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Aug 5, 2009 04:00 PM
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So now that the infamous memo has been passed around to everyone, ESPN has reworked their guidelines for those individuals still confused or incensed by the policy and what they can and cannot do.
This is the layman's version, tweaked with more specifics for all employees, and oddly not Tweeted by Ric Bucher, only because he's currently being water-boarded across George Bodenheimer's desk. (Status on his punishment — "the memo spells it out." More vacation for Bucher! )
But for those ESPN employees who are still confused about whether they can optimize their personal brand for a life after ESPN by writing blogs that touch on sports topics not authorized by ESPN, here's the answer: the swift billy club of Bristol justice will rain down upon them. So run to the hills, Cohn Heads.
DJ Poon-to drop that shit:
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES FOR ESPN EMPLOYEES
These guidelines apply to all ESPN employees who participate in any form of personal social networking. If you are an ESPN talent, or reporter engaged with social media, please also refer to those additional guidelines.
ESPN understands that employees may maintain or contribute to personal blogs, message boards, conversation pages and other forms of social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) outside of their job function and may periodically post information about their job or ESPN's activities on these outlets. If an employee posts ESPN or job-related information, they are required to exercise good judgment, abide by ESPN policy, and take the following into consideration.
ESPN employees are obligated to be aware of and comply with any applicable provisions set forth in ESPN's Employee Handbook and The Walt Disney Company's Standards of Business Conduct. Employees may not disclose confidential or proprietary company information or similar information of third parties who have shared such information with ESPN. ESPN's intellectual property, logos, trademarks, and copyrights may not be used in any manner.
If an employee is engaging on external social media platforms personally, they should not use the company's name in their identity (e.g. username, "handle" or screen name), nor should they speak as a representative of the company. If a media inquiry is generated, please direct it to the Communications Department.
If you are an ESPN talent, reporter, writer, producer, editor or other editorial decision maker or a public-facing ESPN employee, you are reminded that when you participate in public blogs or discussion activities, you are representing ESPN just as you would in any other public forum or medium, and you should exercise discretion, thoughtfulness and respect for your colleagues, business associates and our fans. All posted content is subject to review in accordance with, ESPN's employee policies and editorial guidelines.
ESPN's Values expressly state that care and respect for employees and each other will always be at the heart of our operations and that we are passionately committed to teamwork. Employees are responsible for acting in a manner that is consistent with our company Values. To that end, employees are expected to be courteous, respectful, and thoughtful about how other employees may be affected by postings. Incomplete, inaccurate, inappropriate, threatening, harassing or poorly worded postings may be harmful to other employees, damage employee relationships, undermine ESPN's effort to encourage teamwork, violate ESPN policy or harm the Company, which may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Employees bear full responsibility for the material they post on personal blogs or other social media.
For purposes of this policy, a "personal blog" or "social media" includes personal websites and all forms of on-line community activities such as on-line social networks, message boards, conversation pages, and chat rooms. If you have any questions regarding this policy and its application, please contact either your manager or the Human Resources Department
If only the rest of the Twitterverse would rise up and fight against the trolling censors of ESPN the same way the did for the Iranian protesters back in June. Everyone in the Twitterverse should change their time to EST and their location to Bristol.
Send an email to A.J. Daulerio, the author of this post, at ajd@deadspin.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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