Nov 11, 2011

Who Owns Your LinkedIn Contacts?

Posted by Wendy Weber

The answer: “It depends.”

So says Deb McAlister, who is working on a book about business/personal legal issues and social media. Her research brings to light some troubling inconsistencies:

“If you were hired to be the company blogger, to create a Twitter account and tweet for the company, to develop the corporate media presence, the work you did while you were employed and those social media accounts you got for the company likely belong to the employer. An exception is probably LinkedIn. They don’t allow profiles for companies – only individual. Your LinkedIn profile is probably yours, even if the company told you to create it while on the job. Just don’t run afoul of your nonsolicitation or noncompete agreement,” according to employment attorney Donna Ballman.

One issue that is coming to light is that according a recent study by DLA Piper, only 25% of American corporations have a published social media policy for employees. And another study earlier this year reported that half of U.S. employees who are aware of their company’s social media policies admit to ignoring or violating them.

Still, a social media policy that spells out the rights and responsibilities of employer and employees may be the best protection for both.

To read more, click here.

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