A communicator’s bid for social media in a culture of ‘no’

How a conservative company developed internal blogs and micro-blogs to pave the way.

How a conservative company developed internal blogs and micro-blogs to pave the way

Rhonda Sloan got three “nos” from her company’s lawyers before she rallied and got a reluctant “OK” to get involved with social media.

Extracting that reluctant “OK” ended up being most of the battle.

The lawyers at insurer American General Life Companies, like those at many regulated industries, felt it was easier to ban social media than to navigate through the rules and risks. They feared losing control of the message, says Sloan, a corporate communicator.

“They didn’t trust that the people who wanted to utilize social media would follow the rules and understand what the issues were,” Sloan says.

Nevertheless, thanks to planning, education, and executive backing, American General got its social media—and steadfast support from legal. And what had started as an internal blog without comments later became an internal blog with comments.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.