for implementing social media) and Part 3: Reference guide (description and tips for usage of major social media platforms and tools)

Social Media - Telstra’s 3 Rs of Social Media Engagement
Telstra | 14 April 2009 (?) | 6 page PDF

Having stated the intent and application of the document, the focus is on the 3 R’s of Telstra’s social media engagement: representation, responsibility and respect, which are framed against social media engagement for business purposes and other uses of social media platforms. The policy also highlights consequences of breach of policy and indicates related policies.

Read what a Telstra employee says about the policy. Also see the excellent supporting Online Training Module for and read associated Telstra news release with embedded YouTube.

Social media guidelines for IFRC staff
Internal Federation of Red Crescent Societies | October 2009 | 8 page PDF

A visually well presented and constructed document, with citation of other documents used in the development of the guideline. The introduction is one page and notably includes a section which highlights “why personal and private are not the same” on the web. The next section details 12 best practices when using social media and is interspersed with examples. The last section covers existing rules and obligations and their application to social media.

Also see IFRC related blog post and another post with comments about why create a guideline and an approach to implementation.

Social Media Policies and Guidelines Meta Lists

Social Media Policies list
Compiled by Social Media Biz (update unverified)
Categories: corporations, news organisaions, nonprofits, government, hospitals and health sector, additional resources.

Policies database
Compiled and updated by Chris Boudreaux, Social Media Governance
Categories: Agencies (advertising, PR, marketing), business products or services, consumer products or services, healthcare, government or non-profit, general guidelines and templates.

Behavioural and etiquette guidelines for organisations 
Compiled by Laurel Papworth, 24 April 2009
40 listed resources. Also includes useful flow charts from US Airforce on assessing blog interactions.

Web 2.0 Governance Polices and Best Practice
Compiled and updated by US Federal Web Manager’s Council. 
Grouped by public and private sector, and general and specific.

Social Media Policies
Complied and updated by Health Libraries Wiki Canada
Categories: Australia, General policies (Archives, libraries and museums), Health sector and hospitals (Public sector, University resources, State resources, Private sector, Policy tools and best practice), Best Practices Toolkit and References.

Icon used in this post sourced from http://www.davaowebdesign.com

Information policy... or is it a guideline or standard?

I have found that the meaning and usage of the terms ‘policy’, ‘standard’ and ‘guidelines’ is variable and interchangeable; however Bryson (1) provides the following definitions which give some clarity:

• Policy: is a high level statement that guides the decision making process and course of action to be taken. Policies usually are mandatory.
• Policy statement: describes the policy and may be supplemented by additional statements covering: policy objective and scope; responsibility for implementation, review and audit; background issues and implementation strategies.
• Standard: provides rules about the choice and management of information and its supporting technologies, such as: protocols, data capture and transfer standards; metadata and taxonomy standards; data quality; standards for record keeping; and service levels. Compliance is recommended and often required in the case of legislative standards.
• Guideline: is usually practice based and address implementation and operational issues associated with policies and standards. Guidelines are an analysis and synthesis of related policies and standards. Guidelines inform the development of processes and procedures.

The following table provides a summary of the various features that distinguish policy, standard and guideline from each other.

	Policy	Standard	Guideline
Purpose	High level statement guiding decision making process and course of action (1)	Rules about the choice and management of information and its supporting technologies (1)	Practical guide to addressing implementation and operational issues associated with policies and standards (1) Informs development of processes and procedures
Document inclusions	Statement covering purpose, objectives,  responsibility, related documents etc. (1)	Statement covering purpose, objectives,  responsibility, related documents etc. (1)	Statement covering purpose, audience, scope, background, related documents. Implementation and operational practices.
Level of compliance	Mandatory – high level of compliance required (2)	Compliance recommended or required (2, 4) Can have an associated  performance measurement (1, 3)	Optional but recommended (2, 4) Flexibility in interpretation (3, 4)
Lifespan	Relatively long life span; i.e. 5 years (3)	Variable life span due to changes environment, such as legislation (2)	Life span depend on associated policies and standards
Example	QGEA Policy: Information Policy	QG Information Security (IS18)	QGEA Guideline: Information Management Work Plan Guide

An information policy can also be guided by an organisation's information principles, for example Queensland Government Enterprise Architecture & Strategy Unit (QGEA) has produced Information principles, which “are a set of ambitions or values that departments should aspire to when making decisions regarding their information and its overall management” (2). Furthermore, information policy is set within an information framework which “is not only concerned with carefully defined legal rights or restrictions on the circulation and dissemination of information… [and] the provision of a legal and regulatory framework within which information can be stored and disseminated”, but takes into consideration technological changes and issues that impact on the development of an information literate society (6).

References:

1. Bryson, J. (2007). Managing information services: A transformational approach. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate. [Adobe Digital Editions], pp. 129-130.
2. Creeson, C. (2005). Information security policies: Distinct from guidelines and standards. Excerpt from Chapter 2 In Information security policies made easy, Version 10 [online]. Retrieved from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/feature/Information-security-policies-Distinct-from-guidelines-and-standards
3. Battista, R., Hodge, M.J., & Vineis, P. (1995). Medicine, practice and guidelines: The uneasy juncture of science and art. Journal of Clinical Epidemilogy, 48(7), 875-880. Retrieved from Science Direct
4. Hendricks, H.J.M., Bekkering, G.E., van Ettekoven, H., Brandsma, J.W., van der Wees, P.J., & de Bie, R.A. (2000) Development and implementation of national practice guidelines: A prospect for continuous quality improvement in Physiotherapy. Physiotherapy, 86(10), 535-547. Retrieved from Science Direct.
5. Enterprise Architecture and Strategy Unit. (2009). Information principles. (2009, September, v 1.0.0). Queensland Government Enterprise Architecture Principles. Queensland Government Chief Information Office. Retrieved from http://www.qgcio.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Architecture%20and%20Standards/QGEA%202.0/Information%20Management/Information%20principles.pdf, p. 4, point 2
6. Dearnley, J., & Feather, J. (2001). Information policy. The wired world: An introduction to the theory and practice of the information society (pp. 60-93). London: Library Association. [CSU Reserve], p. 85, para. 4