Digital is unique in many ways and there are specific digital policies that the organization needs in order to publish digital with integrity. However, in the process of identifying digital policy range and creating policies, it is often easy to overlook existing organizational guidance and, rather than extending this guidance, unnecessarily creating new policies, in a silo, for digital needs.

Most frequently, existing organizational policies that should be extended to include digital, versus being re-created, have to do with the long-standing business of the organization. For example, records management is a time-honored practice in most organizations. Just because there is a new digital channel to which information is being published—such as the web, social media, or mobile application—doesn’t mean that you need a new policy on what information to save. Instead, you should have the web or social media content type identified within the existing policy set.

Here are other existing policy areas to consider when identifying your guidance set, which may already have been captured as guidance within the organization:

• Accessibility (The organization likely already has made physical accommodations such as accessible restrooms, elevators, and working space.)
• Branding (logos, colors, and how the organization delivers its presence to the public)
• Privacy (including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements)
• Promotions and sponsorships (including trade shows, raffles or giveaways and hired media)
• Security (The organization likely already has security measures related to PCs and servers.)
• Stakeholder notifications

Extending and rationalizing existing organizational policy areas to the digital arena will support digital as a streamlined and functioning part of the business, leveraging existing resources and processes for the benefit of the organization.

Photo by Pierre Châtel-Innocenti