CEOs and Social Media Use

After reading the article and its given statistics on how few CEOs are making use of social media, I was shocked. As a generation that is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and Internet use, chief executives should take advantage of the services provided. Social media use is a great way to engage stakeholders and customers alike by keeping them updated and in the loop on company happenings, and even offering coupons and advertisements. Though there was evidence for CEOs becoming socially involved, they are doing so via LinkedIn and therefore in one of the most professional ways possible. That is not to say using LinkedIn is a bad thing; by slowly getting involved and up-to-date with the social media world, chief executives are making progress in branding themselves on social media. However, executives should try harder to involve themselves on more platforms for the sake of getting the name and reputation of their company out in the open. The key to having a beneficial social reputation, though, is to keep it positive.
If I was hired to run the social media of a company, I would advise the CEO to make a presence on the Internet. However, one must tread carefully when it comes to putting oneself out on the social media world. Tweets and Facebook statuses posted stay on the Web for extended periods of time, meaning saying anything that reflects negatively on the CEO or company will have repercussions for (potentially) years to come. Also, the Internet has such a diverse audience and can be reached by almost anyone, anywhere, at any time, that having at least one individual take offense to something you post is not difficult. Even if nothing you say or post is meant to be negative, there are individuals who will read it that way, whether they are actually offended or are simply looking for something to complain about. A general rule to follow when it comes to posting anything is that, if you have any doubt about posting something, don't. Below is a link for 10 tips that can be used as a guide for Internet posts; following these tips should, for the most part, keep safe the individual posting.

http://www.examiner.com/article/10-tips-to-protect-yourself-on-social-networks