Why bother with Social Media…

Posted on | June 6, 2009 | No Comments

People everywhere are talking about the “buzz” of Social Media – in the darkest recesses of business.  Twitter this, facebook that, blogs here, LinkedIn there – its everywhere.  But with such mass awareness and potential adoption, there are two ugly words that raise their head – CONTROL and RISK.

However, I believe that with this new found freedom from Social Media, companies can “reach out and touch” people so much “faster, deeper and cheaper” than they ever could before while building “broader” and “stronger” relationships.  At at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want in business?  As the “official tweeter” for Sharpie pens said (@SharpieSusan) said in a recent interview, “I think you’d have to be living in a cave to have missed the social media movement and the power it can wield over brands.”

Enter side stage, the “stalwarts” of traditional media and, of course, their “lock it down, don’t lose any control or assume any risk” – The Wall Street Journal.  They recently published their “conduct rules” for such Social Media tools as twitter and facebook (among others).  My question to them, “WHY BOTHER TO ENGAGE IN SOCIAL MEDIA?”  There isn’t anything in these “conduct rules” that reinforces what Social Media is all about – engaging in a dialog with your audience in a personal, authentic and honest manner to share how you feel and what can help your audience.

My advice to the WSJ.  Just keep doing what you’re doing and each morning when I back out of the driveway I won’t even realize I have run over the newspaper since it will be so thin it won’t even be a “bump” any longer.

Blaine

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