With Social Media, Cisco is listening, participating…and learning
The discussion and interest on Twitter about a recent hiring issue between Cisco and a candidate is a fascinating case study. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on individual personnel matters or hiring decisions, but I would like to address, in general, our thoughts on social media, such as Twitter, and offer a different way to look at these great new collaborative tools.
I personally think these tools are an amazing new form of expression and collaboration and as a company, we recognize the opportunity they offer and we encourage their use. It’s normal for people (and companies) to make some mistakes when they use something new and we should all learn from those mistakes. And, that’s my point: we all can learn from these tools together. They are new and very popular and not all people will know how they work or what impact they have or even who the audience may be - but we are all in this together.
A common statement in the public relations world has always been “don’t say it unless you are comfortable with it being on the front page of a newspaper.” Now, with Twitter, the world is coming to understand something new: “don’t say it, unless you want it turned into a meme and hashtags and websites and videos, etc.” You obviously never know what is going to go viral, but it would be a shame if that fear kept people from communicating through these important new forums.
Words are powerful and you have to be willing to stand behind those words or be ready to defend them. Maybe we all already knew this, but with Twitter and social media and new ways to communicate, maybe “re-learning” isn’t a bad thing.
Please view our employee guidelines for social media and internet postings and let us know what you think. And, of course, please follow us on Twitter (@CiscoSystems). And more Cisco tweeters here.
Posted by Blair Christie at 08:01AM PST
Joseph Kingsbury Mar 24, 2009
Blair - this is a progressive view among major corporations, and I think that level of openness and willingness to learn is reflected in the way Cisco approaches social media.
To your point about "re-learning", I think Twitter, like other social media platforms, is another stark reminder of the new reality corporations face today around communications and the nature of stakeholder relationships. In addition to standing behind our words, we as communicators (and I mean that in the broadest sense) are being forced to rethink entirely notions of control and what defines a brand. As people become increasingly empowered and vocal through social media, the less they need to even interact with brands in order to form opinions or make decisions.
That shifting dynamic presents big challenges but also exciting opportunities, and those companies open to constant learning in this new environment will have an edge regardless of what tools and platforms are currently making waves.