Social Websites & Organizational Marketing

It can open the proverbial can of worms, as well as do wonders for your organization’s community presence.

This article from IdealWare examines the issue.

An excerpt.

“Facebook seems to generate a lot of discussion about the way it handles privacy and security, and not without reason—personal data protection is worth some scrutiny, and Facebook has a questionable track record in this area. However, these issues don’t apply in the same way to nonprofits who have an organizational presence on Facebook. Organizational data is, by definition, far less personal than the information an individual might trust to the site, so you’re much less likely to want to keep it private.

“But there are other privacy concerns for nonprofits that use Facebook—even if your own privacy isn’t a big concern, it’s important to think of your constituents’ privacy. What does that mean for you? We talked to a few experts and condensed their advice into this article. We’ll take a look at the issues you most need to be concerned about one at a time.

“What’s the Deal with Facebook and Privacy?

“Facebook began as a way for users to communicate with a select group of people they chose to add to their networks. Six short years later, it’s become a nearly indispensable utility with more than 500 million users and its own Hollywood movie.

“As it grew, its privacy settings evolved—and, in many ways, eroded. The first changes made a lot of user information public by default, forcing users to be savvy enough to notice and change them. More recent changes have made additional user data public—and shared it with partners to target ads—without giving the option to change it.

“While it’s still possible to adjust individual user settings to keep a great deal of personal data private, it’s not always easy to do so, and with regular, ongoing changes, Facebook keeps moving the goalposts.

“However, most of this doesn’t apply to organizations. Organizations that choose to have a public Fan Page usually are very interested in reaching people they don’t yet know. If they want to have a more private conversation, they can set up a private Group, for which the privacy settings are relatively straightforward. And the truth is that Facebook is far more interested in information about individual users—who are prime targets for promotions and ads—than organizations, which are more difficult to target with advertisements.

“Constituent Privacy

“However, constituent privacy is another thing altogether. Before you post anything about the people who interact with your organization, it’s important to consider a few things—like whether or not you have their permission. And whether your post might say more about them than they would want, either intentionally or not.

“For example, are you mentioning things done by someone outside your organization and referencing them by name? Are you displaying photos or videos of people, or tagging photos with their names? It’s a good idea to get permission from them first. At an event, this can be relatively easy—post signs, or a note on the invitation or tickets, letting attendees know you’re taking pictures, and asking them to let you know if they don’t want to be included.

“Many schools and organizations that work with children already ask families to sign waivers giving permission to use photos in print and on the Web. It’s a good idea to add Facebook and other social media into those waivers—and if you’re not already using such waivers, give them some thought. But even if you have permission, consider each picture or video. Is it something a constituent would want family or employers to see? If not, think twice before posting it. That picture of your donor dancing on the table with a drink in her hand might be a great illustration of the good time had by all, but may well not be the image she’s trying to portray at work.

“Sometimes simply mentioning someone’s name can be an invasion of their privacy. HIPAA guidelines, for instance, which apply to health-related organizations who receive funding from Medicare or insurance companies, prohibit disclosure of any information related to diagnosis—even general information that someone is enrolled in a program. In this case, it’s clear that mentioning someone’s name in conjunction with your program is a violation of not just privacy, but of the law.”