Professional Documents
Culture Documents
September 2009
Blogs, wikis, online communities and social networks are all powerful communications
tools. As communications professionals we must each explore, understand and participate
in this social media landscape, which encompasses everything from micro-blogging (e.g.
Twitter) to blogging (e.g. blogger.com, wordpress.com) to social networks (e.g. MySpace,
Facebook).
To help you do so, these Social Media Principles have been drawn up in consultation with
employees and third parties, and in line with recognized best practice. They offer guidance
in three areas:
If you are in any doubt as to whether your activities fall within these guidelines or just need
some advice, there is a 24/7 email hotline you can use. Simply send your question to the
“Social Media Guidance” email address and someone from your office or region will
respond.
If you could be identified as a Hill & Knowlton employee or use company resources for
your personal use of social media, please consider the following:
• Your clients, manager, reports and peers may read what you write.
• Think of what you write in the same way as things you might say to a journalist, or
conversations you might have with people you don’t know. If you wouldn’t say it in
those situations, exercise caution posting it on publicly available websites.
• Never disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to our clients, Hill
& Knowlton, WPP, or any third party that has disclosed information to us (e.g.
journalists, suppliers, etc.), even if you think it is secure. Your existing employment
agreement in any case prohibits this.
• There are many things that we cannot mention as part of a publicly owned
company. Talking about our revenue, future plans, or the WPP share price could
get you and the company in legal trouble, even if it is just your own personal view,
and whether or not you directly identify yourself as an employee of Hill & Knowlton.
• Your personal use of social media at work should be appropriate for your role. If
you are in doubt, discuss with your line manager or refer to your employment
agreement.
• If you explicitly identify yourself as a Hill & Knowlton employee, you should make it
clear that the views you express are yours alone. You may want to use the
following form of words on your blog, website or profile:
These views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my
employer
Professional use of social media on behalf of Hill & Knowlton and clients
When it comes to using social media professionally (i.e. as part of a pitch, client campaign
or when representing Hill & Knowlton), please follow these basic principles:
• Understand the rules, beliefs and desires of the online communities you
communicate with.
• Understand your clients’ policies and abide by them. Where there is conflict, Hill &
Knowlton’s principles prevail.
• Disclose who you are and who you work for (both agency and client).
• Respect the privacy and contact preferences of each individual you interact with,
where available.
Here are just a few common examples of what these principles preclude us from doing:
If necessary, show these principles to clients when discussing social media activities. If
you are in any doubt, seek the advice of your local or regional Digital practice, or email
Niall Cook.
Official Hill & Knowlton social media platforms
Hill & Knowlton wants to participate appropriately in this environment, and has created a
presence on many social media platforms – including Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare
and Scribd. We have also created our own platforms, including Collective Conversation
(http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com) – our official blogging community providing employees,
offices and practices with a space to further Hill & Knowlton’s thought leadership on
professional topics.
We always want more good bloggers, and you can apply for a blog by completing a self-
assessment questionnaire (http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/join) and agreeing to follow
the Collective Conversation Code of Conduct:
6. Deleting comments
Comments are an important part of the conversation we have on our blogs, and people will
disagree with you. Do not delete a comment just because you don't agree with the
commenters point of view or because of who they are. However, you can (and should)
delete any comments that are offensive either to you or towards your clients or readers,
are obviously spam with links to irrelevant blogs or websites, or are completely unrelated
to the topic of your post.
7. Disclosing conflicts of interest
This is a key element of transparency. If you are going to mention clients (see also #8),
other parties or events with which we are involved, you should disclose that relationship so
readers can decide your motives for themselves. Do not leave anything to chance.
8. Accuracy of information
Of course we wouldn't expect anyone to purposely post inaccurate information, but it is
worth restating. Do not use your blog to spread (or even start) rumours or post something
that someone else has asked you to unless you believe it to be true.
Complaints procedure
Any complaints that these principles have not been upheld should be put in writing to Hill &
Knowlton’s CEO, Paul Taaffe. The procedure for handling such complaints is as follows: