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Social Media Phobia: Killing the Messenger | Web 2.0 Journal
Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on October 2, 2009
There are a lot of companies that, for one reason or another, choose this path of avoidance when it comes to social media. The mindset seems to be that if they don’t see the negativity about their company, then it’s not happening, or it’s not so damaging. Or perhaps that if the organization is not giving the Twitterer (or blogger, or Web site commenter, forum participant – really the concepts remain the same for any social media platform) the “time-of-day,” that others in cyberspace won’t either. I think that, when put into black-and-white and read on a page, nearly everyone can see the problems inherent in such an approach: not only is an opportunity to provide enhanced customer service squandered, but an opportunity to engage in true conversation with customer – to learn their wants and needs; to become involved in education; or to shift mindsets to increase brand awareness or product adoption – are missed.
As a PR person, I find such missed opportunities among the most egregious oversights that companies, or agencies on behalf of companies, can make. Let’s face it, technology makes the possibilities to interact with our various and sundry stakeholders available as well as easily accessible and downright cheap – there’s no reason not to get involved. If public relations is truly “management of communication between an organization and its publics,” then what better tool to employ than one that lets organizations speak directly and in real-time to the publics they are communicating with?
Read more: Social Media Phobia: Killing the Messenger | Web 2.0 Journal.
