Social Just Became Compulsory

For a long time many of us have known the power of Social Networks. I am not suggesting that we are the overly smart, arrogant or some elite group of "in the know" people. Not that at all, we are in fact the everybody's of the world. You would have to have been living under a rock not to have noticed the MySpace and Facebook phenomenon. It appears that this has now started to filter upwards to the rarified space of the ultra compensated CEO's of companies. Similar to when U.S. President George Bush discovered scanners at the grocery store checkout and was truely surprised by how sophisticated they were-- a very different life some people live.

Executives Must Realize and Learn the Power of Social Media via kwout

Now that the importance of P2P dialogs have got the attention of those holding the purse strings we will start to see a huge movement into this area from corporate. However, when this happens it usually has the same effect as when your parents tried to hang out with you and your friends in high school. It was totally uncool but at least there was someone to pay for the beer and munchies. This will be the same in social network spaces. Companies will try and pass themselves off as having a natural presence in these spaces but will infact be nothing more than expensively contrived advertising. The whole thing about being cool is you either are or you are not -- it can't not be forced.

Social networks are all about natural cool. People interacting with other people. If you don't get this then you will always be an outsider.

Traditional advertising has always presented itself as being an outsider -- the product, the aspiration. But this does not fly in social network sites. People make many, many connections based on only temporary or fragmented interests. There is no secret flame that will attract all moths. The best approach is the simplest approach.

Engage your customers

1. Add value to the relationship
2. Yes it is a relationship!
3. Put the interest of others before your own
4. Listen
5. Respond

Yup, you already knew that