Having the social media talk with your board
If you thought a "governance" theme for this month meant we'd get away from social media topics, you were wrong. Seems like social media touches everything now, like it or not, and we've found at least one way to tie it to governance.
Are any of your board members or volunteer leaders on Twitter? Do any of them have their own blogs? Does the prospect of one of them blogging about your latest board meeting make you a little queasy?
Blogging or tweeting about a board meeting isn't automatically a bad thing. If that volunteer has a dedicated following among other members, it can help generate wider engagement around the direction of the association. But, even though every board meeting is ideally transparent, many of us would agree that board meeting discussions could be taken out of context or misconstrued rather easily. Just read the reaction to Kristin Clarke's post last month about video broadcasting board meetings.
I don't think the answer to this concern is too complicated, though. You can't ignore it and hope it will go away, but you also can't forbid your board members and volunteers from talking about their service via social media either (at least not without alienating them, and they might still do it anyway). So, take the middle road: encourage them to blog or tweet responsibly.
There's likely no need to elevate this to a written policy; rather, just have a little talk with your volunteer leaders about their use of social media and remind them of the often sensitive nature of board and committee discussions (and also outright confidential info, like legal matters, of course). Chances are, you cover this when talking to them about various aspects of their fiduciary duty as board members, so your best option may be to simply include social media communication in that discussion, as well.
Maybe this is a no-brainer, but as social media continues to permeate our various methods of communicating, it's worth a few minutes of thought. Keep it in mind for your next board orientation.
Any of you CEOs out there care to share how you address social media with your boards and volunteers?
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Comments
Talking about Board meetings responsibly should not be limited to blogging and tweeting.
Many Boards require members to sign an oath of confidentiality that prevents them from speaking about Board meetings to others - even members.
That is wrong. Board members should be taught how to talk about meetings instead of how not to talk about them.
Board meetings are open to members (even though they seldom attend, or can attend) and members are entitled to know what was discussed and how people voted.
Board members should be taught what really needs to be confidential and what doesn't, and how to communicate with others.
Board meetings are not, and should not be, secret meetings.
Posted by: David M. Patt, CAE | January 12, 2010 3:00 PM
As CEO of the Belgian Association of Webdevelopers, it's difficult to persuade board members to turn off their smartphones during meetings. We've had instances of tweets on decissions being sent before the minutes were approved, luckily no harm done. If a boardmeeting is 'open' to everyone, why still need board members? I like to believe there is a time and place for openness, but during a boardmeeting, I like to surf on the strength of the participants, rather than the internet.
Posted by: Marc Mestdagh | January 24, 2010 9:04 AM
Thanks David and Marc. I think your comments both highlight the delicate balance that has to be struck between establishing a common understanding of confidentiality and discretion and keeping a board meeting open and encouraging board members' use of social media.
David, you're right that this balance isn't relevant to just social media; it's just one more long-standing concern that has been given an extra complication by the advent of social media. For an association like Marc's, where the members are tech enthusiasts, it must be especially pressing.
Posted by: Joe Rominiecki | January 25, 2010 11:06 AM