Jan
2021
Module 5: Managing Your Digital Identity
Social media has become a valuable tool for libraries to connect with their patrons, promote their collections and services, and expand their online presence (James, n.d, para 1). Before any organisation presents themselves online, the identity of the business (and individuals) needs to be considered carefully to establish rapport with the audience. It is crucial to the success of a digital identity that guidelines and strategies are created and communicated to staff responsible for engaging with the public platforms – including a clear social media policy (James, n.d, para 3).
According to a paper written by Huang-Horowitz and Freberg (2016), social media platforms present new challenges given the value of online identity and reputation messages for any communication strategy (p. 195). The image projected by the organisation enables the audience to share its content with others, therefore spreading information online rapidly. It is important that what is posted and shared on the organisation’s social media page is appropriate and relevant to the aims and goals of the business. For example, a public library would share content relevant to new collection items, upcoming authors, community announcements, events, and services. It would not be an appropriate platform for an individual staff member to create a post like they would on their personal page, such as uploading photos of their recent holiday trip. An approval process is critical for any scheduled material to be published on behalf of the organisation, to ensure that content is accurate and a reflection of strategic goals. The organisation’s online identity is fundamental to its existence, as it is often articulated by management and shared by individual members (Huang-Horowitz & Freberg, 2016. p. 199).
It is imperative that all individuals remain professional when interacting with clients to maintain the integrity of the online image. It is understood that irreversible damage can be caused through the publication of inappropriate material, or negative interactions with the audience. This is due to technological advancements such as screenshotting, saving images, and sharing via direct messaging applications. Research indicates that online and offline selves are interpenetrating, so it is important that behaviour and communications performed by individuals are relevant to the context (Ozansoy Cadiri & Sagkaya Gungor, 2019. p. 273). A positive online identity has a voice that is clear, consistent, and takes into consideration the management responsible from both the organisation and individuals.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
References
Huang-Horowitz, N. C., & Freberg, K. (2016). Bridging organisational identity and reputational
messages online: A conceptual model. Corporate Communications: An International
Journal, 21(2), 195-212. doi: 10.1108/CCIJ-06-2014-0034
James, S (n.d). Social media ethics: Why you should have a policy. [Blog post]. Retrieved
from https://www.streamcreative.com/blog/bid/52570/Social-Media-Ethics-Why-You-Should-Have-a-Policy
Ozansoy Cadiri, T., & Sagkaya Gungor, A. (2019). Love my selfie: Selfies in managing
impressions on social networks. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(3), 268-287.
doi:10.1080/13527266.2016.1249390
emily.paull1
January 5, 2021 at 7:50 am (4 years ago)I think making sure that the goals and values of the organisation when you are creating content for social media or responding to users on there is really important. How bad a look would it be if someone tweeted a reference query to a library and the person logged in to the account said ‘Why don’t you Google it?’ Working within my organisation’s media policy has sometimes been exhausting, because some of it seems so arbitrary, but after reading some of the articles from the module this week, I understand why it’s so necessary to cover as many bases as you can.
On the subject of the intermingling of personal and professional accounts, last year I happened to catch a State Library Instagram account accidentally posting pictures that were intended for a personal account– the danger of having multiple accounts, and of requiring staff to use their personal devices for posting to mobile based sites, I suppose!
rachelsrobertson29
January 6, 2021 at 3:13 am (4 years ago)I totally agree. A companies online identity must be made clear by the organisation and communicated to its’ employees. Too many people confuse their personal online voice with their social voice when using social media, tainting the integrity of their organisation.
kmorris
January 10, 2021 at 11:49 pm (4 years ago)Comment
kmorris
January 10, 2021 at 11:50 pm (4 years ago)Whoops ! I hit that button too soon! will try again 🙂 A thoughtful post I very much agree with. Image is everything in marketing isn’t it?
mar
January 13, 2021 at 10:04 am (4 years ago)“A positive online identity has a voice that is clear, consistent, and takes into consideration the management responsible from both the organisation and individuals.”- This has really resonated with me, as you’ve put the ultimate goal of social media usage into a very concise and accurate statement. I’ve realised through this that our library needs to create a social media policy, as at the moment I may be the only one posting on our pages, but in the future I’d like it to be a shared project. However, it is quite daunting to see how many organisations have been very negatively affected as the result of one careless or ill-conceived social media post.