Socially practical or practically unsociable? A study into social media policy experiences in Queensland cultural heritage institutions

With an online presence now paramount, many libraries, archives and museums have created, or are looking to create, a social media policy; one that will dictate an accepted level of interaction and outline how practitioners within these cultural heritage institutions use social media. But is the use of social media policy in direct defiance of the purpose of social media? And more importantly, is it practical for cultural heritage institutions to have one? This paper aims to answer these questions by reporting on the results of a study into the social media policy experiences of practitioners at the State Library of Queensland, Queensland State Archives and Queensland Museum. Findings from this study indicate that it is practical for cultural heritage institutions to have a social media policy if it inspires confidence, empowers practitioners, and encourages them to use social media.