Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) president Tony Bradley has blogged about the strengthening up the institute’s ability to deal with members who flout the rules.
In the same post he also talks about some developments with the institute’s consultation document on social media:

We are also looking at how the rapid growth in social media impacts on the Code, and our Assistant Director General Francis Ingham has produced a consultation document which you should take a look at and perhaps comment on – the paper will be published here and on the CIPR website on 23rd November.

It’ll be really interesting to see what the consultation document includes and how the institute chooses to engage with its members who have the greatest experience in this field. From Tony’s post it’s not exactly clear what the purpose of the document itself is – whether it’s a policy, code of conduct or just a guidance note.
I know from conversations I’ve had with other members who are engaged in social media that there are many strong opinions about what CIPR should and shouldn’t do to recognise social media as a public relations tool.
The eventual result of this consultation will be an important factor in establishing whether CIPR can represent the interests of its members who currently engage in social media, and just as importantly the interests of many more members who will need to take a professional interest in social media in the months and years to come.
I’ll definitely be checking out the consultation document on 23 November, as I’m sure many other CIPR member who share my passion for social media will be.