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A recent Ontario arbitrator’s ruling reminds us that the law and social media are in an ever-changing relationship. The Olympics’ once again aggressively enforce trademarks on social media. Instagram Stories are feeling good. And the trend to distributed publishing prompts a rethink of the hub and spoke content publishing model. Join Gini Dietrich, Martin Waxman and Joseph Thornley as they discuss these topics on this week’s Inside PR podcast.

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Employers’ social media responsibilities are fluid

You may think that social media has been around long enough that you’re comfortable that you know what you should, can and must do when interacting on social media for your employer or client. Well, an Arbitrator’s ruling in a dispute between the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and the union representing its employees should remind us that nothing is fixed when it comes to social media. As reported in the Toronto Star, the Arbitrator ruled that the TTC, when operating @TTCHelps, its Twitter outreach ID, failed to take all of the measure it should have to protect its employees from online harassment and abuse. The union argued that, by operating its customer service Twitter ID, @TTCHelps, the TTC was providing a forum for abuse and harassment of its employees. While the arbitrator did not support the union’s demand to shut down the account, he did indicate that the TTC be more assertive, telling people to take down posts, images, etc. considered offensive to employees, blocking Twitter uses and requesting Twitter to close the accounts of those users who do not cooperate. We have a good discussion about this ruling. Regardless of which side you come down on, this is a reminder to be ready to revise your practices on social media. The law still is being made.

Olympic-sized trademark enforcement says its about big money more than athletics

It’s become a tradition. Noting the hyper-aggressive trademark enforcement surrounding the Olympics and the use of any of their registered terms. Small businesses need to keep themselves as safe as the larger entities. And that’s just not fun.

Instagram Stories make a good social media platform even better

Gini has been posting to Instagram stories daily, and she reports that it’s a much simpler, intuitive experience than posting to Snapchat. Simpler. Intuitive. A solid foundation for success.

Does the hub and spoke need a tire change?

The hub and spoke approach to creating, distributing and promoting content has been a best practice for several years. However, after hearing that 75% of the content Buzzfeed produces isn’t published on Buzzfeed.com, Martin wonders if it’s time for marketers to reassess the role of the hub. Gini and Joe aren’t quite ready to abandon their blogs, but they agree with Martin that we need to challenge our accepted practices.

About Joe Thornley

Joseph Thornley, co-host of Inside PR, is CEO of Thornley Fallis and founder of 76engage. He is a past Chair of the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms. Full bio

About Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm. She is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro. She is the co-author of Marketing in the Round and co-host of Inside PR. Full bio

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, APR, is a digital, social media, and communications strategist and LinkedIn Learning instructor. He conducts AI research, leads social media workshops, and teaches digital strategy. He writes a Digital Marketing Trends newsletter on LinkedIn, is one of the hosts of the Inside PR podcast and can be found on Twitter @martinwaxman. Full bio