mind of matthew dot net

there’s a lot of companies trying to get involved with social media. hell, i applied for two jobs in that space just this week. but for all the buzz going on about mainstream companies adopting social media, there is something i think that a lot of these organizations are overlooking.

first, there is a whole generation of people that absolutely “get” social media. they’re young, and have a knack for technology like no generation before them. they don’t see twitter, myspace, facebook, or any of these other sites as being technological entities…they see them as tools, vehicles for communication if you will.

at the same time, there are a lot of folks out there, yes even marketing directors, that haven’t the slightest idea what social media really is is, or how to use it effectively. and what’s more, the space is moving so quickly that it’s passing them by before they even get involved. when and if they do get involved, they go about it all wrong.

see, social media should be about putting a personalized face on an organization. its the way that the largest organization can do what they’ve always wanted to do…but could never be successful at: acting small. small businesses and entrepreneurs all over the world have one giant advantage over large corporations…they can act small by personalizing services and taking care of individual patrons in a customized manner. large corporations simply cannot do this effectively. when’s the last time you had to deal with a large company’s 1-800-help line? i’d bet that it was either faceless, or a disaster.

so now we have these 2 worlds colliding…a generation that understands this medium like no other, and one that is clueless. the ones that are clueless are trying…but the giant bs detectors that the tech savvy generation has are blocking their efforts at every turn. people that understand web 2.0 and social media can smell bs from miles away. a company that is faking their web 2.0 existence will fail miserably. when i say “faking” i really mean using social media a new medium for traditional marketing techniques. don’t advertise to me via twitter.

so what’s the answer for these organizations? use this new medium authentically. no twitter bots, no old-school marketing campaigns, no spamming my inbox, and for god’s sake…no pop ups. use the tools that are out there, like twitter, to build a community around your business and its products. actually talk with real people about what’s going on with your company. build personal relationships by engaging with customers personally. hire people that get social media and web 2.0 and *trust* them. time has not run out on these old style monolithic organizations, but the world moves at a faster pace today than it ever has. they’d better get with the program.

i’m thinking of writing a lot more on this subject, so please leave feedback!

if you’re interested in this subject, and the generation i speak of that “gets it” please check out don tapscott’s book: grown up digital.