Social Networking Position Paper: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
Marty Fisher (Martha Fisher & Associates) reviews the work completed by ICAE members and regulators during the Columbus, GA, roundtable last March.
With the advance of social media as a major resource for consumers and as a communications medium for industries, the Insurance Consumer Affairs Exchange (ICAE) chose to make the topic of social media its focus for the group’s 2011 Roundtable event held in March. Because social media is a consumer-oriented engagement medium, ICAE believed the consumer affairs professionals who attend ICAE events as members or regulators would be ideally suited to discussing the application of social media from a consumer affairs perspective.
The Process
Initially discussed at ICAE’s Roundtable event held in March 2011 in Columbus, Georgia and hosted by Aflac, the draft position paper on uses and guidelines for social media from a consumer affairs perspective distilled the thoughts of industry professionals from the regulatory, compliance and consumer affairs sectors. Because the topic was considered to be of sufficient impact to the entire insurance sector generally, consumer affairs specifically, and had deep applications for the regulatory community with which ICAE interacts, the Roundtable attendees determined the best next step would be to bring the draft position paper to the larger ICAE group at the fall Exchange for additional vetting.
Our goal
For both Roundtable and Exchange attendees, the agreed-upon goal was: To create a position paper to articulate the opportunities and risks identified with the use of social media. The paper needs to generate guidelines or recommended best practices such that identified risks can be mitigated and identified opportunities can be maximized. Ultimately, the position paper would help all consumer affairs stakeholders successfully integrate social media into their respective organizations. The integration of social media was noted during the meeting as especially important because of the numbers of consumers already actively using it.
Fisher explains that this effort’s goal is to create a position paper to articulate the opportunities and risks identified with the use of social media.
Product
Working together at the Exchange, both in small-group and general sessions, the group reviewed the draft social media position paper. Additionally, the attendees were given and reviewed a synopsis of the NAIC’s guidelines on the use of social media within the insurance industry. Click here to view the position paper in its entirety.
After discussion and recommended modifications, the attendees:
- Endorsed the ICAE position paper on the use of social media from a consumer affairs perspective, and
- Agreed, to a person, to socialize the ICAE position paper within their organization, department, or within a professional group or association.
Next steps:
The current iteration of the position paper is being circulated to the ICAE board of trustees and to participants for final review. Once reviewed, the document will be available for socialization—providing the industry with consumer affairs professionals’ input on the utilization of social media from our perspective.
CONTACT INFO
Martha Fisher
Principal
Martha Fisher & Associates
4781 Coach Rd.
Columbus, OH 43220
614.457.8585
mfishercompany@aol.com
