Digitally savvy corporations can finally stop worrying that their last Tweet or Facebook post might have inadvertently disclosed material information to investors. The Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued a new “Guidance Update” that provides welcome direction on when and how social media may be used by publicly traded companies while remaining in compliance with federal regulations.

The SEC has long been concerned with timely disclosure of company information to the public. In 2000, the agency promulgated Regulation FD in an effort to prevent earnings and other important information from trickling out to investors and the public at large. Through the use of the SEC’s online filing system, EDGAR, and the processes set forth in Reg FD, timely notification could be made. The problem? Reg FD does not address the digital world we now live in.

Continue reading " All the Public Companies: Put a #Hashtag on It "

Facebook rolled out their redesign this week, packed with new user friendly features. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, “what [Facebook is] trying to do is give everyone in the world the best personalized newspaper.” Numerous media outlets have reported on the changes, including the new features designed to offer users more control of their News Feed and how these changes will affect brand pages. It seems also that with these new changes, users may be able to get around the issues they experienced when Facebook developed their new algorithm. While Facebook openly discusses the added bonuses and upgraded features, there has been little said about an increase in revenue for the company (which we know is inevitable.)

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we explore Facebook’s redesign and whether or not these new features will make users’ Facebook experience easier or just complicate things further.

Continue reading " Friday Five: Changes to Facebook May Alter the Way You Do Business "

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is in the news again, not for enraging subscribers over a price increase or for presiding over a steep decline in share price, but for using social media to tout a company milestone.

Hastings took to his Facebook page in June and praised his staff for achieving a monthly viewing rate in excess of 1 billion hours for the first time in the company’s history.

Continue reading " Assessing the Net of Disclosure: Should the SEC “Like” Facebook? "

Let’s face it, we live for social media and social media platforms are only as powerful as its users. Therefore, it is imperative for social media to keep us engaged by staying fresh with new applications and tools designed to keep users happy and attract new users, even for social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. Social media platforms are building bigger and better tools aimed at offering more opportunities to brands and corporations to share a piece of their story with the world and we see brands immediately adapting to these changes with open arms.

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we explore new additions to various social media platforms that present new engagement opportunities for brands and users.

Continue reading " Friday Five: Spotlight— This Week in Social Media "

Social media is the primary form of communication for most people these days. Yet with the rapid changes made to various social media platforms, sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether or not you are using social media properly or with the right purpose in mind. Some social media tools (like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) have been around for years, yet casual users and professionals alike are still learning how to optimize their social media experience for better brand awareness, stronger engagement strategies and smarter ways to demonstrate ROI.

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we look at the how various social media channels are evolving to offer brands more opportunities to better showcase their goods while improving engagement strategies to reach larger audiences.

Continue reading " Friday Five: How Well Do You Really Know Social Media? "