Daryl’s post spurring corporations to take the lead led me to think about the fundamental issue that I believe most corporations have where social media is concerned – that they don’t seem to know exactly what they want.

He warned that his post was critical, and it is, but in a good way. It also has refreshing candor, and that is the liberty that one has when you don’t have to worry so much about your sentiments being misconstrued as coming from the organization you work for (yet).

So this is what I said in response, which has taken on a life of it’s own and morphed into an entire post.

Great post Daryl!!
I just feel a lack of faith from the corporations in this – that, and the fear of actually using the tools and channels that SM provides (for some bizarre reason it seems to make more sense for them to act as curious spectators rather than to try it out).

Given that this IS Singapore, I guess most corporations are just not willing to take the “risks” and “fail” as of yet. Failing is relative though. I see it more as a learning process. Maybe they’re waiting for a blog post on how to skirt all the issues in getting involved in SM in SG before they’ll dare to venture out… (or worse, a book!)

Every time a blogger posts something online, every time someone posts something on a social networking site, they’re sharing a piece of themselves, their thoughts with others. Can corporations dissect SM into its raw basic building blocks- people and relationships and sharing? That’s what’s really powering the entire movement right?

As for taking the lead…well, this is social media as powered by the crowd right..should we even still expect them to take any sort of lead? Or are we just asking for participation?

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Corporations: Who are you engaging with?
Your conversational quality depends ultimately on this factor.

I’ve seen a lot of questions so far from people in the industry that go along the line of “Oh, so who is the best blogger we can use to pitch our idea/use as front person for our campaign, etc“.
I’m sorry, but if you have to ask, then you’ve not really been doing your homework, have you? And you’ve definitely not taken the effort to listen to what’s going on in the blogosphere either.

Ever thought about sparing some effort to monitor not just your brand online, but also your customer’s reputations? Check this post out.

It’s Not Just What Bloggers Are Saying, It’s Who They Are

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I also have an issue with those who want to harness all the goodness of social media, without any intention whatsoever to put yourself at the frontline. Perhaps the sentiment is best summed up in this aptly titled post – Is your social media consultant… social?

I’d like to draw attention to the author’s last point of contention, a serious issue if you’re in social media/community management and you’re not getting your feet wet.

#3 They don’t practice what they preach.

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Corporations, what do you want out of this relationship?
I am trying to speculate on all the possible avenues.

Is it just:
- short term sales strategy? – To which, I’d say don’t waste your time (and others’). SM is alive and is likely to turn against you.
- just eyeballs you’re after? – Hire a clown. Much more visible, less effort and investment needed. Might even be more entertaining than a pretentious viral campaign.
- a genuine desire to listen to and engage your brand fans? – You’re heaven sent.
- You don’t know. – Umm.. No comment?

Did I say “No comment”? Not really!

Nothing irks more than large corporate bodies with their collective expertise moving without intent. There is just no excuse nor enough justification for that.

It’s difficult to respect a photographer who does not have his camera as an extra “arm” on him all the time, a writer who does not write in his mind as he goes about his daily chores, a race driver who does not become one with the car he is driving in.

Just like anything else, expertise in any area takes time to cultivate, and
effort. One does not simply decide on a whim, to delve into something
new (for example, social media), and expect to be a fully fledged social media maestro the next day.
I’ve had my reservations about fast tracking anything. And I still do. Ever see those instant trees that we get planted around the roads? Ever seen them after a storm, all toppled over because their roots weren’t deep enough to anchor them?

So, figure out what you want.
And take your time to grow into who you need to be, to find out what you need to do, to get what you want.

Tags: corporations, social media, web2.0, relationship mangement, community, listen, SM, strategy, conversation,