How Will Pampered Chef Enforce Social Media Policy Violations?

[NooraK]

I got this email today:

In keeping with the new Marketing, Advertising and Publicity policies regarding social media, we will begin regulating and enforcing the use of Pampered Chef brands and trademarks on social networking sites in August.

To avoid losing any contacts on your social networking sites, you must read and comply with the updated policies no later than Aug. 15, 2010. This includes but is not limited to any and all uses of The Pampered Chef brand, logo, name or trademarks where the Consultant does not clearly identify themselves as an Independent Consultant with The Pampered Chef.

It is your sole responsibility to make sure that you are in compliance with all Pampered Chef policies by August 15. After this date, any pages, profiles or groups that are in violation of the policies will be shut down.

Please refer to the help section of your social networking sites for instructions on how to update your profile, groups and/or pages so that they are in compliance with the social media policies.

You can view The Pampered Chef's updated social media policies and procedures on Consultant's Corner under Managing Your Business > Policies and Procedures > Consultant Policy Guide. The updated social media policies begin on page 35.

I see on CC that the policies have been updated as of 7/20, but I'm not in a place where I can take time to read all the detail to see exactly what changed between the 14th and the 20th.

Also, what I'm interested in is the part where they say any pages in violation will be shut down. How does HO have the ability to actually shut down violating pages on FB? I'm not saying that I plan to violate the policy, but it seems a bit curious to me.

 

[Zsu]

I am wondering too.

As a start i am going to do the online training. Then read the policies. Then i have no idea. But i hope i will have things clear by then.

 

[NooraK]

We've had a lot of discussion here, and several consultants have emailed Career Solutions for clarification on things. I did print out the section of the policies on that first day, so when I go home, I can do a comparison. I just don't want to have to re-do something like my FB Page because they changed something after giving me an answer to my questions.

 

[esavvymom]

I think it pertains to your PWS, not the offending site, for violations. They'll take away your privileges to have individual orders first, and after 3 violations or if you don't fix the first one after a period of time, that's it. I haven't looked at it enough to tell you what might have changed since 7/15 though, not yet.Below, from the 7/20 policy, page 41:

POLICY ENFORCEMENTThe Home Office will randomly audit social networking and
other websites and links to Personal Web Sites to ensure these
guidelines are being followed. If you wish to report a violation,
please e-mail Consultant Career Solutions at
[email protected].• For a Consultant’s first internet policy violation, they will be
notified that their Personal Web Site individual ordering option
will be suspended for a period of 5 business days in which they
must remove the violation. If they comply, they will be allowed
the privilege of individual online ordering. If the Consultant
does not comply within 5 business days, their Personal Web
Site individual ordering option will be suspended for a total of
60 days. If they are still in violation after 60 days, their Personal
Web Site individual online ordering option will be permanently
disabled.• For a second violation, the Consultant will be notified that their
Personal Web Site individual ordering option will be disabled
for a period of 5 business days in which they must remove
the violation. If they comply, they will be allowed the Personal
Web Site individual ordering option. If the Consultant does
not comply within 5 days, the Personal Web Site individual
ordering option will be suspended for a total of 90 days. If they
are still in violation after 90 days, their PWS individual online
ordering option will be permanently disabled.• For a third violation, the Consultant’s Personal Web Site
subscription will be immediately and permanently cancelled.Failure to adhere to policy may also result in further actions
including the termination of your Consultant Agreement.

They aren't messing around this time. Everyone is an adult, and now everyone has been warned (via email) that they have to abide by the rules. No more playing "dumb" and ignoring them. I say good for them!

 

[NooraK]

I would have thought they'd be referring to the PWS, except for this sentence here:

After this date, any pages, profiles or groups that are in violation of the policies will be shut down.

It specifically reference pages, profiles and groups.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Clear as mud.I personally am sticking with the old policy, pretty much, except to "like" them on Facebook, until I have a chance to take those training classes. I'm not sure if I have to do so by the 15th if I don't make a big to do out of being a consultant. I'll "dislike" if it comes to that.

 

[pcchefjane]

I'm wondering if it those who are doing blatant advertising on the PC fan page? HO could report profiles that are not in compliance I supposed. I am still confused because I read it that it is supposed to be the FB profile page not a "fan page" or "business page" like some of you have set up. I just added a second profile that is strictly PC. I have explained to everyone as I friend them NOT to post anything political, religious, controversial on my Wall directly! I'm just so glad some of the people that post their comments to things who I am friends with can be seen on my Wall! One lady posted something with a several cuss words in it. I didn't say anything to her but then several people "called her out" and told her how inappropriate they thought she was. I then said that I do agree with the "sentiment" of her post but using several of the words she did, I could not "like" it or repost as she requested. I'm not sure what will happen now...

 

[Maragib]

Jane - I am pretty sure that you can delete anything posted on your wall by others. Hover over their comment and their should be a button that pops up to say remove. I have used it when I have posted an update with a spelling mistake.
Mara

 

[cookie325]

I am still confused because I read it that it is supposed to be the FB profile page not a "fan page" or "business page" like some of you have set up. I just added a second profile that is strictly PC.

Noora posted in another thread where she got clarification from Home Office that we are allowed to set up a group, page (business) or profile (personal). Just be aware that it is against FB's TOS to have more than one profile, even if one is used for business only. They may not delete your profiles for it, but they can. That was mentioned in one of the online training courses.

 

[cookie325]

It looked to me (just at first glance, without a chance to compare the two versions of the policy guide) that they are now mentioning groups, profiles, AND pages. This is what I'm referring to, under the Social Networking heading:You may include the Independent Consultant Logo, your
e-mail address, phone number, and link to your Personal
Web Site on your profile or page. See Linking to Your PWS
Through Social Networking Sites section for additional
policies on PWS linking.That could have been there before, but I replaced the old version with the new one, so I can't do a side-by-side comparison.

 

[NooraK]

I went through the current version of the policy, and what I had printed out previously, line by line, and I could not find any significant changes. Either I printed it later than I thought (which I doubt, because I was so eager to know what it said), or the changes listed for July are any made in the whole month.

I did get clarification from HO on the policy, and they did tell me that I can do a Page on FB. The understanding I got was that HO doesn't necessarily recommend it though, because of the privacy issue. They seem to be encouraging consultants to stick with their profiles because it allows them more control over who sees their information. I don't have a privacy concern, because I'm not going to post anything on the Page that I wouldn't want printed on the front page of the NY Times. All my posts about my family and personal life will stay within my profile, and that's only visible to my friends.

And yes Jane, as mentioned, you can delete anything that's posted to your wall. And if anyone were to call you out on it, you're perfectly within your rights to say, it's your profile and you can do whatever you please with it.

 

[HealthNut]

I'm new to this and haven't technically signed up yet (but will be next week) - I keep seeing all these privacy policy posts - and believe me, I will read everything once I sign up - but my main question - for facebook, you are allowed to put your pampered chef website (if you have one) as a link on your facebook page, correct?Also would be allowed to ask if anyone wants to host? Or does that have to be through private messages? As in it couldn't be a mass "wall post/what I'm thinking today" sort of thing?...Just curious! Thanks!

 

[NooraK]

Yes, you are allowed to popst your PWS link to your Facebook page. You are also allowed to state you are a consultant and invite your friends to host etc. However, most of us have learned that this doesn't work particularly well, because it's not a personal invitation. Sometimes you get something out of it, but eventually your friends just get tired of seeing the solicitations and tune them out.

 

[PampChefJoy]

My guess is that people have been making fan pages called "The Pampered Chef" and either intentionally or unintentionally being the official HO page, to draw business to themselves. The average Joe Q. Public isn't necessarily going to dig deep enough to see if they're on the official PC FB page, and then click on a link to go to order through someone else's PWS. Know what I mean?I think that's why they say they can shut a page down, because FB would shut down a page for misrepresentation.I don't think anything has changed from before as far as our ability to have fan pages, etc. I would say to be safe, to use "independent consultant" as part of your fan page title, and use the new logo instead of the old one.

 

[NooraK]

That's true, they can ask FB to shut down a page bearing their name because that person doesn't have permission to do that. That makes more sense.

 

[Stampaholic1961]

I am very confused (and upset) about all of this. I did the training & it talks about using your personal profile to market your business. But that is actually against Facebook's terms of service. You can get your personal profile deleted if you do that. I emailed HO and they sent me an email thanking me for contacting them and that they would forward my comments to the appropriate department. I am about fed up with all of this. I understand that we shouldn't be promoting ourselves as the company but why do we have to make people jump through so many hoops to do business with us? UGH.

 

[NooraK]

I am very confused (and upset) about all of this. I did the training & it talks about using your personal profile to market your business. But that is actually against Facebook's terms of service. You can get your personal profile deleted if you do that. I emailed HO and they sent me an email thanking me for contacting them and that they would forward my comments to the appropriate department. I am about fed up with all of this. I understand that we shouldn't be promoting ourselves as the company but why do we have to make people jump through so many hoops to do business with us? UGH.

I'm not clear about what you are saying is against FB's terms. Your post makes it sound like posting business information on your personal profile would be against FB's terms, but I could not find anything in the terms that states so.

It is against FB's terms to have two profiles, and that is what the training states. HO encourages us to utilize our personal profile because of the ability it gives you to control your privacy. Another option, which a lot of consultants have opted for, is to create a Page. The key with that is to state that you are an independent consultant (or director), which is what the email is focused on.

I'd recommend checking out some of the threads in the Social Media forum that were started when the new option was first announced. We discussed a lot of the rules back then, and there's a lot of good information to be found.

 

[Stampaholic1961]

I'm not clear about what you are saying is against FB's terms. Your post makes it sound like posting business information on your personal profile would be against FB's terms, but I could not find anything in the terms that states so.It is against FB's terms to have two profiles, and that is what the training states. HO encourages us to utilize our personal profile because of the ability it gives you to control your privacy. Another option, which a lot of consultants have opted for, is to create a Page. The key with that is to state that you are an independent consultant (or director), which is what the email is focused on.I'd recommend checking out some of the threads in the Social Media forum that were started when the new option was first announced. We discussed a lot of the rules back then, and there's a lot of good information to be found.

I did check out the threads about Social Media. I did the HO training. I'm still confused.Here is what I found on Facebook.The account I created to promote my business, band or other organization is now disabled.Per our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Facebook profiles must represent an individual. Users aren't permitted to maintain an account under the name of their organization, or use personal accounts to advertise or promote themselves professionally. If your profile was listed under a non-individual name, or was used primarily for professional promotion, this is probably why it was removed.

 

[NooraK]

If your profile was listed under a non-individual name, or was used primarily for professional promotion, this is probably why it was removed.

This is the key part. If your profile is created under your name, not for example "Pampered Chef Consultant" and if you use it for your personal stuff as well, you're fine. If you want something JUST for your business, you should create a Page, which a lot of us have done.

 

[vanscootin]

Noora... on another post you had the ending to your FB page and I tried to go there and couldn't... I was wanting to create a page using your instructions from the other post.... but I wasn't sure I was doing it right... so I didn't.

Truth be told, I wish we still weren't allowed to post things on facebook... this has created quite a stir in my cluster and I think people are feeling the competition when we truly aren't in competition we're supposed to "help" and "support" each other... just seems to be a lot of customer swiping going on in my cluster.

Anyways, I don't want to have pc stuff all over my fb page... I have a lot of non PC customers... like that 5th grade crush who is now married with 10 kids...lol... for example. But I figure I should get up with the times ( I sound like my mom... eesh) and join the business marketing on facebook age.

Am I even doing that right? LOL.

 

[NooraK]

Noora... on another post you had the ending to your FB page and I tried to go there and couldn't... I was wanting to create a page using your instructions from the other post.... but I wasn't sure I was doing it right... so I didn't.

Truth be told, I wish we still weren't allowed to post things on facebook... this has created quite a stir in my cluster and I think people are feeling the competition when we truly aren't in competition we're supposed to "help" and "support" each other... just seems to be a lot of customer swiping going on in my cluster.

Anyways, I don't want to have pc stuff all over my fb page... I have a lot of non PC customers... like that 5th grade crush who is now married with 10 kids...lol... for example. But I figure I should get up with the times ( I sound like my mom... eesh) and join the business marketing on facebook age.

Am I even doing that right? LOL.

Hm... hope I typed it right! I'm doing a lot of one handed typing lately, as yhe baby doesn't like being put down. Noora Kragenbrink - Independent Consultant with The Pampered Chef | Facebook

You can go directly to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php get started on your page.

I'm sorry to hear bout the situation in your cluster. All I can really say is to focus on the positives and your own business. If your customers know you as "The Pampered Chef Lady," which requires more than just a FB contact, another consultant isn't going to swipe them with just a FB page. If there is a concern that your customer is going to jump ship just because another consultant posted on their FB, then you're not doing the customer service you should be doing.

I do personally think a Page is the best way to go. For ideas on what to do, check out some others' pages. If you have questions about specifics, just ask. And do the training on CC!

 

[RMDave]

Noora, nice page. How did you get the nifty URL? Mine goes on for days.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Noora, nice page. How did you get the nifty URL? Mine goes on for days.

(Not Noora, but....)
Once you have 25 people who like your page, you can make your own URL. But now I can't remember how I did mine...I just know that then I was able to. It's nice, because I add it to the end of my email signature, and I also have been putting a label on my catalogs. I've started having hosts & guest liking my page! FUN!

 

[RMDave]

Well remember, girl. I don't have all day! Sheesh. Younguns!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Well remember, girl. I don't have all day! Sheesh. Younguns!

I think I love you. :love: Thanks for calling me a youngun. :

Here - I looked this up at the help center on FB - maybe this can explain it for you? (usernames are your URL's)

How can I secure usernames for my Pages?
If you are an administrator of a Facebook Page, you will be able to ch...
If you are an administrator of a Facebook Page, you will be able to choose your username at Login | Facebook just like a user selecting a username for their profile. There will be an interface for you to choose usernames for each of the eligible Pages you administer.

 

[RMDave]

Thanks, Becky, it actually worked! LOL

 

[vanscootin]

I'm sorry to hear bout the situation in your cluster. All I can really say is to focus on the positives and your own business. If your customers know you as "The Pampered Chef Lady," which requires more than just a FB contact, another consultant isn't going to swipe them with just a FB page. If there is a concern that your customer is going to jump ship just because another consultant posted on their FB, then you're not doing the customer service you should be doing.

I totally agree... I'm not worried about my customers... I have customer loyalty (crossing fingers and hoping). I just feel bad for some of the other gals in my cluster who are noticing their customers becoming FBF and hosting shows for another consultant. One gal called me the other day practically in tears because of this. I feel bad cause I know she is trying to stay afloat with PC but....

I checked out your page... looks amazing... I think I'm going to attepmt to do mine... I started the facebook training on cc but nap time didn't last as long as I'd hoped.

Thanks for your help!