Construction Law
Social Media Liability and the Construction Industry Part 3
In section one and two of this four-part series, we discussed many of the reasons why your construction company should be utilizing social media applications to bolster your business. Whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, there are many benefits to promoting your business using social media platforms. Of course, sometimes the simplicity of using these applications can land you in hot water as well.
As we will discuss in this section and the final section, although you should embrace and integrate social media into your business model, you must also adjust your employment policies and exercise extreme caution when posting online for liability reasons. Remember, if you have a construction-related legal matter, one of our Orlando construction attorneys is here to help you.
Be Wary of What You Post
Libel and copyright infringement are two things you never want associated with your business. When you are endorsing your brand, it’s important to avoid violating the law. For example, are you publishing someone else’s work to promote your business without their consent? Are you saying negative things about the competition that could be considered defamatory or affect their business? As you can observe from the social media mishaps of celebrities and other businesses, even when you delete a post, the problem isn’t necessarily erased with it.
Avoiding Social Media Gaffes
It’s critical that you coordinate your content to go out on social media in advance and ensure that it’s being monitored by a construction industry professional. In many cases, a construction company will hire a marketing professional that creates the content (strategy, writing, pictures) and uploads it. Without a knowledgeable construction professional reviewing the content, a serious issue can arise. For example, a worker featured in a picture on Facebook may not be wearing the right safety equipment while working. Construction companies must mitigate these risks by eliminating the “immediate post” from their repertoire. All content should be reviewed before publication.
Training Workers in Social Media
Although the concept of training an employee to manage a Facebook page may seem like a silly, time-consuming procedure, companies need to make certain that the person they are relying on to represent their brand is worthy of this responsibility and aware of what they can and cannot post. Further, all workers located on a jobsite need to understand the company’s social media policies, and they need to be aware that they are not allowed to post proprietary information including pictures of the workplace. Never assume that just because your workers understand how to use social media, they will use it wisely.
If you would like to speak with one of our Orlando construction lawyers, please contact us today.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.