Going back to 2009, BusinessWeek shared a series of examples where companies were caught by surprise over the stories and updates shared by employees on social networks. The article offered simple advice to help businesses shape their presence rather than react to it, “To prevent information leaks and other liabilities, companies are drafting guidelines for social media interaction.”

It is paramount that every company, regardless of size, industry, or location, immediately draft and circulate guidelines and policies – whether or not social media is practiced officially or unofficially within the organization. The larger the company the greater the imminent risk and drafting policies and providing the training necessary to representatives and employees alike, will prevent unwanted details from spreading. Accordingly, it will encourage the propagation of desirable information.

Employees are enraptured with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networks  and the sense and sensibility that governs self-restraint and judgment is, for the moment, circumvented by the public recognition that ensues after pressing the “publish” button. In some regards, social media clouds our gift of inner monologue and common sense exchanged in part for instant recognition.

This is more than publishing and it’s far more important than empowering employees with the ability to chat online. It’s our responsibility to contribute to the increase of a significant, tuned, and strategic signal over noise. I assure you that in doing so, you will earn a place among the elite in the ranks of social, new, and emerging media practices within your organization.

The weather may not be cooperating for those who want to hit the golf courses in the Brainerd lakes area, but an event Saturday in downtown Brainerd will give people a chance to get in the golf swing.

The fifth annual Down Town Golf Spring Open will be from 12-6 p.m. Saturday, with a 7 p.m. award ceremony at the American Legion in Brainerd. Participants pay a $5 “green fee” to take a shot at the green at all the downtown Brainerd bars, including the Blue Ox, Shep’s on 6th, T.J.’s Log Cabin, O’Neary’s, Iron Rail, Pit Stop, VFW, Liquor Pigz, Last Turn, American Legion and Yesterday’s Gone.

All proceeds will benefit Kinship Partners, a nonprofit youth mentoring organization providing positive role models to youth in Crow Wing and southern Cass counties since 1986. Kinship Partners matches volunteer adult mentors with children age 5-14 who have common interests.

David Downing, executive director of Kinship Partners, said the spring golf fundraiser has been well-attended in the past and has helped spread the word about Kinship and on how adults can become mentors.

Downing said that Kinship has 190 mentoring partnerships, but that there are 55 children, including 30 boys, on the waiting list for a mentor. He said the average wait for a boy to be matched with a mentor is 300 days.

Downing hopes that the event will trigger interest in becoming a mentor.

“I’m not a golfer, but I plan to be there and shoot a few holes,” Downing said.

John Potter of the Blue Ox said the the event has raised more than $6,000 for Kinship and draws more than 300 participants age 21 and older.

Steve Wiskow of C&L Distributing Inc. of Baxter said that, five years ago, he talked with a few of the bar owners about starting up an event in downtown Brainerd.

“At the time, it was slow and we wanted to create more business,” Wiskow said. “I heard about an event like this in the cities and thought it’d be fun. We stress the responsibility of not drinking and driving so it’s a fun, safe event.”

Potter encourages participants to wear costumes and said an award for best costume will be given. Money awards also will be given for first, second and third place based on participants’ golf scores.

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For more than a decade now, I believe the Board of Planning and Zoning of Crow Wing County has made a series of far reaching decisions without weighing the consequences of those decisions. We are feeling the ripple effect and negative financial impact of those decisions today through sustained higher property taxes; with no property tax relief in site. The only budgets cuts made thus far have been forced upon them by the bad economy and not through the deliberate downsizing of government.

Every great Board or commission is characterized by dual actions: preserve the core ideas and stimulate progress. On the one hand it is guided by a set of core values and fundamental purpose—which change little or not at all over time—and on the other hand it stimulates progress—change, improvement, innovation, renewal—in all that is not part of the core values and purpose. Core values and core purpose in enduring great ideas and decisions remain fixed, while their operating practices, cultural norms, strategies, tactics, processes, structures, and methods continually change in response to changing realities. Indeed, the great paradox of change is that the Crow Wing County Planning and Zoning Board must make decisions that best adapt to a changing world For more than first and foremost know what should not change; they have a fixed anchor of guiding principles around which they can more easily change everything else. They should know the difference between what is sacred and what is not, between what should never change and what should be always open for change, between “what we stand for” and “how we do things.

So I hope that the CWC P&Z Board members really think about the decisions they are about to make and the people that these changes will affect.

The job they are asked to do is not an easy one.