Protecting your company while getting your social program launched requires, first and foremost, that you build a strong collaborative partnership with your legal team.
Here's a common scenario: A social media team develops the plan for an innovative new social program. They race enthusiastically toward the finish line, putting all of their energy into the many creative, technical, and logistical issues involved in designing a program and getting it online. Finally, it's just weeks or days before launch--or in some cases, even the day after launch--and suddenly someone remembers, "Oh yeah, all programs need legal approval."
The program is then dropped in the laps of the lawyers as a near fait accompli. Their job is to protect the company from risk, including risks that shoot-from-the-hip employees haven't considered. All this translates to a quick no.
The most effective social media marketing managers partner with legal from
the start. They realize that the lawyers need to be their best friends if social programs
are going to survive and thrive.
-- from The CMO's Social Media Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading Marketing Teams in the Social Media World, by Peter Friedman, the CEO and Chairman of LiveWorld.