Social Media Principles September 2009

Blogs, wikis, online communities and social networks are all powerful communications tools. As communications professionals we must each explore, understand and participate in this social media landscape, which encompasses everything from micro-blogging (e.g. Twitter) to blogging (e.g. blogger.com, wordpress.com) to social networks (e.g. MySpace, Facebook). To help you do so, these Social Media Principles have been drawn up in consultation with employees and third parties, and in line with recognized best practice. They offer guidance in three areas:

1. Personal use of social media 2. Professional use of social media on behalf of Hill & Knowlton and clients 3. Official Hill & Knowlton social media platforms

If you are in any doubt as to whether your activities fall within these guidelines or just need some advice, there is a 24/7 email hotline you can use. Simply send your question to the “Social Media Guidance” email address and someone from your office or region will respond. Personal use of social media If you could be identified as a Hill & Knowlton employee or use company resources for your personal use of social media, please consider the following:

• Your clients, manager, reports and peers may read what you write. • Think of what you write in the same way as things you might say to a journalist, or

conversations you might have with people you don’t know. If you wouldn’t say it in those situations, exercise caution posting it on publicly available websites.

• Never disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to our clients, Hill

& Knowlton, WPP, or any third party that has disclosed information to us (e.g. journalists, suppliers, etc.), even if you think it is secure. Your existing employment agreement in any case prohibits this.

• There are many things that we cannot mention as part of a publicly owned

company. Talking about our revenue, future plans, or the WPP share price could get you and the company in legal trouble, even if it is just your own personal view, and whether or not you directly identify yourself as an employee of Hill & Knowlton.

• Your personal use of social media at work should be appropriate for your role. If

you are in doubt, discuss with your line manager or refer to your employment agreement.

• If you explicitly identify yourself as a Hill & Knowlton employee, you should make it clear that the views you express are yours alone. You may want to use the following form of words on your blog, website or profile:

These views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer

Professional use of social media on behalf of Hill & Knowlton and clients When it comes to using social media professionally (i.e. as part of a pitch, client campaign or when representing Hill & Knowlton), please follow these basic principles:

• Understand the rules, beliefs and desires of the online communities you communicate with.

• Don’t engage with social or consumer-generated media on behalf of a client

without their knowledge, or if it contravenes their own policies.

• Understand your clients’ policies and abide by them. Where there is conflict, Hill & Knowlton’s principles prevail.

• Disclose who you are and who you work for (both agency and client).

• Be honest and don’t pretend to be someone or something you are not.

• Respect the privacy and contact preferences of each individual you interact with, where available.

• Where practical, link to our principles in your opening communications

(http://www.hillandknowlton.com/principles). Some things to avoid… Here are just a few common examples of what these principles preclude us from doing:

• Encouraging colleagues/friends to vote on polls featuring clients’ products • Leaving anonymous comments on blogs or in discussion forums • Pretending to be an employee of a client • Posting or editing Wikipedia articles about clients – or ourselves • Sending pitches to bloggers who state that they do not wish to receive them • Failing to disclose our commercial relationship with clients when representing them

online • Using unapproved third party services to share information with each other,

prospects or clients If necessary, show these principles to clients when discussing social media activities. If you are in any doubt, seek the advice of your local or regional Digital practice, or email Niall Cook.

Official Hill & Knowlton social media platforms Hill & Knowlton wants to participate appropriately in this environment, and has created a presence on many social media platforms – including Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare and Scribd. We have also created our own platforms, including Collective Conversation (http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com) – our official blogging community providing employees, offices and practices with a space to further Hill & Knowlton’s thought leadership on professional topics. We always want more good bloggers, and you can apply for a blog by completing a self-assessment questionnaire (http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/join) and agreeing to follow the Collective Conversation Code of Conduct: 1. Criticizing clients or colleagues Criticizing clients or colleagues on a Hill & Knowlton website is unprofessional and the former could even result in the loss of business, endangering the jobs of colleagues. If your post references brands or companies, check if they are a client of any office using the Client Database on hk.net. If you feel the need to offer critical advice, pass it along to the account team rather than post it to your blog. Also bear in mind that a company that isn't a client today could be one tomorrow, so always disagree respectfully (see #2). 2. Respecting other opinions There are bound to be times when we will disagree with others and want to state our position. That is fine (although see #1 above), but it should always be done respectfully. Negative comment is seldom valuable, so avoid direct confrontation with or criticism of other people or organizations - you never know when they might be your next colleague, client or even employer. 3. Breaching your employment contract This should go without saying, but is worth reiterating. Blogging on Collective Conversation does not absolve you of your existing employment obligations. These will vary from market to market, so please ensure you have reviewed them before starting to blog. 4. Acknowledging and correcting mistakes In order to demonstrate accountability, it is your responsibility to investigate and correct quickly any mistakes you make. 5. Preserving the original post The Internet never forgets. As soon as you publish a post, someone somewhere will see that version. If you make substantive changes to your post without explaining why you have made them, you could easily draw suspicion. If appropriate, use formatting to show the changes you have made and date any updates. 6. Deleting comments Comments are an important part of the conversation we have on our blogs, and people will disagree with you. Do not delete a comment just because you don't agree with the commenters point of view or because of who they are. However, you can (and should) delete any comments that are offensive either to you or towards your clients or readers, are obviously spam with links to irrelevant blogs or websites, or are completely unrelated to the topic of your post.

7. Disclosing conflicts of interest This is a key element of transparency. If you are going to mention clients (see also #8), other parties or events with which we are involved, you should disclose that relationship so readers can decide your motives for themselves. Do not leave anything to chance. 8. Accuracy of information Of course we wouldn't expect anyone to purposely post inaccurate information, but it is worth restating. Do not use your blog to spread (or even start) rumours or post something that someone else has asked you to unless you believe it to be true. 9. Linking to source materials Linking is not only a good way to get return readership, but it is the best way to get noticed by the person or organisation you link to and acknowledge them as sources of your information. Whenever you reference another blogger, blog post, online article, word requiring further definition, or company or brand, you should link to the relevant place on the web. 10. Deleting posts Think very carefully before publishing a post onto your blog. Read it, and read it again. You should not delete a post unless it is breaches this Code of Conduct. Complaints procedure Any complaints that these principles have not been upheld should be put in writing to Hill & Knowlton’s CEO, Paul Taaffe. The procedure for handling such complaints is as follows:

• The complaint will be acknowledged and the complaints procedure communicated to the complainant by the CEO

• The CEO will nominate a member of global, regional or local management to handle the complaint

• The employee will be notified of the complaint and may be asked to temporarily remove any material that is the subject of the complaint until such time that the complaint is resolved

• The employee will be given the opportunity to put forward their viewpoint on the complaint. The nominee handling the complaint may wish to ask questions and obtain further feedback.

• The nominee will review the facts and advise the employee of his decision in writing. The decision may be that the matter does not warrant any action, or that action is required.

• The nominee will notify the complainant of the result. • If action is required, the matter will be passed to the employee’s local HR

department whereupon the relevant procedures will be followed.