I read once that when TV first showed up as a technology, it was viewed as a way for rooms of people to watch an event as a group. People could perhaps go to a theater and all watch a TV together. And TV shows were thought of as radio shows, but showing people too.
- Looks like a radio, looks like a TV
When a new technology shows up, this way of thinking is normal. We map what we know from existing stuff to the new technology and extend what we currently do onto the new thing. It can take years for a new technology to be used in a really new way.
New technology allows new stuff, or not
I was thinking about this as I was looking at how some companies are using social media.
I’m seeing companies using social media to:
- Send 140 character press releases
- Ignore what their users are saying
- Isolate themselves from community
- and so much more
It’s public relations as social media in 1994. Throw your message over the wall and hope it resonates with someone somewhere. Maybe.
Maybe someone will find our message. Let's hope.
Hope is not a plan.
Social media is, well, new
Social media is a way to:
- listen to and talk with your users
- understand what they want
- build community and understanding
- position your brand as the place to go
- And so much more
Social media is a way to understand who your users are and what they need. You can actually talk to them and they can talk back. You can position your brand(s) and company so it has relevance to your users.
This is like a dream, really.
Because hope is not a plan
You need a plan to use social media effectively and get the results you want. You can’t just hand over the social media to each sales person and hope they are communicating what you want.
I recently saw a tweet with vile language creating a disturbing image from someone who identified his employer in his Twitter bio! I have no problems with people using what ever language they wish in their personal accounts. It is a personal account.
But now I know who he works for because he put that information in his bio. That language, the image, and his tweet are now in my head with his employers name. The company brand is tied to the vile profanity and disturbing image.
Not cool, man. Not cool at all. And I doubt that was the plan.
