Social media archiving policies must be realistic

Social media content can, in fact, be a record--a fact some records managers find terrifying and perplexing when they consider the void it creates in e-Discovery and Freedom of Information Act policies.

Since October 2010 the National Archive and Records Administration has instructed federal agencies to archive social media records, including those hosted by third parties. What's more, Gartner predicts that by 2013 half of all companies will have to produce social media content as part of an e-Discovery request, says Jesse Wilkins, director of systems of engagement for AIIM International.

"Many of you share and understand the definition of what a record is...We have to set definitions. We have to have a baseline that says, this is what we mean by social media," said Wilkins during an Oct. 18 presentation at ARMA in Oxon Hill, Md.

While social media policies have to be clear, they also have to be usable. As enterprises set acceptable-use policies for social media, and select employees authorized to represent the company in an official capacity, they sometimes inadvertently lock down the technology. Archiving policies could also become antithetical to the reason for engaging through social media in the first place.

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Source: Fierce Content Management
By: Molly Bernhart Walker