Social media transcend the professional/personal line

Mike Lange articulates the trust that ClearTrial has regarding employee use of social media when it comes to company matters: The maker of planning software for clinical trials expects that employees will exercise the same judgment whether at a conference or online. "You have to balance the corporate goals of an organization with the individual freedom of that person," Lange says in a Chicago Tribune article. "We decided it's not something that you can micromanage. You have to trust the people you hire, but give them guidelines."

Most companies agree on a few ground rules. Employees should let friends and followers know who they work for, respect the company's confidentiality, and note that their personal opinions don't necessarily reflect the company's views. Mark Spognardi, a partner in Arnstein & Lehr's Labor & Employment practice, tells the Tribune that strict employee monitoring can have a negative impact on company moral. But employees who use these services at work should understand that what they do and say isn't private and behave accordingly.

- read the article for more