Comments on: The Top Five Misconceptions About Social Media

By: Taking the Bad with the Good | The AIR Blog

Taking the Bad with the Good | The AIR Blog — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:09:26 +0000

[…] that advertising has fully integrated itself into the social media realm, advertisers are having to experience something that doesn’t necessarily always come […]

By: @BJ_Emerson

@BJ_Emerson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:46:22 +0000

Re: #3, Brands not engaging in social media have already lost control along with any influence they might otherwise have about what is being said online. Contributing to the discussion and embracing both the positive and negative are critical.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:37:51 +0000

Really good article. The misconception #5 is really important for companies. The figure of community manager or social media manager helps companies retaining the control of their image (Misconception #3), and this work must be done by a professional, not a student.

By: Ryan Biddulph

Ryan Biddulph — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Ayelet,

This is the quote of quotes.

'To say that social media is just a fad is to say that communication is just a fad.'

It baffles me that people think communicating will go out of style anytime soon ;)

By: @svsashank

@svsashank — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:29:42 +0000

Excellent post!! Any frameworks have been developed in this area?

By: Dan Haygeman

Dan Haygeman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:54:45 +0000

I appreciate the concise articulation of the case for social media as a different universe from the one I've known. Ayelet, your point about knowing how to navigate this new world as a benefit to ones employer, rather than a time waster, is well taken. I have been learning a lot by participating in a virtual class offered by a company based in Minneapolis called Digital Wagon Train. I have 5 colleagues who are participating with me in 'learning to use Social Media to develop an online identity that resonates strongly with who I am and attracts the sort of people I most enjoy working with'. Here is their web address, FYI: http://www.digitalwagontrain.com/

By: Ayelet

Ayelet — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:14:11 +0000

Thanks for the nice comments everyone! I also want to say something regarding @stevecollier's #1 point: Employees that know how to utilize social media tools are a major asset to a company and not the opposite. Knowing how to manage social profiles, open a facebook page, gain followers on twitter – these are all invaluable skills that companies should look for in their employees. Companies should not block people from using social media at work but rather should block people who waste time at work from coming to work. Employees who like to waste time will find a way do it no matter what.

By: Alex de Carvalho

Alex de Carvalho — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:18:56 +0000

Great article, Ayelet. Another misconception: “Social media is just another tactic.” That's like saying relationship-building and listening are just “tactics” … and how sincere is that? Of course, any organization that approaches social media as “another marketing tactic” won't be doing much relationship-building or listening online, leading to a predictable fail! ;)

By: Yesenia Chappell

Yesenia Chappell — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:42:24 +0000

Good article. Although I don't totally agree on #5. I agree that you have to learn first what you can do with Social Media (this is a never-ending process) but after that it should be somebody or a team within your own company that does Social Media. Who can be better than yourself to talk about your company? Of course, as I said before, you can learn a great deal from "professionals" who know about Social Media.

Thanks for the article!

By: @DoreenatDMS

@DoreenatDMS — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:42:14 +0000

Great article. Piggybacking @stevecollier's point above, some companies believe they must block access to social media sites inside their workplaces for fear of a loss of productivity. As @nickcharney tweeted the other day: “Don't deny access to social media tools based on productivity. If you have employees who waste time, they'll do it anyway #ALI”