Great post. You and I have been on the same mental path recently. See my recent post on the 18th of this month titled “Crap. We’re Screwed.” (I even referenced one of your earlier posts in it!) http://451heat.com/2010/01/18/crap-we%e2%80%99re-screwed/

AJ Gerritson

I worry less about the dangers of a one-person social media maven leaving an organization than I do about something bad happening to that person (accident, etc.) so that there’s no chance of transition.

If any company is even dabbling in social media, I’d ask them this: Does your IT department have all your company-related account logins and passwords? Do you have failsafes for who will post content or respond to customers if the primary person is out of pocket?

It’s perhaps a grim view, but it can be a good way to make organizations face how much they currently take for granted about their social media liaison.

In summary, any organization should ask themselves this:
1. Does our IT department have all our social media accounts and passwords?
2. Is our primary blog copyrighted and branded to our organization? Or is it a personal-yet-work-related blog that would likely transition with the author?
3. In the event we lost our social media talent, who would take ownership of branded accounts? Is this reflected in our written policies?

Thanks again for raising this topic, Mack. A great question at a pertinent time.
.-= David Griner´s last blog ..Day 23: Switch to Firefox or Chrome. =-.

As a long time sysadmin, the companies I worked for (either as employee or contractor) were always handed the logins, passwords, registrations and any special access points that I was privy to. It was part of the job == the eventual handover for when I left. When I left my employer, it was all neat and tidy. Transition to new staff was built into the contract, or a shared “gentleman’s” agreement as part of emplyment. (should have been written in, tho)

Not because the employer demanded it — It was an integral part of how I saw my job.
The same should apply today to ANY action taken by an employee (or contractor) today with SM.
First step any company should take is to lock down ownership of their “presence” online.

That alleviates the issues of access.
Insofar as presence or the “real” character of the social media presence, I think, as Eric Brown said, “we are all replaceable”.
To facilitate that, perhaps companies should look to “backup mechanisms” put in place so they can ensure they have a full transcript of online activity for future. IN the future replacing a social media “face” could be as simple as spending a few days analyzing past conversations, and then looking to hire a “clone” (or close

Basically, if you know what Ann’s up to , and which characteristics are most valued by your followers/readers/customers, just find another Ann. Whether you are doing that in house, or hiring out, matters little, so far as you maintain ownership and records.

Funny thing is…. I don’t see the issue with Social Media any different than that of so many businesses in the past who were left locked out of their websites, ftp accounts, email systems due to lack of totally forseeable circumstances. This should be old school knowledge by now. The fact that many companies do not yet explicitly write such requirements into employment contracts is a source of wonder for me.

The other day, I spoke at length with a Real Estate agent about the growing SM field and how his office could benefit. We walked through all the features, and benefits. Demonstrated value derived from sites we run in real $$ sales and leads, and developed a simple plan to expand their presence. All would be great — then it had to be developed on a NING (the best software currently available for the concept), and he asked “do I own it”. — answer is NO, it’s a “software as a service”. You could hear the silence in the room. Smart biz., just sayin.

this is funny that you talk about this issue. about 5 weeks ago, I was discussing the issue with Keith Burtis and Thebrandbuilder.

that has been a discussion that I have tried pushing, because as we all build our on brand outsite/inside the corporation, social media will have to be build on solid strategy, including, think what if your star leaves. For example, LisaG from Express does a great job but if she moves on, does she leave with her followers and equity built on the brand?

Karimacatherine

But moreover, most of the time the overall value of an employee and their alleged following is overrated. Most businesses aren’t all that impacted when folks leave, even though all of us who have once left want to think so.

I am not downplaying the importance of people or talent in an organization, just pointing out that we are all replaceable.
.-= Eric Brown´s last blog ..Yelp Ratings Virtually Showing Up on Your Door =-.

Obviously, making it a true team effort is best with multiple employees actively connecting with customers, but I think this scenario is better than nothing.

Of course, employees can also advocate your business and continue the conversation AFTER they leave your company. If they have felt valued and they appreciated working with you, the brand recognition can continue through alumni programs, continuing the conversation on Twitter through established relationships and the like But as you say, leaving it in the hands of just one person to begin with is foolish.
.-= Jasmin Tragas´s last blog ..5 Ways to Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve Without Throwing Your Avatar in my Face =-.