How social media can differ from industry to industry

I’m currently interviewing some mayors in Oregon in preparation for my talk on social media at the Oregon Mayor’s Association and one of the points that came up in one of the interviews is that social media should be used to push information, but not used to respond to comments, or at least that was how one mayor used it. And the mayor had some valid reasons, due to the need to keep public records of all internet communication, and also due to regulations on what kind of communication can occur using social media as a medium.

Recently financial advisers have been given a go ahead of sorts to use social media, but they need to use social media within strict guidelines, which also involve keeping records of what was said and only discussing finances in certain ways. Violation of those guidelines can result in the loss of the license and potentials for the company that employees the financial adviser. Recently I read an article that discussed this issue, and noted that many financial advisers are using social media without adhering to those guidelines.

In reading that article, and also interviewing the mayor, it’s clear to me that different industries will have different standards and policies that dictate how social media can be used. Some industries have stricter guidelines that need to be respected by the people in those industries. Conversely, not being involved in social media can be an issue, especially in terms of reaching younger generations.

At the same time, I don’t think just pushing out information is really using social media effectively to engage and interact with people. It certainly can serve to keep people informed, which is a good thing, but it may not necessarily generate the sense of connection that a community may want with an elected official.

What all of this demonstrates however is that different industries do have different standards and we shouldn’t expect that every single industry will adhere to a particular definition or level of interactivity, regardless of whether there is an ideal level of interactivity. At the same time, different industries will also have to deal with people from within the industry who approach using social media more openly than may be preferred by the industry. How the regulators of the industry choose to deal with this kind of activity can define industry standards for social media. In general these industries are doing this in order to adhere to federal guidelines and also avoid legal issues.

Ultimately, as social media continues to become more embedded in our culture and in how different industries reach out to clientele, regulatory committees will need to provide guidance while also determining how flexible they can be with how social media is used.