Capitol Communicator - Beware the Legal Issues of Social
Media
Business Benefits and Pitfalls of Online Conversations
Available in White Paper
FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Organizations
and businesses that don?t dedicate resources to
social media can face risks that have a ripple effect well beyond
the
marketing department, according to presenters at Social Media:
Navigating the Legal Minefield.
?Our group of Washington, D.C.-area communicators deals
with these
issues every day, and for many it is an experiment because social
media
changes so quickly?
The Capitol Communicator seminar hosted by MDB
Communications revealed case studies of companies
that
were not prepared for the impact of social media. United
Airlines, for example, lost $180 million in market capitalization
because one customer posted on YouTube songs he wrote about the
company
breaking his guitar during shipment.
Speakers Drew Boortz and John Feldman of law firm Reed Smith
described the steps for organizations to consider before
establishing a
presence on Facebook, Twitter or any of the dozens of social media
outlets. These include knowing the social media
platforms,
reviewing social media policies and updating them as new
regulations are
released, and having appropriate expectations for what can be
achieved,
such as brand awareness. In creating a strategy, they
recommend taking into account the concerns of regulators, such as
ensuring disclosure of any form of payment to providers of
testimonials.
?Our group of Washington, D.C.-area communicators deals with
these
issues every day, and for many it is an experiment because social
media
changes so quickly,? says Paul Duning, co-founder of Capitol
Communicator. ?Events like this help to keep all of
us
current on best practices, successful in our jobs and able to
create
value for our employers.?
The sold-out presentation was partly based on a white paper
from
Reed Smith entitled Network
Interference: A Legal Guide to the Commercial Risks and Rewards of
the
Social Media Phenomenon.
About Capitol Communicator
Capitol
Communicator is the hub for Greater Washington?s
communications industry. The online resource attracts
10,000 professionals in the media, marketing, advertising, PR,
multimedia and related disciplines by giving them an online
platform for
interaction, news, job listings, and educational and networking
events
that helps them succeed.