"I believe firms should make every effort to influence social media"

Not me talking - Gary Boomer - In the November 2nd edition of Accounting Today.

Within IGAF Worldwide, we just completed our 2009 Marketing Directors Conference, and one whole day was given over to 'new media.'

A couple of things I thought of note there:

• Your website is a hub - everything else, including social media hangs off of the hub
• Control is, at best, fleeting and illusory - A great example of this is how long it took USAir to get a Twitter account up after the Hudson River incident compared to how quickly 'the world' was sharing details - Southwest Airlines even beat USAir in commenting on it! Also, Gary Boomer goes onto say, "forget about trying to control how employees use (social media)"
• New media is not really a replacement - it is an enhancement to your marcom efforts
• The goalposts are moving - Friendster was meant to own this space, and now......
• Closing down desktop access means employees will use smartphones to access social media

The good news is that Marketing Directors (and some others) were totally enthused about the opportunities that these new avenues created.  The analytics and measures are improving exponentially, and (unlike print or radio) you can truly engage with the public.