Up & Coming Weekly

WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 26 UCW NOVEMBER 4-10, 2009 Chairman The n speaks speaks The Chamber is pleased to present its membership with the new 2009-2010 Business Directory! The new directory is a gateway to a world of resources that will enable you to buy locally and boost the area's economic activity. All Chamber members and their respective contact infor mation are right at your finger tips. This valuable publication is mailed to all 1,100 Chamber members and is available for pickup by the general public. How's that for marketing your business? Suppor ting our members and improving the quality of life in this community is the Chamber's number one priority. All of us at the Chamber make every effor t to provide our mem- bers with the tools and resources needed to reach your goals as a business owner. To become a par t of the Chamber family, and to see your business in future publications and in Up & Coming Weekly, contact the membership staff at (910) 483-8133. Dan Dederick Business Directory Is Ready Business The ss Spotlight Spotlight What's In Your Social Media Policy? A balance of coaxing and clear r ules can har- ness employees' power to promote your brand. There are basically three ways companies can respond to social media: wholehear tedly embrace its potential to do both har m and good, and ask employees to do the same; timidly experiment but remain skeptical and scared; or hide under a rock, hope that social media goes away, and likewise for- bid its employees from engaging. News flash: Social media isn't going anywhere. You don't have to be afraid of social media to create a policy for your company. Though JCrew and The Wall Street Journal came out this year with two examples of relatively strict social media poli- cies for employees, there are plenty of companies whose policies educate rather than dictate. A survey by Deloitte found that 74 percent of employees who responded said it's easy to damage a company's reputation on social media. But the 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey found that only 22 percent of respondents had for mal social media policies. Notable is that 37 percent of employees surveyed said they rarely or never consider what their boss or colleagues would think of what they post online. Maybe it's time for them to star t thinking. Junk removal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, with more than 300 franchises across the U.S., Canada and Australia, is developing a social media policy to help and encourage its franchise owners get involved. "The trick is to keep everyone not muzzled but directed, and making use of this tool in the best way possible," says PR Manager Travis Dudfield. No idea where to star t? No problem. Visit ra- gan.com to see examples of four companies' social media policies By Lindsey Miller from Ragan.com Enter for your chance to Enter for your chance to WIN tickets Enter for your chance to WIN tickets Name______________________________________ Phone Number___________________________________ Email_______________________________________ Please send completed entry form to Up & Coming Weekly, 208 Rowan St., Fayetteville, NC 28301 or fax to 910.484.9218.

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