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To Post or Not to Post: 3 Rules to Keep in Mind for Keeping Social Media SFW The Esquire Guy explains the duties and casualties of company ambassadorship.

By Ross McCammon

This story appears in the December 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

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Something happened to all of us about four years ago. Quietly, and without our approval, a new responsibility was added to our job descriptions: brand ambassador.

It happened to each of us the first time we made a company-related post on social media. The Facebook post of colleagues at a bar after a conference in 2011. The Instagram shot of the dangling M&M's bag in the candy machine with the hashtag "#soclose" in 2012. The tweet "Bored at work" and accompanying photo of a (legitimately impressive) paper-clip sculpture.

We were involved in acquiring this responsibility -- we practically gave our companies no choice but to confer it. But this responsibility was never agreed upon. And therefore, the ramifications of failing to meet the duties associated with it haven't been fully considered.