Comments on: What’s driving your culture change?

By: AliSwi

AliSwi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:33:21 +0000

Have you noticed that everyone tells everyone else that they need to be on FaceBook? I can’t even begin to count how many people have told me they frequently hear this piece of business advice. It’s like the blind leading the blind. Doing something just because “everyone else is doing it” is the wrong reason. You need to understand the media and what you are using for. There is a common misconception that social media can be a one-size-fits-all solution.

By: Courtenay Dulak

Courtenay Dulak — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:33:10 +0000

Thanks for the post. Assuming that what is good for one is best for all, does little to speak to a client's specific needs and can create a misuse of their funds and resources. I do believe social media is here to stay but that does not make it an immediate fit today for everyone. For some clients, it may never be the right approach and it is important to educate them on how the technology works and what kind of results it can produce for their particular brand/product. As you stated, social media is not blanket policy and we, as public relations professionals, have a responsibility to carefully advise and educate our clients on the benefits and drawbacks of the many social media tools.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:23:47 +0000

I also enjoyed your post Ryan. I'm new to the blogging world and PR but it seems that most blogs are centred around social media and its new role in PR. I agree, its definitely a new channel to pursue, especially with a generation practically being raised by the internet. Organizations do of course need to first consider their audience and see if the investment in social media is right for their clients. If they choose to go forward with using social media they also need to invest in fully understanding how to use it correctly or a lot of valuable time and money could be wasted. I do not think ,however, that the social media buzz wil die down, if anything it will only get stronger as the next generation becomes working professionals. As for right now I think that using social media still remains an option, but soon enough organizations will not be able to opt out.

By: Bernie

Bernie — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:23:02 +0000

Nice post, Ryan. I've been making the same point with clients for two years now. Social media are a new channel — a decidedly different one, of course, but still just a channel. They only make sense as a channel to pursue if they reach the right people at the right time and can deliver the right message. I suspect the buzz over social media will decline in a short while and calmer, more strategic heads will prevail.

By: Shannon Nicholson

Shannon Nicholson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:35:09 +0000

Great post, Ryan. I just stumbled on it from PR-Squared. Your observation is interesting. Technology (and particularly emerging social media) really are in the driver's seat of business culture changes, more often than not. The most popular question small businesses seem to ask about whether using social media is right for them is "Should I invest the time?", not "Is it really right for me?"– as if having the extra time needed for social media would have automatically answered that question. It's a little like putting a square peg through a round hole and calling it done.