John Phillips offers great advice on what will likely become an inevitable requirement for businesses:
A policy on social media. As much as I hate the idea, it seems like a reasonable measure.
In general, the policy should be common sense. Our online utterances are very public. As such they shouldn't detract from our reputation. But they needn't be boring either. I have read some corporate sites that are so worked over to avoid any possible controversy that they are sterile. They are devoid of life. Perhaps that should be addressed in the policy as well.
I return to my long-held online analogies: I consider a blog to be like a coffee shop conversation - the parties choose to engage by going to the shop. Twitter is more like a conversation in a crowded bar with informal comments streaming by, while Facebook is conversation at a private cocktail party since we are invited, and must accept that invitation before engaging in the conversation. Perhaps that analogy gives us a standard for behavior?
I hasten to add that while I work very hard to avoid both the boring and the offensive,
CO is a personal site, in no way connected to my wonderful employer.