There has been a lot of talk lately about social media and the potential negative impact it can have on business. The blogosphere has been speculating on how much time social media costs companies, worrying about privacy issues, secret secret company data being disseminated all over the net and IT concerns about hacks etc., through many social media online venues. In my last blog I addressed some social media pros for your business, in this blog, Im going to play negative nelly and discuss some cons for businesses and social media:
Employees Spend more time on Facebook tending to their mafia wars and sorority sisters then they do actual work.
This is becoming a huge concern, HOWEVER, I witnessed a lady sitting at a desk today for about 1.5 hours playing an intense game of solitaire on her PC while she didn’t think anyone was watching….. Social media can indeed be a time waster and burn through company money quicker than crap through a goose, BUT, as I mentioned in my earlier post, harnessing the power of your employees online activities by branding your company and being social with your actual customers could save you thousands in other areas.
IT Concerns with Hackers & Social Media Sites.
I spoke at a tradeshow last week and a gentleman stood up and asked how to combat hackers via Facebook etc., because his IT guy read an article in GeekWeekly stating that if you click links from people you don’t know in Facebook, they can gain control of your whole network and ruin your day…. Newsflash here: Clicking any link from a stranger is a risk, whether it’s on Google, Twitter, Sesame Street, etc. Granted, social media outlets have some tightening up to do, but, as long as there are hackers, there will be exploits everywhere. Best protection here: Use Common Sense. Don’t be a clicker.
My Employees Might Say Mean Stuff About Me.
Yup, that’s inevitable. There truly is ONE in every crowd, and in many instances, plenty more than one. As long as your employees have Internet access, whether it’s via their work issued PC or their Smart Phone that can launch the Space Shuttle, they will be online saying stuff. How you deal with that ‘stuff’ is mission critical. How you deal with your employees and lay down the lay with a social media policy is mission critical. But, here’s the harsh cold reality: If you fire them for saying mean things about you online, they will immediately leave your office and continue to say mean things about you. If people have an axe to grind they will.
Everything is a risk. Running a web site is a risk, eating that Chinese food from that joint that’s close to the humane society is a risk, marketing your company to the masses is truly a risk, taking risks that are calculated and planned is just smart business.
Not sure if social media is right for your business? Give me a call to discuss. I also offer in business seminars and presentations on using social media effectively and with purpose. Call me at 407-830-4550 in Orlando or toll free: 866-998-6886. Be sure to visit my web site to learn more about social media: http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com
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Tags: social media
