Last week, we outlined several observations we have made through our research on how public companies are using social media for investor relations and shared some best practices for live-tweeting investor events such as an earnings call, annual shareholders meeting and analyst/investor day including:

Preparing tweets in advance of the call.
Providing a link to the materials associated with the live event.
Proactively soliciting questions in advance.
Consistent use of #hashtags.
Appending tweets with your ticker symbol.

As I mentioned last week, I thought a separate post on disclaimers was warranted.  So this post is dedicated …

A while ago I published a blog about the risks and compliance issues associated with using Twitter. The ideas discussed in the blog were taken from an article written by two attorneys who highlight three compliance concerns for public companies to consider when using Twitter.  You can read the blog here: http://www.q4blog.com/2010/02/05/a-discussion-of-the-risks-and-compliance-issues-associated-with-using-twitter/
One of the concerns highlighted by the attorneys was how Twitter’s 140-character limit inhibits a user’s ability to archive information or delete material that is out-of-date.
This is a valid concern for companies that are using Twitter for investor relations …

Last week, we sponsored a Lunch ‘n’ Learn session: ‘Social Media Disclosure – Is Now the Time?’ at the NIRI Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. The session focused on how companies are currently using social media as part of their disclosure process and whether this is the beginning of a trend that companies should consider adopting.
On June 21, Lou Thompson who is a recognized expert in corporate disclosure, governance and communications and served as President and CEO of NIRI for nearly 25 years before he retired from the organization …

The discussion during #irchat this week was based on Microsoft’s move to website disclosure which was reported on by @irwebreport: http://irwr.net/aZ17bK and @irmagazine: http://bit.ly/c4Hvjh.  Click here to read the full transcript.
As it is earnings season there was a very low turnout.  In spite of this, I had a good conversation with @trevorheisler. Thanks also goes out to @fredmcclimans for joining us near the end.
Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

Whenever my good friend Dan Dykens aka @meetthestreet is unable to host #irchat, I get the pleasure of stepping in for him.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, #irchat is a weekly one-hour event held every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. EST on Twitter for IR professionals.
Each week, we tackle three-four questions that address IR-related issues, trends and to generally exchange ideas. The session has garnered quite the following and has become a popular hashtag on Twitter.
Recently, @IR_practice one of the regulars and a great IR resource …

On April 15th, Google issued an advisory release that instructed people to visit their IR website for their earnings and also included the following statement:
Google intends to make future announcements regarding its financial performance exclusively through its investor relations website.
Google is able to do this based on the SEC guidance from Aug 2008 regarding the use of websites for disclosure. This guidance states that under certain circumstances, companies can rely on their websites and blogs to meet public disclosure requirements under Reg FD.
As we all remember all too well, shortly …

In their article “Is Your Company Tweeting Towards Trouble?”, attorneys Julie Jones and Cynthia McMakin, discuss some of the risks and compliance concerns public companies need to consider when using Twitter.  In particular they state
“Due to Twitter’s innovative, yet immediate and informal, nature, tweets made by public companies and their employees may create a higher risk of violating US securities laws because the substance of each tweet may not be as thoroughly vetted as information that is disclosed through traditional channels of communication. Twitter’s appeal as a tool for companies …

Earlier this month, Dave Hogan, presented his paper “Reaching Shareholders Online: Trends and Best Practices in Online Communications and Social Media in Corporate Investor Relations” at the 2009 Annual Conference of the International Association of Online Communicators in Washington, D.C.
The focus of the paper is how online communication tools, in particular social media, are influencing the communication practices of corporate IR departments at public companies of all sizes. It also examines the question of why corporate IR departments have been slower to adopt social media communications tools than their marketing …

On Friday August 14, 2009 the SEC released Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations regarding Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg.FD). The following post is a direct lift from the SEC website: http://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/guidance/regfd-interp.htm
Regulation FD
Last Update: August 14, 2009
These Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs”) comprise the Division’s interpretations of Regulation FD. Some of these C&DIs were first published in prior Division publications and have been revised in some cases. The bracketed date following each C&DI is the latest date of publication or revision.
Section 101. Rule 100: General Rule Regarding Selective Disclosure
Question 101.01
Question: Can an issuer …

Last week, at our second webinar of the year, Darrell Heaps, Co-founder and CEO of Q4 discussed the current trends in social media and investor relations.  Social media has been given a lot of attention within the IR arena and Darrell has been an active participant in some of those discussions.  For example, he recently sat on two panels on the evolution of financial communication and the evolution of disclosure at the NIRI and CIRI conferences respectively this past June.  He also presented to the CICA research group in Toronto on trends in corporate …