[Editor's note: Be sure to read our September 2009 cover story, "The Webs We Weave."]

In just 5.5 years, Facebook has grown from a college cult following to a global phenomenon. Critics downplay its popularity as a fad bound to fade, but the social networking site is standing its ground as a convenient way to connect. Now, international companies are jumping on the bandwagon for an easy (and cheap) way to manage the work force from afar.

Internal Communications
Telecommuting and overseas MTs log hours in front of the computer with little face-to-face interaction, so it's easy to feel disconnected from the rest of the company. At SPi, Facebook helps bridge that divide.

President and CEO Peter Maquera launched a companywide Facebook page about 6 months ago. The site aimed to keep its 10,000 employees--spread across the globe, from U.S. to India to Vietnam--up-to-date on company news. Maquera posted updates, announcements and employees' stories from around the globe, and MTs listened. The page garnered such positive response that SPi launched a second page specifically for its transcription business about 2 months ago. Ethan Cohen, president of SPi Healthcare, manages the site, which includes photos, upcoming events and industry news. "We're using it to create an internal community and let our employees know what's going on in the company and give them an opportunity to ask questions," Cohen said.

The fan base is growing, and much of that may have to do with the MT culture. Transcriptionists spend a lot of time in front of the computer, so they tend to be up on Web trends. In the Philippines, where much of SPi's work force is concentrated, 60 percent of employees who used e-mail had a Facebook account, according to Sameer Raina, director of global marketing, SPi. The company's Facebook page provides a single point of contact for exchanging ideas, sharing tips and voicing concerns. It makes them "feel a part of the larger team," Cohen said.

Before launching the page, the company put checks and balances in place to protect the site from misuse. Users must be verified as employees before they can access the page, and inappropriate or personal comments are promptly removed. Because SPi is a global company, its Facebook page gets visitors 24/7. A comment could be posted at any time. Cohen knew there was a risk of getting overwhelmed by the medium, so he enlisted the help of the communications team, who alert him when a query needs to be answered. "I wanted to make sure [if] people were writing in questions, we were responding to the questions," he said.

There are also several informal LinkedIn groups for SPi alumni and employees. It's another way to keep in touch with co-workers, but they're not as structured as the Facebook page, Raina said.

Up until now, SPi's social media endeavors have focused primarily on internal communication, but it's looking to launch into the public eye. The company is beta testing a blog for C-level personnel, which would provide a more open forum to discuss industry issues and company news. The blog would be a resource for employees, but the general public would also be able to read announcements and respond.

Opening the floor will help engage stakeholders, but content will need to be monitored even more closely. "We're trying to be very careful to make sure .the content stays professional, stays focused on what we want, and obviously there are issues making sure we respect confidentiality," Cohen said.

With only 6 months in the ring, SPi isn't sure whether social media is worth the effort. But so far, results have been promising. "The question is," Cohen said, "does the momentum continue to grow?"

Reaching Out
When Laurel Gillespie began interning at TRS Institute (TRSi) last May, she noticed the company's Facebook page needed an update. The site was live, but it didn't have any fans and content was looking sparse. As an incoming college senior, Gillespie knew the value social media could bring to a company like TRSi, which had employees and students based on several continents. "You can join everybody together, no matter where they live," she said.

Gillespie updated the page, adding information about the company and announcements about training programs like TRSi's new speech recognition editing course. The page is public, so it not only spreads the word to students and employees, but also attracts new interest from those looking to get into the transcription industry.

To promote the page, Gillespie sent invitations to every student and employee through Facebook, asking them to become fans. When an invitation bounced back because the individual didn't have a Facebook account, Gillespie sent a message to their e-mail address asking them to launch a Facebook account and join TRSi's page. Now, virtually every employee is on Facebook, she said.

The company also launched an alumni page for internal communications, where past and present enrollees can converse. "When they're in class, they can have contact with everyone else who's in the same class.even though it's all virtual," Gillespie said.   

TRSi is just starting to build a social media presence, but the company has big plans for the fall. The company's looking to expand, according to Gillespie, which would entail more Facebook outreach as new countries come on board. Gillespie also started a Twitter account, but hasn't had time to update it as often as needed; Twitter produces a constant stream of tweets, so occasional messages tend to get lost in the daily deluge. TRSi will likely appoint a dedicated social media coordinator to keep up the content, according to Gillespie.

"We are definitely excited about it because there seems to be so much promise in it, especially being able to reach people in a very cost-effective and easy way," she said.

Cheryl McEvoy is an assistant editor with ADVANCE.