Comments on: Putting the “Old” Back in New Media http://www.kungfuquip.com/putting-the-old-back-in-new-media/ Thoughts On Life In The Swamp Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:51:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Molly Nichelson http://www.kungfuquip.com/putting-the-old-back-in-new-media/comment-page-1/#comment-11769 Molly Nichelson Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:09:24 +0000 http://www.kungfuquip.com/?p=1034#comment-11769 I agree with you thesis. Social media is just a tool to extend and promote your current skill set. In fact I believe social media may one day be applied to just about every part of an organization. Maybe it's not best for Accounting -- "Hey! Did you guys know Bob Jones makes $100k for doing nothing?? Jerk!" -- but for most parts of an organization, I think social media is going to become like email - everyone will have it and everyone will be trained on it. The question is who will use it and for what purpose. This need will very high if you have a business with an extreme customer service bent, bad PR, or a fledgling start-up. Now, I grew up with email, and I wasn't in the workforce when it was introduced in to the business world, but couldn't a comparison be made to how companies view social media now? "Ooh, what's this scary thing that can be sent out to other people? And I have to type it? Can't I just shout in to the monitor and it'll take notes? What?" I think you're right to say that Communications Departments are the first place to look to have a firm toe-hold in social media applications but they could also be the most hesitant to take the leap, and rightfully so, as they know that in the world of external communication and it can be a very scary place. But at the same time, many of them don't know all the different facets and departments within a company and they may lack a key component to social media -- a real person's voice with a depth of knowledge. A PR person is trained to have a voice -- one voice -- for an organization. When a business uses social media, it helps humanize that business. I mean it's easy to hate Comcast, but it's a lot harder to hate Frank Eliason. This is especially true when Frank enters your personal vortex of your Facebook page and Twitter account. Humanizing businesses is going to be demanded by the people and I think it's an area for growth for employees with this skill set. Greater access in to the inner workings of the business community will be sought. And greater transparity will be had. This is all for better or for worse. And with that, my thoughts, for better or for worse. Time for bed after getting my FB vanity URL. I agree with you thesis. Social media is just a tool to extend and promote your current skill set. In fact I believe social media may one day be applied to just about every part of an organization. Maybe it’s not best for Accounting — “Hey! Did you guys know Bob Jones makes $100k for doing nothing?? Jerk!” — but for most parts of an organization, I think social media is going to become like email – everyone will have it and everyone will be trained on it. The question is who will use it and for what purpose. This need will very high if you have a business with an extreme customer service bent, bad PR, or a fledgling start-up.

Now, I grew up with email, and I wasn’t in the workforce when it was introduced in to the business world, but couldn’t a comparison be made to how companies view social media now? “Ooh, what’s this scary thing that can be sent out to other people? And I have to type it? Can’t I just shout in to the monitor and it’ll take notes? What?”

I think you’re right to say that Communications Departments are the first place to look to have a firm toe-hold in social media applications but they could also be the most hesitant to take the leap, and rightfully so, as they know that in the world of external communication and it can be a very scary place. But at the same time, many of them don’t know all the different facets and departments within a company and they may lack a key component to social media — a real person’s voice with a depth of knowledge. A PR person is trained to have a voice — one voice — for an organization.

When a business uses social media, it helps humanize that business. I mean it’s easy to hate Comcast, but it’s a lot harder to hate Frank Eliason. This is especially true when Frank enters your personal vortex of your Facebook page and Twitter account. Humanizing businesses is going to be demanded by the people and I think it’s an area for growth for employees with this skill set. Greater access in to the inner workings of the business community will be sought. And greater transparity will be had. This is all for better or for worse.

And with that, my thoughts, for better or for worse. Time for bed after getting my FB vanity URL.

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