I recently followed a couple of Tweets posted by representatives of major corporations. The first was by from an individual who was officially representing the company on Twitter. One of the company’s key markets are teenagers and parents of teens, audiences which it produces ad campaigns specifically geared toward. The tweet recommended a video on another site and referenced it as a good example of social media to check out. The video compared social media to teenage sex.

The second was an individual not officially representing the corporation, but clearly identified themselves and their position with the company. Several of this individual’s Tweets would have been bleeped on television. Perhaps a lapse in judgment on both accounts, but certainly demonstrates a need for clearly defined rules for social media when representing a brand.

Walmart was criticized last month for its lengthy employee guidelines for social communication upon making its social media entrée. I say the smart path is the well-defined, thoughtful approach accompanied by guidelines for responsible Twittering.