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SOCIAL MEDIA 20 airportbusiness October 2014 These tools help enhance the passenger experience, grow revenue, and build passen- ger loyalty in a global economy. However, social media also exposes aviation users to a variety of legal issues. "Social media involves a combination of several types of law," says Linda Emery, a share- holder with von Briesen & Roper, a Wisconsin law firm with experience in social media litiga- tion. "Employment is probably the single most litigated area of social media, but there are also contract law issues, securities law concerns, and intellectual property law components as well. "One of the things we see most frequently is people copying content off the Internet and thinking that it's OK. They don't understand that there are copyrights associated with things they're posting," she continues. "You see it all the time with YouTube, where people think just because it's on YouTube they can take it and use it in any way they want, and they can't." According to Emery, savvy organizations know the legal pitfalls of social media and put pol- icies and practices in place to mitigate their risk. SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE? Avoiding legal issues begins with developing a solid plan for what your organization hopes to accomplish via social media, according to Rowan Childs, director of social media and cli- ent services for Pop-Dot Marketing, a Madison, Wis.-based marketing firm that helps clients develop their Web presence. "They need to know what they are trying to do and how they want to present themselves," she says, stressing that if they enter the space too quickly—without solid planning—they may make mistakes that open them up to legal litigation. Content for social media requires careful consideration. Airport managers must deter- mine the types of information that are accept- able and unacceptable to post, and commu- nicate these guidelines to everyone. "Things that would not be acceptable include politics, religion, and anything too racy or sexual," Childs says, adding it's also unacceptable to insult other businesses or their products. According to Emery, everything that's post- ed needs to be fair and accurate. "The most common legal issue involves overstating prod- ucts and services; things that can get you into a dispute with a competitor and can be a very expensive proposition," she says. "If you put something out there, and it turns out that it is not true, you could get into trouble." When sharing information, it's important to know copyright laws and adhere to them. "I taught a class a couple of months ago, and the first question I asked the people in the class, who were going to be journalists, was if they could copy everything that was on social media sites. They said, 'Yes,' " she says. "All of them were wrong. Copying stuff from other people's sites is a problem. That's something to look out for. You can't post it if you don't know who owns it." Emery says posting links to information is OK, but putting up content without permission is not. "Remember, whatever you post on your site is fair game for litigation," she says. There are FTC guidelines covering a com- pany's use of social media. Endorsements or testimonials, for example, must disclose whether the person who is responding is an employee of the company. Likewise, if someone complains about content, business users need policy in By the Book Know the legal issues of social media use to maximize its benefits without risk I f you're running an airline, an airport or an FBO, chanc- es are you'll be using some form of social media— be it Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter—to build your brand. "Copying stuf from other people's sites is a problem. That's something to look out for. You can't post it if you don't know who owns it." LINDA EMERY, SHAREHOLDER, VON BRIESEN & ROPER By Ronnie L. Garrett