Archive for category Uncategorized
For the People, By the People: A week until Actiance Unleash 2013
Posted by SarahActiance in Uncategorized on May 8, 2013
Sarah Carter
I’m excited to be in the last week before we get to Unleash 2013, Actiance’s inaugural User Summit, where we’ll be welcoming more than 150 clients, partners and friends from the industry to celebrate, discuss, and advance social business. I’m especially excited about the social track. (of course I would be with my focus on that particular area of our business!).
Now the full agenda can be found here and registration is open until Wednesday 14th May – so grab one of the few remaining seats while you still can. Why should you do that? Well you’ll love the social track that we’ve put together for starters. Here’s a taste of what you can experience:
Join the Social Stakeholders in our panel discussion because enabling Social in a financial services firm involves many aspects. Not least ensuring that all the stakeholders are involved – the earlier the involvement, the more successful the implementation of social tends to be. From Social Media and Digital Marketing, to Information Technology, Risk and Security, Compliance and HR – the enablement of social requires the buy in, education and advocacy of each of these departments and more. In this unique panel, we’ve brought together those stakeholders to guide you through the challenges – and give you key tips as to how you can safely and effectively navigate the successful implementation of social in YOUR organization.
Join panelists
- John Malone, Director of Broker Dealer Compliance, Pioneer Funds Distributor, Inc.
- Joe Correiro, Head of Digital Marketing, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- Mitch Slater, SVP Financial Advisor, UBS Financial Services
Join us for what will be a lively discussion between interested stakeholders, with strong, but often opposing views and requirements and take away three key tips from each on effectively working with all the stakeholders involved in social enablement.
Then, take a deeper dive and join Carole Foster, Managing Director and First VP of CIBC Wood Gundy and hear how about “Building Social Media into a Wealth Management Practice”.
CIBC Wood Gundy began their journey towards building social into their business practice some two years ago. Hear from COO, Carole Foster, how the organization promoted the innovative use of technology to deliver social media to investment advisers as a key element in their communications tool kit. Understand the challenges that the firm overcame, the business drivers for the project and where the firm goes from here. Carole will share candid thoughts on how the stakeholders in her business came together to enable Wood Gundy to be the “first on the street” in Toronto to deliver social as a key element of the business and marketing mix for the wealth management community.
Finally – this conference is about you. Our customers, our users, our partners – so join “For the People, By the People: the Actiance Social UnConference”. We’ll gather for 90 minutes on Friday morning, with the Social UnConference, we have created a space that helps YOU make connections, share knowledge, collaborate and create brainchildren. This is your session – we encourage participants to give a presentation, create a discussion, or even chair a debate. Bring your ideas, your intellect, your debating skills – because there’s an entire room full of social individuals who WANT to hear your opinion and who want to engage with you.
The Social Business Team is counting down the hours to our kick off on Thursday 16th May – and we do hope you’ll join us for two days of engagement, interaction, sharing – and challenging of ideas. Hope to see you in New York!
Belbey Blogs: Recent Guidance from the SEC on Filing Social Media
Posted by belbey in Actiance, Compliance, eDiscovery, Electronically Stored Information (ESI), Enterprise 2.0, Financial Services, FINRA, Securities and Exchange Commission, Uncategorized on April 2, 2013
Today’s blog is from Joanna Belbey, Social Media and Compliance Specialist at Actiance.
This month, the Division of Investment Management of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued the first in a series of “IM Guidance Updates” to clarify its positions on emerging legal issues. The first topic was social media.
Financial services firms are cautious by nature, and its both our experience and no surprise, that firms are taking a very conservative approach and are filing a huge amount of social media content with FINRA. The SEC is calling out that this may be unnecessary in a number of cases.
First some background. To ensure that communications from financial institutions are suitable, fair and balanced, the FINRA Advertising Regulation Department reviews the content of more than 100,000 communications every year. Some communications are submitted as required by FINRA rules, others are submitted voluntarily. Some are filed in advance, others within 10 days of publication. However in FINRA Rule 2210(c)(7)(M), effective February 2013, retail communications posted on an “online interactive electronic forum that is contained on a social media website” are specifically excluded from these filing requirements.
However, as firms have other filing requirements aside from FINRA, such as Section 24(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”) or Rule 497 under the Securities Act of 1933 (“1933 Act”), SEC has seen fit to provide guidance on what should and should not be filed.
As the SEC states “Whether a communication need be filed depends on the content, context, and presentation of the particular communication”. So nothing changes there. This is simply reiteration. But now the SEC goes a little further. The more specific, the more likely it needs to be filed. And as an aside, whether the communications are filed or not, they still need to captured, supervised, archived, made e-discoverable like any other written communication for “business as such”.
The SEC provided some examples for clarity:
Do Not File
- Simple mention of a specific investment company or family of funds without discussion of merits
- Mention of word “performance” in connection with a specific investment company or family of funds without mention of returns
- Factual introductory statement / hyperlink to fund prospectus (ie, report available here)
- An introductory statement not related to investment merits of a fund that includes hyperlink to general information
- Response to an inquiry via social media that provides factual information and does not include merits of the fund
File (to meet requirements of Section 24(b) or Rule 482):
- Discussion of fund performance that provides specific mention of fund’s returns
- Issuer communications that discuss merits of an investment fund
The regulators continue to reinforce what we know to be best practices of social media. Pitching financial products, and discussing specific performance and returns is unwelcome on social media and may require pre-approval by a registered principal of the firm as well as filing requirements.
A better approach?
Provide compelling content, not sales pitches. Offer information that is informative, entertaining, and worth sharing. In a compliance-constrained industry like financial services, delivering compelling content can be challenging, but it’s by no means impossible.
The first step is to inventory your existing content to see what can be leveraged for social media. Start with pre-approved content that has been reviewed by the company’s compliance team for both corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Use this content to develop a library of interesting insights on investment strategies, wealth management, saving for college or retirement, and similar topics. These articles can provide a foundation for social media newcomers who are looking to start building their online networks.
This Spring is a great time to get started!
Other information you may find helpful:
Belbey Blogs: New FINRA Communications Rule 2210
http://blog.actiance.com/2013/02/13/belbey-blogs-new-finra-communications-rule-2210/
Division of Investment Management of the Securities and Exchange Commission Issues Guidance Update on Social Media Filings by Investment Companies
http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2013/2013-40.htm
IM Guidance Update March 2013
FINRA Rule 2210
http://finra.complinet.com/en/display/display_main.html?rbid=2403&element_id=10648
Regulatory Notice 12-29 Communications with the Public
http://www.finra.org/web/groups/industry/@ip/@reg/@notice/documents/notices/p127014.pdf
Regulatory Notice 10-06, Social Media Web Sites: Guidance on Blogs and Social Networking Web Sites (January 2010)
http://www.finra.org/web/groups/industry/@ip/@reg/@notice/documents/notices/p120779.pdf
Guide to the Web for Registered Representatives
http://www.finra.org/Industry/Issues/Advertising/p006118
FINRA: RCA – March 1999 – Ask the Analust – Electronic Communications
https://www.finra.org/Industry/Regulation/Guidance/RCA/p015326
Belbey Blogs: Disconnected from Customer Service? Better Start Tweeting!
Posted by belbey in Enterprise 2.0, New Internet, Social Networking, Trends, Twitter, Uncategorized on March 18, 2013
Awhile back, I received a special promotion from the Big Telephone Company (BTC) for blindingly fast internet, telephone and cable. For less than the Big Cable Company (BCC)! Sounds good, I’ll take it.
I called the Sales Department to sign up, but was told, “Sorry Ms. Belbey. That service is not available in your area.” “But I received a letter!”, I exclaimed. Hmmm. Why on earth wasn’t my zip code suppressed in the mailing? Disconnect #1: Personalized direct marketing campaign didn’t match service availability.
Ok fine. I decided to go ahead with phone and internet. I explained that although there was a jack in the bedroom, I wanted my phone and internet in the living room. (Yes, I know that I could use a cordless phone, or wifi, but I want to plug in.) Therefore, I needed a technician to install a jack.
A technician arrived, plugged the router into the jack in the bedroom and told me I was all set to go. I explained again that I needed a jack to be installed in the living room and the technician explained, “I don’t install jacks, call Customer Service”.
So I called Customer Service and set up an appointment. A router arrived by mail, I received a voice mail confirming the appointment and another voice mail congratulating me on my new service. But no technician. That happened three times. Disconnect #2: Lack of communication between departments.
At this point, I gave up, called BTC and told them to forget it. I also asked for some mailing slips and boxes to return their four routers. I shipped them back and thought it was over.
I received bills during this time, but ignored them as I thought I didn’t owe anything as I never accessed the system. I assumed there was a disconnect with Billing too. But, next thing I knew, I received a letter from a collections agency.
Yikes! I called Customer Service again, determined to resolve this once and for all.
Over the course of a 90-minute phone call, I escalated the issue three times until I reached a “manager” who wasn’t reading from a script. She bordered on nasty. She said that she had no record of my multiple interactions and that in order to cancel the service, I would need to pay the bill in full, contact Billing and all three credit agencies. Huh? She assured me that I would receive some credit at some point. In essence, she had me over a barrel. And she knew it. To protect my credit rating, I reluctantly mailed a check. Disconnects #3, #4 and #5: No access to customer records, lack of common sense, lack of respect for a customer with an existing account for 30+ years.
During that 90-minute phone call, I started tweeting very politely at BTC asking for help. Within moments, I received a perky reply (How can we help? We’re here for you!) and was asked to direct message (DM) the issue. After a few DMs, I received a link to file a compliant, and even another upbeat tweet to make sure I was able to submit the form. Within 24 hours, I received a phone call from a lovely women from the “Presidential Escalation Response Team”. It was as though I was talking to two very different companies. She had done her homework. She asked me in her broad New Jersey accent, “Let me see if I got this straight. You were billed for a service you never used, your account’s in collections and you want to cancel the service and get your money back and have no problem with your credit. Did I get that right? “Yup, that’s it”, I said.
“No problem! I’ll fix it”. And she did.
Disconnect #6: Frustrating, time consuming traditional customer service in stark contrast to responsive, smart and friendly customer service via social media.
It was clear that BTC had hired, trained and empowered their social media team to be customer-centric. They were friendly and smart and I enjoyed our interactions. Unlike their traditional customer service which was, er, less enjoyable.
No more traditional customer service for me. I’ll just tweet!
Is your firm disconnected?
Belbey Blogs: New FINRA Communications Rule 2210
Posted by belbey in Actiance, Compliance, Financial Services, FINRA, Uncategorized on February 13, 2013
On February 4, 2013, as result of the systematic harmonization of NASD, NYSE and FINRA rules, FINRA Communications with the Rule 2210, went into effect. I wanted to learn more, so I attended the SIFMA Compliance and Legal Society, New FINRA Communications Seminar last week. It was an educational panel that include Kevin Zambrowicz (SIFMA), John Lajiness (Fidelity), Tom Pappas (FINRA), Holly Smith (Sutherland Asbill & Brennam) and Edward Sullivan (UBS).
The panel discussed that FINRA Rule 2210 brings some significant changes to the communications rule and that firms were expected to update their Written Supervisory Procedures accordingly. However, the rule was announced back in June, so firms have had plenty of time to get ready.
In fact, as Edward Sullivan, Head of Field Compliance at UBS, told the audience, his firm took the new rule as an opportunity to take a fresh look at the communications policies at his firm and make enhancements where appropriate.
So, how does FINRA Rule 2210 impact social media?
First some background. Back when FINRA issued Regulatory Notices 10-06 and 11-39, there were six major categories of communications under the existing NASD Rule 2210.The former six categories (advertisements, sales literature, correspondence, institutional sales material, independently prepared reprints, and public appearances) have now been replaced by three: Correspondence, Retail Communications, and Institutional Communications.
Let’s take a look at the two that impact social media:
Correspondence includes any type of written (including electronic) communication that is distributed or made available to 25 or fewer retail investors within any 30 calendar-day period. Like email, these communications do not require pre-approval, but, firms need to capture, retain and make business communications e-discoverable as well as demonstrate that they are supervising communications to meet suitability requirements. An example from social media might include an InMail on LinkedIn, a Message on Facebook, or a Direct Message on Twitter.
Retail communication includes any written (including electronic) communication that is distributed or made available to more than 25 retail investors within any 30 calendar-day period. A “Retail investor” includes any person other than an institutional investor, regardless of whether the person has an account with the firm. Communications that formerly qualified as advertisements and sales literature generally now fall under the definition of “retail communication.” These communications require pre-approval from a principal of the firm, plus all the record keeping and suitability rules apply. However, the rules specifically exempted pre-review any retail communication that:
- is posted on an online interactive electronic forum
- does not make any financial or investment recommendation or otherwise promote a product or service of the firm.
FINRA recognizes that due to the real time nature of social media, pre-review would inhibit interactive communications. Examples from social media include posts such as LinkedIn Updates, Facebook Status Updates, and Tweets on Twitter.
But, what about static portions of social media like profiles and links to content? Tom Pappas, Thomas A. Pappas, Vice President & Director, Advertising Regulation, FINRA, reiterated that the new rule codified existing guidance from 10-06 and 11-39 and that static portions of social media would still require pre-review unless they are exempted as above. In other words, if static content promotes a product or service, it requires pre-approval.
So, will this significantly change processes around social media? Probably not. As I mentioned in my blog, Belbey Blogs: What Are Other Firms Doing?, we have found that firms tend to pilot social media with pre-approval of all initial posts (such as tweets) and keep tight controls in place. Registered persons typically don’t have much latitude. However, once they begin to trust technology to safeguard their firms’ reputation and stay compliant, firms often begin to allow their reps to personalize content to varying degrees.
It just takes time. And some successes to accelerate the process.
For more information, see:
Full text of Communications Rules (32 pages)
FINRA Regulatory Notice 12-29 Communications with the Public (25 pages)
Belbey Blogs: Visiting the Taj Mahal #TravelTuesday
Posted by belbey in Travel, TravelTuesday, Uncategorized on January 29, 2013
No matter what anyone tells you, you are never prepared for the Taj Mahal. We’ve all seen pictures of it of course. And we’ve heard the romantic story of how Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was so grief-stricken at the death of his third wife, he spent 22 years building a monument to her memory. But, what’s it like to visit?
First of all, it’s crowded. Lots of hustle-bustle getting tickets and walking through various lines and checkpoints, then suddenly, you are amidst a sea of people all crowded into a dark hallway.
Look up and there it is!
Beautiful.
Then, everyone takes turns taking the classic “Couple Standing in Front of the Taj Mahal” shot.
Then a walk along a reflecting pond with stunning details.
Then taking off our shoes. Then lines.
And more lines.
And more lines.
White marble everywhere. It’s breathtaking of course, with stunning architectural details.
We’ve all seen those too.
But the part that no one ever tells you, is that everyone is so happy!
And playful.
The Taj Mahal is more than a monument, it’s a living celebration.
In Shah Jahan’s words:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator’s glory.
On Social? Be Authentic!
Posted by Victor Gaxiola in Financial Services, LinkedIn, Social Networking, Trends, Uncategorized on January 10, 2013
Today’s post comes from Victor Gaxiola, Social Media Subject Matter Expert at Actiance.
Now that three of my colleagues have weighed in on the question of Facebook pervasiveness and use for business, as well as the blurred lines between personal and professional use, I thought I’d weigh in with my own thoughts on the matter.
I started using Facebook in April 2007 after it had become available to non-university students. At the time there were 20 Million people on Facebook (compared to over a Billion today), and MySpace was the leading social network (a record they held till April 2008). Using Facebook it was easy to connect with friends and family that were already on the network, and I was quickly able to re-connect with people who had been part of my life in the past. Status updates allowed me to participate in the lives of so many that had either gone by the way side or forgotten through time and miles. The social network made sharing a daily affair and I enjoyed connecting on common values, likes and ideas.
When I went into financial services, the use of Facebook for personal connections with clients and prospects was not allowed. As a result my attentions shifted to LinkedIn for professional connections and network development keeping Facebook as a personal network with friends and family. This continued until I left the business and was no longer a registered representative. Despite the new found freedom, I still maintained my Facebook as a more personal network and when I started working at Actiance I too approached the invitation from work colleagues to connect on Facebook on a personal level with trepidation. Facebook was MY personal network, and I was initially a little nervous to share that part of my life. Mind you, it wasn’t that I had anything to hide, I just wasn’t sure if I wanted people at work to know me THAT well. However, I did and continue to do so today, and like Joanna I enjoy the discovery of common interests we share, and learning more about their likes, dislikes and passions. It has enriched the experience of working at Actiance and allowed me to know the people I collaborate with on a more personal level. On Monday mornings water cooler talk doesn’t require us to ask each other what happened over the weekend- because we know. Instead, we can ask about the experience. How did it feel? How much fun was it? Instead of what did you do?
I think we’d all prefer to present our true self…. our authentic self. “Be Yourself” was a rally cry of our youth and the reality is there is not point in denying who you are, quirks and all (people will find out eventually anyway).
Back in 2011 I wrote about this when I encouraged financial advisors entering the world of social media to avoid losing their voice and replacing it with corporate canned messages. I still believe this today and caution financial institutions to avoid forcing their language and messages through their networked employees and allow them an opportunity to provide their own voice. People want to work with people who work at brands, not the other way around. Here is the message I shared, and continue to share today.
BE AUTHENTIC! 
A message to new social media users in Financial Services:
Welcome to the world of social media networking! As an early adopter and advocate of social networking in financial services, I look forward to the new voices and thought leaders that will emerge In the months and years to come.
Before you get started, let me share some simple advice: BE AUTHENTIC!
I know this may be a new world for you, and that learning how to use social media may seem like learning a foreign language. It’s not. If necessary, get help to learn HOW to use the tools, but resist the urge to have others speak on your behalf.
Don’t rely or use the “canned” messages created for you by your public relations, corporate communications, or compliance departments. Instead exercise the voice that has led you all along and has built the business you own today. Let your unique voice communicate who you are and what you represent in social networking circles. You know why people work with you-tell us!
Trust that the amplified nature of social media networking will reveal the thought leader that you are, and value you add each day.
Your audience is out there listening- it’s time to engage!
For more, check out these two blog posts on authenticity:
“Why Authenticity Matters” by Brian Solis
“Five Ways to Maintain Authenticity with Social Media” by Patricio Robles
What do you think? How important is it to have an authentic voice when it comes to social media?
NOTE: If you are worried about exposing too much of yourself on Facebook, you can always use groups to create your own private circles of trust within Facebook. I did this by setting up a Gaxiola Family Group that is secret (until now) and cannot be found on search. In this group we share personal stories, photos and videos and all comments, shares, likes, etc. are limited to the members of the group.
Belbey Blogs: Facebook Isn’t All That Scary For Business
Posted by belbey in Actiance, Employee Behavior, Financial Services, FINRA, personal v professional, Uncategorized on January 9, 2013
Today’s post is by Joanna Belbey, Social Media and Compliance Specialist at Actiance
When I first accepted my position at Actiance as the Social Media and Compliance Specialist, I was told that it was expected that I “friend” my manager and colleagues. Having come from FINRA, where we intentionally never “friended” each other on Facebook, the whole concept made me cringe. So I avoided it as long as I could. Finally I admitted my hesitation to a colleague, “I’m pretty goofy on Facebook” and she replied, “Don’t worry, we all are”. And by goofy, what I meant, is that I’m just my honest self. Movies that I like, events that I attend, great finds on shopping trips, photos of my bird, travel adventures, and even some silliness from time to time.
Her comment encouraged me to take the plunge. And you know what? Since then, I have really enjoyed learning about the personal lives of my colleagues. As I work remotely, Facebook has become my virtual water cooler. I learned about Sarah Carter’s passion for sailing in the freezing cold (brrr) or hurtling down a mountain in a bobslide at 80mph (yikes!), or about a Lisa Stokoe’s baking (yum) and sewing adventures, and even my shared passion for all things Star Trek, with Jeff Podraza.
Since then, I’ve even “friended” business associates and former colleagues. I now know a very serious financial services journalist loves her pugs, that an esteemed social media strategist, Augie Ray, is a movie buff like me, and that the chief compliance officer of a major broker dealer has a passion for fried food. I even went back and “friended” many of my colleagues at FINRA and was delighted to discover how multi-faceted they really are. Who knew?
For me, there really is no longer any bright white line between my personal and business life. And I think that’s the way the world is going. In my travels at Actiance, I hear many stories from clients whose financial advisors and agents use Facebook to initiate and nurture relationships with clients. After all, for them, life events (engagement, wedding, new baby, new job, illness, parents in assisted living, etc) are opportunities to provide more suitable product to their clients. And what better what to learn about the lives of your clients than on Facebook?
Learning about the personal lives of my colleagues, clients and business associates is highly entertaining and enhances my life every day. And I think it makes it easier to work together knowing that you have some common ground. After all, we all want to work with people we like, right?
A highlight for me at FINRA’s Advertising Regulation Conference..
Posted by SarahActiance in Uncategorized on October 26, 2012
Social Business GM, Sarah Carter contemplates commentary on liking and endorsements from the FINRA AdReg conference..
The rate of change on social networks and new features that might impact regulated users is always a great topic for conversation. And that topic was turned to several times here at the FINRA Advertising Regulation conference in Washington this week. In both social media compliance sessions and also the general session Q&A, attendees from the member firms wanted clarification on how FINRA views a couple of key elements of the social networks.
The first raised was LinkedIn endorsements – and you can read more about that feature here on LinkedIn’s blog. This new feature, launched during September of this year, has caused more than a little consternation amongst the regulated sector. In a previous blog entry, I noted how you might control and manage this. In one of the social media compliance session, Amy Sochard confirmed that these endorsements are indeed a testimonial if its referring to their skill as a broker.
We’ve also just touched on whether the use of the button on Facebook, which of course you need to do in order to follow a page -whether that’s a corporate or a business person page – means that you’re endorsing that page or adopting its content. No, is the answer. But that no comes with a comment – if you then go and like the comment (and this is the example from the conference) “Tom Pappas is best best rep in the world”, then of course that changes the rules, and that would be adoption of the content. And yes, that would be a problem.
It’s great to see more clarity from FINRA, and its great to see some of the folks up on stage – from Tom Pappas, Amy Sochard and Joe Price showing understanding not just of the challenges of social, but also why and how folks are using social media.
What were your thoughts on AdReg this year?
It’s not what you say, it’s who says it..
Posted by SarahActiance in Compliance, eDiscovery, Employee Behavior, New Internet, Social Networking, Trends, Uncategorized on October 4, 2012
@SarahActiance contemplates social crisis, the presidential debate, political unrest and of course bacon.
Remember way back when we saw a social media crisis where someone inadvertently (we hope) posted from the wrong profile. (and we all thought, phew, glad it wasn’t me!) Remember the Habitat UK Twitter Intern issue? Where an alleged intern tweeted using the #mousavi hashtag to promote offers?
Inadvertent or not we’re seeing a trend in recent times, the most memorable of which are:
- @RedCross did wonders for Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch beer when someone accidentally tweeted from the organization’s official ID about “when we do beer, we do it right”
- @celeboutique believed that the trending of #aurora as a hashtag was related to their @kimkardashian inspired dress, not (apparently) understanding the true reason for the trending. Apparently the author “wasn’t based in the USA”. Not it appears based on the internet either..
- And of course this week’s somewhat politically incorrect statement from @KitchenAidUSA on @barackobama and his g’ma that came during the presidential candidacy debate.
What I see here isn’t malicious intent. It’s simple human error. And I’ve done it myself. And, on more than one occasion. Luckily, I wasn’t tweeting about anything more than worldwide bacon shortages or #aporkalypsenow as we’re calling it here at @Actiance. But it’s easy to see how its done. I use a mobile device to socialize and like the vast majority of folks I’m much more social when I’m mobile. I’m also human, and in my rush to communicate, I might not always check which profile I’m tweeting from. Hence #aporkalypse.
That’s never going to change. The fallibility of human beings I mean. And that’s why we need technology to protect us from ourselves. Whether that protection requirement is for regulatory purposes, or the protection of our corporate or organization brands, I advocate that we need that control in place.
And while I’m on the topic, vaguely, why not take this moment to reflect on what your social media crisis plan is. Because when YOUR crisis hit, you won’t have time to think, you’ll just have to do – so take this breathing space right now and scope out your plan, while you still have time and thank your lucky stars that your brand isn’t trending for all the wrong reasons.
What would be on YOUR list for your social media crisis plan?
Belbey Blogs: Please vote for our submissions to SXSW!
Posted by belbey in Social Networking, Uncategorized on August 23, 2012
Today’s post comes from Joanna Belbey, Social Media and Compliance Specialist at Actiance.
It’s the heat of the summer and you are being besieged by requests to vote for presentations at South by Southwest, a digital conference held this year from March 8-12 in Austin, Texas. Why are we so passionate about SXSW? Everyone’s experience is unique. For me, my first impulse is to map out a plan of carefully selected educational programs to explore obscure topics and bone up on industry trends. Then after a day or two, I get overwhelmed and just want to hang around the Blogger Lounge at the Convention Center. Or maybe have brunch at the spooky Driskill Hotel. Or walk around outside (if it isn’t pouring!), to watch folks play Foursquare and try to pick up as many t-shirts as possible. Plus indulge in BBQ, iced tea, and that great white bread you can’t find in New York City. And then there are the parties. As I’m pretty much an early bird, I drop by one or two, and then head back to Hotel Austin for room service and watch the tweets unfold.
For me, random conversations are the essence of SXSW. I’ve met the most amazing people: interns just getting started in their careers (in the hallway of the Convention Center), a thought leader I follow on Twitter (sitting next to me at an event), a journalist from The New York Times (in a taxi at 5:30am on the way to the airport), to world renown filmmakers (Starbucks). It really doesn’t matter what you do, or where you go, if you look up from your smart phone and smile, you will meet passionate, fascinating people from all walks of life. You’ll learn something new and start relationships that deepen over time. I think of it as summer camp for adults.
So, help us out. Please review each of the five submissions below, and if you like what you see, click through to vote “Thumbs Up”. Thank you in advance. Hope to see you there!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joanna Belbey (Actiance)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/4845
Social Media Security & Compliance
Security and compliance are at the center of the conversation regarding using social media for regulated industries such as financial services, energy and healthcare. This workshop will break down security and compliance issues including: an overview of the regulatory and eDiscovery landscape (SEC, FINRA, IIROC, HIPAA, PCI, FSA, FRCP, FERC, NERC); the dangers of data leakage (personal information, intellectual property, credit card/SSN, client records); incoming threats (malware, spyware, viruses, trojans, inappropriate content); user behavior (employee productivity, bandwidth explosion, every employee being a face of the business) and 9 Steps you take to mitigate the risks of using social media. @actiance @belbey
Joanna Belbey (Actiance), Greg Gunn (HootSuite) and James Graham (CMP.LY)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/5756
How Financial Firms Can Move from Spam to Social
The attraction of social media is that it is the most informal and instantaneous of modern communications. Ironically, the standard operating procedure for most financial services firms is to pre-approve every post before it goes out, despite the fact that FINRA makes allowances for much greater flexibility based upon post review in many cases. We will host a discussion of where and how post review can be employed as an effective compliance tool to enable FinServ companies to use social media as it was intended. @actiance @belbey @gunnr @hootsuite @JamesGraham @CMPLY
Sarah Carter (Actiance)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/11128
Social: Leveraging the swords of a thousand men..
Those organizations that enable social media will be in the top 20% of their industry when it comes to revenue growth. Enabling individuals to use their own authentic voice yet, ensure that corporate branding and governance guidelines are met is imperative to the success of the enablement of social within any organization.The growth of the personal brand, the engagement of the individual in matters that concern the organization will see the true growth and benefit of social media. @actiance @sarahactiance
Victor Gaxiola (Actiance)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/5432
The Legal Issues of Social Media
This workshop is designed to help you understand some of the key legal issues arising from social media and what it means to you and your organization. Includes an overview of the key legal issues arising from social media such as privacy, content ownership, intellectual property infringement and unauthorized activities; legal statutes for operators and users of social networking sites; industry-specific legislation and regulatory bodies; recent court cases and best practices. @actiance @victorgaxiola
And our Financial Services Rockstar:
Joyce Sullivan (SocMediaFin)
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/3334
Career Reinvention: Social Media and New Work
Thousands of jobs have been eliminated or outsourced to other cities and countries. Second wave / industrial revolution era industries have been shrinking and disappearing. Years of preparation, higher education degrees and work experience doesn’t count much anymore for ensuring career success. What’s a ‘second waver’ to do? My story is about career reinvention and my decision to leave my traditional corporate job to start my own company. ‘Second wavers’ who are reinventing their careers and themselves are shaping the future now. My session will take participants through the steps I created and followed to leave my corporate VP job, start my own firm, and how they too can reinvent themselves and own their career destiny. @joycemsullivan @socmediafin
