Intel's Social Media Policy

David Griner writes on the Social Path blog about Intel's new Social Media Guidelines,

... trust me when I tell you that Intel’s new Social Media Guidelines are barn-burning fare.

Standard business model: No matter how many people work at a company, only a select few employees are allowed to speak to the public. All statements must be approved by the top brass, who will be sure to suck the life out of any comment until it sounds like good-old corporate PR dreck.

The Intel model: Any employee can speak to the public. And the more interesting your perspective, the better.

... there’s no denying that this is an astounding bit of empowerment.

The guidelines, which go on in some detail, would be useful for a library in the process of retooling its website or examining electronic marketing. But they'd be good for any organization trying to get people more involved and reaching out -- encouraging creativity but requiring responsibility. Actually, the guidelines provide a useful perspective for all sorts of uses of the social web.