Use your networks to send out cards

If you are like me and you spend quite a bit of time hanging out on social networks social media websites online, then you know that your friends’ and family members’ birthdays and other special occasions tend to pop up out of nowhere, and you are left to scramble and purchase something online and send it to them.

You can now use the same social network or social media website that you are on all day long to buy and send gift cards online securely. E-commerce startup Friendgiftr is the first to launch a special new service that lets you send gift cards through your favorite social network. In fact, you can now send gift cards from retailers and merchants like the Gap, Pottery Barn, Barnes & Noble and Starbuck’s. And you can send gift cards through five different social media web sites: Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle, Ning and Bebo.

Friendgiftr’s one-of-a-kind network is the first and only social media-based online storefront to offer actual purchasable retail and restaurant gift cards to hundreds of millions of social media site users.

Using the Friendgiftr application, you can buy or send gift cards that are valued between $10 and $100. Send them to just about anyone, including friends and family members. It doesn’t matter what the social network is , the process of buying a gift card using the Friendgiftr application is the same to make a purchase. Just select both the card and the amount. Enters the recipient’s name, their email address, and a personalized message. Then put in your payment method. That’s it.

Need a Social Media Company Policy?

Unless there’s only one person who will be handling your social media efforts you should set some guidelines in place. Now, by this I don’t mean you have to write a huge document that limits any hint of spontaneity from your team. Quite the opposite. A company policy lets them know what they need to know to communicate the company message effectively, and what they should and should not do.

People are more comfortable knowing the rules
There are people who are simply terrified of social media. Where to start? What to say? How to use the tools and would they get in trouble? A little guidance and training and they will be just fine. Use your social media engagement policy as a way to show them the ropes and give them models to follow.

Three good reasons for a social media company policy.

1) Set branding standards for communication
Clearly you can’t have people making up their own logos and color schemes for your company. If you have a style guide, put the best bits in your company policy document. It saves everybody a lot of headaches if they can create a profile with an approved logo and a color scheme that reflects the company without guessing. Make the resources they need available and they’ll be more likely to dive in and you won’t have to assign a hall monitor.

2) Educate your team
What terms do you use to describe your product? Are there particular industry or work related terms you need to have associated with the product? Are there terms you NEVER want used with your product? Here’s where you educate the team.

3) Set expectations for behavior
Again, if people know the rules and what is expected from them they are less likely to make mistakes. State clearly what standards of performance you expect. A little personal responsibility and some common sense goes a long way. This also sets the company nay-sayers a bit more at ease.

What goes into a typical company social media policy doc?
Rather than blather on, here are some examples to learn from. Scan a few and you’ll get the idea. Then adapt to fit your own needs.

• Intel did a fabulous job with their social media guidelines. It’s clear what they expect and the whole thing is in clear easy to understand language.
• Cisco’s policy is a little cryptic, but it does outline employee responsibilities on social sites both corporate owned and external networks.
• D.M. Scott posted an overview of the social media efforts of the U.S. Air Force on his blog, complete with flow charts for responding to a blog comment that are as detailed as one might expect from the government.
• GM’s blogging policy is short and to the point and then references Charlene Li’s recommendations for more information.
• Sun’s “Guidelines on Public Disclosure” are much like Intel’s. Simple, to the point and all about transparency.
• Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center blogging guidelines clearly state the goals of the Walker’s blogs, with advice on finding images, responding to comments and refers to the EFF’s legal guide for bloggers.
• The BBC has a hands-off approach to personal blogs as long as the writer does not identify themselves with the BBC on their personal blog. Staff are allowed to talk about programs, etc, but are required to include a disclaimer for personal editorial comments on blogs.
• Here’s what HP says in their “Blogging Code of Conduct”: