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Building My Social Media Code of Ethics

By Dawn M. Natalia

To develop a social media code of ethics we should ask ourselves some questions about what’s happening in that space and take a look at brands best practices and mistakes.

The current state of social media ethics: what trends are happening in the industry?

Some Common Sins

Misappropriation: When a brand jumps into a conversation that is not relevant to them.

Abandonment: When a brand starts a conversation and then fails to   continue to be an active part it.

Manipulation: When a brand tries to present itself in a more positive light by artificially pumping itself up.

Ignorance: When a brand fails to get permission to use something it did not create, or fails to respond to a community member;s post.

Monotony: When a brand fails to produce fresh contest, but keeps posting the same thing.

Narcissism: When a brand overshares their own content or inflates their numbers for more attention.

Uniformity: When a brand posts the same content across platforms, failing to realize the subtle differences in what works for each platform.

Losing control over personal platform accounts:  When an employee loses the right to his/her personal account to his/her employer, because it is using content developed at work.

Bullying: Not treating someone the way you would want to be treated.

Intolerance: Not being open to perspectives and ideas that are different than your own.

Misinformation: Sharing content that is fake news.

Sharing too much: Sharing every detail of your life on social media.

Sparking Outrage: Sharing negativity online before cooling off.

Automation: Creating automated direct messages or responses.

Going rogue: Posting opinions without having the authority of the brand.

Alternative accounts:  When someone associated with or formerly associated with a brand creates an account separate from the official one of the brand.

Cancel Culture: When an individual loses followers after making a mistake.

Banning: When an individual’s account gets shut down for breaking one of the rules of the platform.

Disclosure of Consent:  A brand must inform users and get permission to do so if it is going to involve them in an experiment and collect data about them.

Disclosing endorsements:  The FTC ruled that influencers must let their audience know when they are getting paid to promote a product.

What are two current cases related to social media ethics?

Hayley Paige: Haley is a wedding dress designer, who works for JLM Couture.  She posted designs she created, while working for her employer on her Instagram page.  A judge ruled that she lose control of that page, as she had created them as part of her work.

Nick Sandman: Nick is a high school student, who was see wearing a MAGA hat in a video.  According to news outlets, the video portrayed him as confronting a Native American, but that is not what had happened.  His parents sued the Washington Post and CNN for defamation.

Outline the current code of ethics for social media by a professional organization you would be interesting in joining as part of their social media staff.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Do not breech confidentiality.

Avoid misrepresentation in the promotion of services and products, and the listing of credentials.

Avoid remarks that may constitute defamation.

Brands/professionals with strong social media ethical codes: what brands are utilizing proper social media ethical practices?

Two examples of brands that are utilizing proper social media ethical practices are FMI Group in Canada and Nike.

FMI Group is the Franchise Management Group that runs Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut in Canada.  Employees should conduct themselves professionally on or off duty.  They should not share confidential company information, and should avoid defamatory or discriminatory statements of sexual innuendo.  They are prohibited from posting on behalf of the company or using social media while on duty.

Nike’s Social Media Policy says that when posting personal statuses or information, one should disclose that it is opinion, what their relationship to the company is, and not disclose anything confidential.  And when posting official Nike posts to make sure they are professional and appropriate, and ensure that one posts nothing that could be offensive to diverse audiences, and also review the post before publishing it.  Also, they shous be mindful that one is representing the company and recognize copyrights.

www.fmigroup.ca Social Media Personal Use Policy download

Are there any professionals that you feel practice strong ethical behavior on social media? Support your choice with evidence,

Yes, there is an unofficial group of lawyers on YouTube called LawyTube.  It is made up of many lawyers, each with their own individual channel, who comment on big trials.  Some of the channels are LegalBytes, The Lawyer You Know, Emily D. Baker, Runkel of the Bailey and DUI Guy. 

While technically they are competitors, they don’t treat each other as such, but support each other and help each other to get likes and subscribers.  They visit each other’s channels for free and the host keeps all the Superchat money. 

They also support charity.  For example, while covering the Depp/Heard trial, when DUI Guy found out that Amber Heard did not make good on her pledge to donate $3.5 million to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, he made his notes from the trial (he was in the gallery) available for auction to make a donation.  Last I heard, he had an over $10,000 bid.  Today The Lawyer You Know was presenting a book one could buy to support The International Children’s Arts Foundation.

Also, they are kind and not greedy.  They turn off superchats if they think they are going to run out of time and not get to all the questions, or sometimes they have a make up day, then they stream live but answer questions from superchats the day before.

This group truly shares the ethic of treating others as you would want to be treated.

Evidence of Collaboration and Support: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nug21tve614

Evidence of Charity:

What are some takeaways you can bring forth in your own practices?

I think what I take away from the LawTube group is that I hope I can always be collaborative and not competitive with my peers, that I can be helpful to the community and not selfish and greedy, and most of all that I can treat others as I would want to be treated myself.

Key concepts and issues: what main concepts do you think are necessary to adhere to for your own personal conduct online?

Respond to contributors’ posts.

Make sure I cool off first before responding to a negative post.

Treat others as I would want to be treated.

What to do and what not to do: what main concepts do you feel strongly against and want to make sure you avoid on social media?

I would not post every detail of my life.  I don’t think people will care what I had for lunch.

I would make sure I didn’t abandon a conversation I started.

I would not manipulate my brand to appear more popular than I was.

Bullet point 5-10 core concepts that you will follow as a practicing social media professional. Include citations that you used.

Post diversified content.

Have specific content strategies for each social network.

Research your influencers.

Define your social media voice and tone.

Handle negativity with grace and sincerity.

Focus on quality over quantity.

By researching the current trends in social media ethics, including what mistakes brands are making and what brands are exemplifying best practices, I was able to build my own social media code of ethics.

#social media code of ethics #Youtube

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#Daniel Durand Rising's Founder

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#Rising Session

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How My Barn Can Help Promote "Rising" Stars on Social Media

by Dawn Natalia

Before my boyfriend Joe moved in, I had a roomy named Jason Durand.  Jason is an electrician, who is also a passionate musician.  He wanted to record some music, and so I suggested my barn might make a fun music studio.  It had been finished to be office space several years ago, but was then just being used as storage for lawn tools and trash barrels.  Such a waste!

He thought it would be a pretty cool idea, so got in touch with his dad Daniel, who had some fine recording equipment.  Daniel Durand, it turned out, founded a non-profit called Rising.  Rising is a wonderful group that mentors up and coming song writers to get their songs out into the world, by providing instruments, recording equipment and other band members to play on their recordings.  What they needed was a place to record.

Once it was a go, Jason got to work.  He moved all that stuff from the barn to my garage, and hung some colored lights.  Daniel and Jason decided they would create a Rising Sessions program.  The first session was with Alex Villanueva.  He has a beautiful voice, and they recorded a folky song called “The Way It Is.”  Check out the video.  https://www.facebook.com/RisingRI/videos/397070001741428/

 I even used Alex’s song in my latest movie trailer.  So, cool!  https://www.facebook.com/dawn.natalia/videos/648639416524122/

Now, I’m a country music fan, and so was pretty excited when I found out the second session would be Dave Riccitelli’s Doors, a hilarious country song about a cheating husband.  https://www.facebook.com/RisingRI/videos/276221120608508

These recording videos appear on Rising’s Facebook Page.

Their page is pretty robust.   They do a really nice job on the advanced metric of community.  In addition to the music sessions videos, they also live stream collaborative song writing sessions, where up to ten song writers get together on Sunday mornings.  And they do post events where they will be playing out.

They also do well on the channel metric of likes.  The page has 922 likes, which seems pretty good for a small niche group like this one.  On the behavioral metric of awareness, I feel that they could do more outreach via their Facebook page by posting more frequently.  Even if they don’t have an event during a particular week, they could post something from a similar group, that their following would most likely enjoy.

Rising’s only other social media presence is on Youtube.  There is a video posted of a summer concert in 2014, that featured some of Rising’s up and coming stars.  Unfortunately, they missed the boat on this one, as only one song is featured.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMYHtvRZph0. 

On the metric of video views, they only received 157.  On the channel metric of likes, they also have much room for improvement with only 4 likes.  Finally, on the behavioral metric of subscribers, they have none.  All of their vanity metrics on Youtube could greatly be improved by simply posting many more videos, featuring their Rising performers.

Currently, Rising does not have an Instagram account.  It is my belief that they could use Instagram as a fundraising tool.  My recommendation is they create an Instagram business account, and then enroll in Facebook’s Charitable Giving Tools.  At that point they could link the Instagram account to their Facebook page.  Then by using Facebook’s Publishing Tools, ensure that donors can add Donor Stickers.

Rising also is not currently on Twitter.  As Twitter is a micro-blogging site, where each tweet is limited to 280 characters or less, it is imperative that an organization gets their message across in a succinct manner.  An arts organization such as Rising could use Twitter to keep in touch with donors and volunteers by posting frequently about upcoming events.  Again, in times where there are not any upcoming events, they could post content by likeminded organizations, tips on songwriting, gatherings of musicians, concerts, fundraisers, really anything to keep their name in front of likely contributors.

Traditionally, a barn raising is a collective act of community.  I’m happy that my barn can help to raise the social awareness of the “Rising” community.

Dawn Natalia #NonprofitMetricsSusiSummer2022SessionI

References:

https://help.instagram.com/203168025047070110 Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofits - Nonprofit Twitter Strategy (donorbox.org)

#Dawn Natalia #NonprofitMetricsSusiSummer2022SessionI #songwriting #music #Rising #non profit #mentoring #barn

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#Foster log home

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#pringles

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#reunited

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by Dawn Natalia

Social Media, that strange place where "like" is a noun and "friend" is a verb.  Where we connect with old friends, current friends and suggested friends, we didn’t even know we needed to meet. The month was November, the year was 2017, and I was living in my log home in Foster, RI, divorced with my cat Pringles (yes named for the chips.)  Life was good!  My latest film had landed me a slot in the finals of an international filmmaking competition, and I was dating a tall handsome young man named Joe. Then it all fell apart.  My next short film bombed and Joe ghosted me.  That Foster winter was so harsh and cold it broke me, so I called it quits and decided to head south, and move near family in Port Saint Lucie, FL.

Months later, I settled into an apartment nearby my mom and sis, and spent a good amount of time binge watching sitcoms on my cellphone.  I stumbled upon a fun sitcom starring Fran Dresher, remember from The Nanny?  It was called Living with Fran.  A middle aged and divorced Fran finds herself falling for and moving in with her contractor, twenty years younger.  The handsome young man reminded me of Joe, who was also twenty years my junior.  In August of 2019, I decided to look him up on facebook.  I was shocked to learn that he was in a horrific car accident, air lifted to RI Hospital and spent three months in a coma.  I wasn’t facebook friends with him, but we had a mutual friend, so I sent him a note through Messenger. 

He didn’t get back to me.  Life in Florida wasn’t going that great.  Film opportunities were slim, so I picked up a server job, the guys for dating were pretty flaky, and my roommate was a nightmare.  I was living with Luna, a 28 year old “Instagram Model”, who was validated only by male attention.  Unfortunately for me, this meant no peace at home.  She brought a parade of young men, drugs and sex, several calls to the police.  One night it got particularly bad, and I heard screaming and fighting coming from Luna’s bedroom.  I had had enough, and told her she had to leave.  Did I mention she was a mean drunk?  She lost it.  She trashed my room, pulled my hair, kicked me.  Yup my first girl fight!  Finally, she threw a wine glass at me.  I know, now this is sounding more like The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial than a blog about social media, but stay tuned.  The police came and escorted her off the property for good.

In March of 2020, things settled down, but then…Covid.  Now, it was March and I was stuck at home in my apartment.  Out of the blue, I received a Facebook Message…It was Joe!  We exchanged a few flirty messages and decided to make a drink over skype.  His hair was longer and darker with a full beard with some gray mixed in.  His speech was a bit slower, but it was Joe.  He was alive, and the chemistry was there as always.  I told him I still had the log home back in RI, and he said, “Oh, really, where is it?”  I replied, “What do you mean where is it?  It’s in Foster.  You’ve been there many times.  You love it!”  Joe fessed up.  He said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t remember how I know you.”  Now, the filmmaker was living in a movie of her own.  Did my life just turn into a real life “Fifty First Dates!”?  I refreshed his memory and we started over.  The cool thing about it is because of his near death experience, he had a real “I don’t care what you think of me” attitude, which I found to be very refreshing, and I was super attracted to his unapologetically authentic self.

In May of 2020 I faced more challenges.  Down in FL, I had a stroke, that landed me in the hospital for a few days, while my tenant back home passed away from a sudden heart attack.  Needing my good healthcare based in RI, and not wanting to trust my home to new tenants at Covid time, when many renters weren’t paying, I decided to return home.  Joe and I reunited in person and had a magical time.  We relived out first two dates, to try and jog his memory, but a traumatic brain injury made it difficult for him to recall them.  So, we had a fresh start.  The dates were great, but Joe made it clear he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.  He ghosted me again.

Now I was heartbroken.  I was devastated, and decided I would do anything to try and get him back.  So, I went to the one place, I thought could help…Youtube!  I started following all the dating gurus.  I devoured content from Matthew Hussey, Mike Goldberg, Coach Craig and Coach Margaret, Mat Shafer, and one Coach Lee, who preached a dating rule called “The No Contact Rule.”  I purchased his Emergency Breakup Kit and practiced his cardinal dating rule, which was the dumpee should have absolutely no contact the dumper:  no calls, no email, no texts, no social media contact.  Nothing!  And it worked.  A couple of months later on my birthday, I got a call.  It was Joe, and he wanted to get back together. 

Today, we’ve been together for over a year, and he lives with me and Pringles in that log home he couldn’t remember.

Now, that Facebook and Youtube saved my personal life, I am taking a Social Media course to get my business life to the next level.  Currently, I am obsessed with watching what’s called Lawtube.  Basically, it’s bunch of lawyers commenting on The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial.  I follow Legal Bytes, Runkel of the Bailey, Law and Lumber, The Lawyer you Know, etc.  It’s a guilty pleasure.  But the trial will be over soon, and hopefully this blog on Tumblr will be the first step in kicking my trial addiction, and focusing on using social medial to promote my film career.

Dawn Natalia #SusiSummer22definesocialmedia

#Dawn Natalia #SusiSummer22definesocialmedia