Official Discussion of New Fb Policy

[NooraK]

I know we've got a few threads announcing there is a new Facebook/Social Networking Policy, but I thought it'd be helpful to gather all opinions and interpretations in one place. The full policy can be read here:

https://www.pamperedchef.com/images/cc/us/pdf/consultant_policy_guide.pdf

The "Social Networking" section starts on page 40 of the document, and linkage of your PWS is also mentioned on page 39. According to the first page, the Marketing, Advertising and Publicity Policies have been updated starting on page 35, so there may be even more than just the Social Networking piece that has changed, but I'd like this thread to focus on just the FB/SN policy.

 

[NooraK]

First, there's a paragraph about linking your PWS:

You can list your Personal Page Not Found Web Site
address in your personal e-mail correspondence, e-newsletters,
on social networking websites or profiles such as Facebook,
Myspace, Twitter, etc., or on business cards, checks, stationery
and other similar materials. Your host may use your Personal
Web Site address to promote their Show through printed
invitations, e-mail invitations, or through their social networking
profile. You can also list your personal www.pamperedchef.biz site in print advertising as long as you act in accordance with all
other guidelines.

There are a lot of restrictions of online useage of your PWS address, but it's now in writing that you can put it on your profile.

 

[NooraK]

HO then defines what they consider Social Networking, and says:

You may use these sites
to share information about The Pampered Chef® business
opportunity and for prospecting and sponsoring; however,
these sites may not be used for retail purposes. You may
promote your Pampered Chef® business on such sites in the
following ways:
• You must disclose your full name on all social media
postings, and conspicuously identify yourself as an
Independent Consultant or Independent Sales Director (or
appropriate title) for The Pampered Chef®.
• 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.
• Anonymous postings are prohibited.

I like the idea of an Independent Consultant Logo, I saw there were several different colors available on previous pages of the Policy Guide. But the concept of making sure customers know we're not employees is the same as before.

HO goes on to remind us that we need to uphold PC's image, and not post anything negative, disparaging etc.

Consultants are personally responsible for their own postings
as well as all online activity conducted on behalf of their
business. Consultants will be held fully responsible for any
and all such activities.

 

[NooraK]

Next is a paragraph about the actual linking of your PWS:

Linking to Your Personal Web Site Through Social
Networking Sites
When directing readers to your Personal Web Site
through social networking sites it must be evident from a
combination of the link and the surrounding context that the
link will be landing at the site of an Independent Pampered
Chef® Consultant. Attempts to mislead web traffic into
believing they are going to The Pampered Chef® corporate
site, when in fact they are being directed to a Consultant’s
Personal Web Site will not be allowed. The determination
as to what is misleading will be at The Pampered Chef’s sole
discretion.
Please note: If you link directly to the Shop
Online pages of your Personal Web Site, the link will
expire after 2 hours and any orders placed using that link
will be directed to the Lead system through the corporate
website. You should instead link to one of the main pages
of your Personal Web Site since these links are static and
will not expire.

 

[NooraK]

The policy also addresses pages created solely for a PC purpose:

Groups or Group Pages on Social Networking Sites
If you create a group on a social networking site that is
primarily dedicated to your Pampered Chef® business, you
must privatize the group. For example, if a Director creates
a Facebook group for their downline or for their customers,
only individuals specifically invited by the group moderator
should have the ability to join the group and access the
group’s page/information.

It doesn't, however, say that if you post about PC on your everyday personal profile that you must make that private.

 

[NooraK]

The Policy also addresses the PC Corporate page and what is OK and not OK to do with the information there:

When engaging with the official Pampered Chef® Facebook
page, it is appropriate to:
• Republish content, updates and articles to your own Facebook wall.
• Express your enthusiasm for The Pampered Chef® and
its products — this reflects well on the company and all
Consultants.
It is not appropriate to:
• Publicize your business or Personal Web Site on the company
page — remember that this is a resource for everyone’s
customers.
• Post content on the corporate page or any other page that
offers negative opinions or complaints about The Pampered
Chef® – customers can see this and it will make it harder for
you and everyone else to do business. Instead, please contact
the Solution Center at 1-888-OUR-CHEF to resolve or discuss
any issues regarding your business, Pampered Chef® products,
policies or procedures.
Violation of these policies may result in the removal of your
post(s) and may lead to further action being taken. See also
policies on Social Networking.

 

[leftymac]

They will also have an online training course, which I think is a great idea.

 

[NooraK]

The policy also addresses posting pictures and videos online, saying we can post them on SN sites, but not on public consumption sites like YouTube. I found this part very interesting:

You may not upload, submit or publish any content (video, audio,
presentations or any computer files) received from The Pampered
Chef® or captured at official Pampered Chef® events or in
buildings owned or operated by The Pampered Chef® without
prior written permission from Consultant Career Solutions.

It does state that we are responsible for protecting the Intellectual Property Rights of PC by making sure we include trademarks and all that.

 

[NooraK]

This is a really important part that everyone needs to be aware of. This is what happens if you break the rules:

POLICY ENFORCEMENT
The 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 career_solutions@
pamperedchef.com.
• 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.

I think it's extremely important, and a very good thing for HO to spell out the consequences of not following the rules.

 

[NooraK]

They will also have an online training course, which I think is a great idea.

Yes, it's hard to sometimes grasp everything when you are reading it like this. I'm sure the course will especially be helpful to those who are a bit less web savvy.

 

[trps]

So can I put PC as an employer and that I am a Director?

 

[NooraK]

So can I put PC as an employer and that I am a Director?

You just have to make it clear that you are an Independent Director, not an employee.

 

[kam]

I searched for Pampered Chef on FB (to see the official page) and I couldn't find it. So many other Pampered Chef pages came up. I finally had to find the official link that someone had posted here on CS.

So how does that work? The one that comes up right away certainly "looks" official. Anyone could have signed up for a FB page and called it Pampered Chef??

 

[pamperedharriet]

Thanks Nora for all of the time and effort you have put into this! I for one truly appreciate it!

 

[NooraK]

I searched for Pampered Chef on FB (to see the official page) and I couldn't find it. So many other Pampered Chef pages came up. I finally had to find the official link that someone had posted here on CS.

So how does that work? The one that comes up right away certainly "looks" official. Anyone could have signed up for a FB page and called it Pampered Chef??

I would think that as PC gains more fans, it'll come up higher in search results. There is a "Community Page" that FB has created that comes up that's something new FB is doing. It's not really a page per se, it's a feature of FB that links together any mentions of PC on FB.

 

[kam]

I would think that as PC gains more fans, it'll come up higher in search results. There is a "Community Page" that FB has created that comes up that's something new FB is doing. It's not really a page per se, it's a feature of FB that links together any mentions of PC on FB.

I don't do too much on FB - so the Community Page is new to me. But, I just thought it was interesting that anyone can start a FB account/page with a company's name.

 

[DebbieJ]

At conference, Jean also made it very clear to use FB wisely. Don't make every post on your personal page about PC or people will start to de-friend you. LOL. They had a cute video about it. They emphasized that the main purpose is to continue to create and cultivate RELATIONSHIPS

 

[chefmoseley]

So an additional cool feature on the PC FB page is 'send a virtual gift'. You can send gifts to your friends for their bdays and then when they click it back to the PC FB page they get a cool recipe How cool is that?

 

[chefheidi2003]

So an additional cool feature on the PC FB page is 'send a virtual gift'. You can send gifts to your friends for their bdays and then when they click it back to the PC FB page they get a cool recipe How cool is that?

That is cool..I guess I will start sending gifts rather than just posting Happy Birthday on everyone's pages..LOL.

 

[pamperedharriet]

I read the new marketing, advertising and publicity policies and printed pages 35-40 so I can read them over and over again. I went to CC and cannot find the logos anywhere to download. Help!!!!!!! Thanks.

 

[PampChefJoy]

They're here Harriet: https://www.pamperedchef.com/repsonly/pyb_overview.jsp

Scroll down a little bit...

 

[pamperedharriet]

They're here Harriet: https://www.pamperedchef.com/repsonly/pyb_overview.jsp

Scroll down a little bit...

Thanks, Joy. The page I was on didn't look like that completely. I know have the logos I want! Thanks again!!!!!!:chef:

 

[NooraK]

I think it's quite interesting that the only logos available to us now include "Independent Consultant" on them, and the other logos aren't available anymore. The rules specifically state we can't alter the Independent Consultant Logo, and we can't use another logo if we're creating our own flyer. I'm sure it's because HO wants to ensure we're not representing ourselves as HO, though.

 

[cindylpal]

I'm new to this whole facebook....can we put the PC logos on our site? If so, how do we do that? Those of you that use facebook...whats the best way to also promote our business on there? What are you thinking of doing? Thanks....

 

[DebbieJ]

I'm new to this whole facebook....can we put the PC logos on our site? If so, how do we do that? Those of you that use facebook...whats the best way to also promote our business on there? What are you thinking of doing?

Thanks....

Cindy, this is a new policy and there will be THREE Online Training Courses about using Facebook for your business available to take starting Monday.

 

[NooraK]

I'm new to this whole facebook....can we put the PC logos on our site? If so, how do we do that? Those of you that use facebook...whats the best way to also promote our business on there? What are you thinking of doing?

Thanks....

I would recommend reading the Advertising section of the Consultant Policy Guide. That will answer your questions about which photos you can and cannot use.

As for how, it depends on whether you would like it to be your profile picture, or you want to put it in an album.

I haven't yet decided exactly what I'm going to do. I started a thread on whether or not to start a separate, PC-only profile (if I do, there's rules on that, too), or just keep going with my current set up. I haven't found much luck in just posting about specials or sales or even "I'm having so much fun at my show" kind of posts. I have had some luck with sending personal messages, but even then, nothing beats getting on the phone.

 

[cindylpal]

Cindy, this is a new policy and there will be THREE Online Training Courses about using Facebook for your business available to take starting Monday.

I will be checking those out on Monday for sure! Was just wondering what those of you that already were on facebook thought! I guess I'm just missing the big picture...I'm sure the training will be a big help for folks like me.

 

[pampered2007]

I read the new marketing, advertising and publicity policies and printed pages 35-40 so I can read them over and over again. I went to CC and cannot find the logos anywhere to download. Help!!!!!!! Thanks.

If you're looking for the colorful Independent Consultant Logos...Go to Consultant's Corner and you'll find them under "Promoting Your Business"

 

[pampered2007]

The Logos are under "Promoting Your Business" in Consultants Corner I love all the colors!!!

 

[NooraK]

OK, so here's my question on the interpretation of the policy regarding pages primarily for ones business (see this post for the text):

If I create a separate FB profile, must I make my wall private? The policy says "only individuals specifically invited by the group moderator should have the ability to join the group and access the group's page/information." Since it won't be a "group" does this even apply? Are Wall postings considered "information"?