Top 10 Guidelines for Social Media Participation

As I was reading Part IV of Engage by Brian Solis, which is entitled "We Are the Champions" by the way, I noticed the Top 10 guidelines for social media participation that apply to your future company employees or contractors. I figure many of us will be utilizing social media for our jobs upon graduation and I wanted to reiterate the importance of these guidelines for those who will be creating or contributing to blogs, wikis, social networks, etc. 

1. Be transparent and state where you work because your honesty will be noted in the social media environment. Also, be clear about your role.
2. Never represent yourself or your future company in a misleading way.
3. Post meaningful and respectful comments. 
4. Use common sense and common courtesy and don't violate the company's privacy.
5. Stick to your area of expertise, but do feel free to provide unique and individual perspectives on non-confidential activities at your workplace. 
6. If you disagree with others' opinions, be polite and appropriate. Also, never get overly defensive and do not disengage from the conversation abruptly.
7. When writing about the competition, make sure to behave diplomatically and have the facts straight. 
8. Never comment on anything related to legal matters. 
9. Never participate in social media when the topic being discussed is considered a crisis situation. 
10. Be smart about protecting yourself, your privacy and the company's confidential information. Keep in mind that what you publish is widely accessible and will be around for a long time. 

These guidelines were provided by Todd Defren, president of SHIFT Communications. I hope you keep the top 10 guidelines for social media participation as you enter the workforce!