A recent discussion on the recruitment of potential members to an upcoming social media body raised further talks on IT professionals’ roles in social media. As usual, I raised my objections against anymore geeks being brought onboard. My concern laid not only in the possibility of social media being manipulated by the IT industry, I questioned the underlying values that all of us are adopting social media for.

It’s no secret, that the IT industry has boosted social media by a milestone. When was the last time we talked about social media without any references to IT? Hardly! Without the web applications, networks and countless web tools, where will social media be? Evidently, IT is an integral segment of social media as the key facilitator for connections to be generated. Will we suffer from an overdose of IT? I think we’re already looking at it now.

With three IT-based members in a team of 10, I objected to a further three more from being brought onboard. While I cannot disclose details of the confidential project any further, to have more than half the team dominated by IT professionals is definitely not a good sign. Just like what I pointed out above, is the internet itself capable of generating conversations and adding values to brands? I beg to differ to anyone who says yes.

TOO MUCH. TOO SOON. TOO FAST.

I preached endlessly how the true values of social media are in the activities and interaction involving humans. Without all these, a Web 2.0 website is nothing more than a piece of web art. Can you imagine a Facebook without users? Can you visualize a Youtube without videos? Can you imagine a Flickr without any photographs? Unimaginable, you are right. Strip away the fanciful marketing and PR talks, what does it take for such web facilities to get alive? USERSHIP! And, that’s us and our consumers at large.

Each month, hundreds of applications and websites are being released into our virtual world. How many have we truly adopted and used extensively? Nothing more than necessary to converse, track and assess. It could be two. Or it could be five. Or even 10. That’s only so much we can get a foot in. Do we really need all the releases the IT industry poured into the virtual space? Definitely not. More than half of them will eventually end up as junks in the stump. Too much of such online “services” are being provided with little differences between them. The supply & demand equation tells us we are being overfed.

With so many “services” launched every week, if we even considered them as services, all of us are suffering from information overload. Shortly after one service is launched, another similar service pops up on the social media radar. It really beckoned me to wonder, has the later launch spent enough resources to experience what’s truly missing before they throw another out on the streets?

With IT companies trying to up one another in any way imaginable, identical services are just delivered too soon apart from one another. It always good to have choices, but now, we spoilt for choices. My IT friends, do you catch my drift? Not unless you have something truly unique and out-of-the-world that any other companies or services can’t provide, I suggest you might want to hang on to your launch and study your competitors a little more. That’s also establishing your competitive edge over them.

Not forgetting, the amount of information and flow of human traffic in the virtual world. They’re constantly evolving and moving from places to places. Isn’t it a great idea to be able to keep track of every single one, leaving nothing behind? Unfortunately, we do have to concede to the fact that there is no way we can achieve that. Majority? Yes.

Take social networking sites for instance, users have move on from Friendster to MySpace and subsequently Facebook leading the pack. That’s in a matter of years. Take into account the Dot Com Crash, it’s a relatively fast advancement within a short time. That’s how quickly internet users hop from one to another. Again, I point to the fact that we made it possible for them. Companies will eventually find it all too fast to follow up, and find themselves spending more time on the catching-up game than truly exploiting the potentials of these already-existing networks.

It may sound demoralizing on the IT industry, in particular the Web 2.0 diehards. I’m not here to strip the IT professionals of the credit they deserve. All I am pointing out, is that what social media needs is more than just the IT infrastructure. The technological tools are incapable of generating anything until someone publish an article, a consumer puts up a review or a professional starts a discussion. So on so forth. Are we now able to see where the core contents that facilitate social media is coming from?

Let’s imagine a time when we pitched a social media proposal lacking in content input, what kind of values are we adding to our clients branding? Or are we trying to sell an empty shell?

I believe at this point, it is about time for the majority of IT professionals to take a back seat and allow the marketers or PR team to run the show. These are the people who are actively interacting with consumers, and what’s more?

Would you be expecting an IT person from the company to answer your question regarding your car radiator when you post a question in your blog?

Would you prefer an IT person from the company to answer your queries regarding your new cupboard you bought from Ikea in your Facebook Ikea group?

Would you want an IT person from the company to answer your frustrations when your air con goes dead on you after purchasing it for three days?

Todd Defren shared how social media may play a critical role in this economic downturn, and it’s a reasonable cause to be concerned about. How do you retain your current customers when times are bad? You do not want to remain stagnant, so how do you attract new ones? For many companies that reduce their marketing activities, are they securing their positions or will they suffer the unthinkable?

The question of budget slashing and reduction in activities is debatable. I often point to the fact that customers are often spoilt for choices these days. Sitting back and waiting for them to come to you, is no longer an option. Let’s not discount the additional activities your competitors are working on to take over your market share. Hence, we’re looking to evolve from the conventional marketing mix. What should come in place is not a new mix, but rather, it’s the shift in methods in reaching out.

You have switched more aggressively with a line-up of new products. So now, how are you going to deliver them?

IS SOCIAL MEDIA A TOOL?

Todd questioned the same in his later comments. While he believes that it is a change in mindset and strategy, I am inclined to reveal social media as an interactive process. I have indicated in my previous post citing the engagement of bloggers, that internet is the tool in oppose to bloggers.

This transfer of (helpful) information from one party to another is precisely the most valuable aspect of social media. Almost like a devil’s advocate, it represents your branding and lead with opinions, when done correctly. The part that companies should take note of, I feel, is that it doesn’t matter where these opinions are found. It could be a blogger network, otherwise it could be in social networking sites. It is the ultimate function of interaction with customers that will allow the principles of social media to flow.

Valeria Maltoni wrote recently of how social media can be applied into customer service, something which I echoed a while ago. If you hadn’t had a good reason to apply multi-discipline social media, perhaps the economic downturn has provided you the best opportunity now. How it will be implemented, is entirely up to you where interaction matters. Afterall, the experiential marketing aspect will eventually reveal your strengths and weaknesses.

Just a few days ago, I had the opportunity to speak to a fellow PR anchor on how important it is to advance ahead of the industry. Take for instance, many PR agencies and enthusiasts are still fiddling with bloggers and all that talks about going viral. Do these really matter at this point? We’re already looking at, instead, how communities can be better managed and the application of social media as an integral part of day-to-day operations. For one thing, social media is an ongoing process more than a one-off campaign. Cheap advertising space in blogs or social profiles is so yesterday.

I said above it didn’t matter where the conversations are taking place. I will leave you to read Jason Falls recommendations how you can better your Facebook groups. That’s on top of other aspects like transparency. The groups will still be there, even if you’re not. The next worse thing you can do, is ignoring the noise instead of using it to define your brand.

Does that mean traditional methods should be abandoned? Not really. How can you integrate traditional methods while increasing the level of interaction to further enhance your brand? That’s what you should really be looking at now.

For a long time, I’ve been pondering over how bloggers are being gradually involved in more publicity works than ever. This new blend is different from that of what we have seen in marketing or PR for many years. But, are we really tuning ourselves to the same frequencies of bloggers? Or the customers at large, online and offline?

Sure, customer service officers are put in place specifically for this reason. Most of them would have learn by now, an angry customer is more than one business loss. The ripel effect can reasonably cause a chain reaction beyond the scope of customer service. Ahem… stepping in are the folks from PR. Occasionally, you see marketers having a go at appeasing angry customers as well. Only, to no avail.

Occasionally, I am amused by engagement whereby even outsiders could tell if there was a genuine relationship being established. What transpired at the end of the day is nothing more than cheap advertising space in our blogs. If you’re thinking only of today, perhaps you hit the right spot. If you’re considering social media as one of your long term strategies, I wonder who will outlast the other in years to come.

And eventually, the golden question is popped. What’s next?

How can we better engage bloggers? It’s a simple answer - SINCERITY. Over my course of blogging, I have gotten to know quite a handful of bloggers. Even though some of them knew how much a social media junkie I made myself out to be, or how passionate I am with marketing, these were never barriers from forming fruitful relationships with them. That’s despite the fact that I frequently discuss about work. The responses at times, can be overwhelming. For one thing though, I truly enjoyed their responses.

It’s about time marketers or PR consultants learn to embrace bloggers, not just as bloggers. Just think, how respected and valued you will feel when you are being treated like a person more than a tool? Bloggers are not your tools, the internet is. Bloggers are your evangelists, bloggers are your customers, bloggers are your feedback-ers, bloggers are your R&D partners, bloggers are your new press, and so much more.

With such a wide array, need bloggers observe brand loyalty? Obviously not. As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. When you fail to develop this friendship with bloggers, there is always someone out there who is ready to step in. As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. Your missed opportunity may well be your future biggest critic.

What bloggers ask for, is basically a very simple thing. Very often, we hear of how little time we can spend on bloggers. C’mon!!! If each blogger is earning your company revenue of USD$10,000, I supposed you’ll be singing a different tune? We have the technologies now, so the next clear step to take is leveraging on these and focus on long term collaboration. Today and tomorrow is over.

If this relationship can be measured, it will be priceless. For now, how far will you go?

Paddy has always been a great person to be conversing with, for one who never fails to light up any discussion and share his opinions/ideas. We met over Sunday and while on the way home, we began a short topic regarding the low sustainability of new media in Singapore. It wasn’t comprehensive but if time permits, I am sure we are able to spot a lot more deficits in our small industry.

We constantly saying how slow Singapore-based companies are adopting new media but we never quite got around to the root of the problem. Apart from being traditional largely, the lacks are mostly found in service providers than adopters. Indirectly, it also led us to question how sustainable it is for any company working into this particular arena. Sure, we see new companies springing up all the time but how many will eventually remain standing at the end of the day?

Identity. Many companies have yet to establish a true identity for themselves. Are you an advertising agency? Are you a PR agency? Are you a marketing firm? Truth be told, many are still lost out at sea despite how much they are trying to define themselves. We are looking at Web 2.0 companies proclaiming to do PR. We are looking at banner-ad companies proclaiming to do marketing. They come in all shapes, sizes and formats. But, what truly are you?

Is providing non-interactive banner-ads good enough to be known as a marketing solution provider? Is providing a platform for bloggers to congregate sufficient to sell yourself as a PR agency? Well, little guessing why potential adopters are being confused. The service providers are confusing themselves equally.

Diversity. There is no way a company can survive solely on banner-ad or blog advertising. Diversity becomes the key to sustainability, not taking into account the providence of services that complement the core business. Yet, to diversify simply meant you need to bring on additional manpower with expertise beyond the usual hyped-up technology. For a simple fact, having the technology alone isn’t enough. You got to know how to maintain the technology. You got to know how to sell your technology. You got to know how to expand your technology. You got to know how to service your customers using your technology. The list goes on and on.

Expertise. Your best capability is your best survival. Far too many new media entries are managed solely by technologists and not unless they are trained in (or at least exposed regularly to) marketing/PR, many of them are absolutely horrendous. Doing something that you’re not trained to do is definitely shooting yourselves in your own feet. That is something you cannot blame clients for.

Climate. Know your environment well and don’t expect local market to adopt new media as quickly as other countries. You know your stuffs, but more than half the stuffs you know do not apply here. New media is still largely irregular, and in a way, that also fails to provide a definite direction on where it’s heading. It’s even more mocking when Web 2.0 companies hand out proposals citing to understand the local consumer trends when they have not done marketing/PR for all their lives. To arm yourself with only technological knowledge and proceeding in such manner, it’s liken to be wearing a XXXL shirt when you’re only 1.55m tall.

There could be more lacking factors, feel free to share with us. Tentatively, the above are some common deficits that most companies are - apparently - not too willing to explore and define. With a wide array of services replicated from other sources, we are fast becoming another China that thrives on replicas.

Singapore is definitely not big enough to substain so many companies too. The demand is low, while every other company is said to be attacking the same market. How sound is the prospect? It’s hard to tell for now. However, what I am pretty sure is most companies which we are looking at will eventually die of natural causes. The few companies which will survive will be those who are able to cater to the ever-growing needs of clients.

Having said so, we are still waiting to see a rare breed of individuals who are able to think big and deliver more than any current players we have. That is where they are still ailing in, anyway.

Previously, I wrote about a very important aspect of social media which is transparency. We know many businesses are still apprehensive about revealing themselves to the public. Their reasons are not unheard of, and not unreasonable too. Especially in an environment that things can quickly turn against businesses, all the more they should be careful with where they’re treading and working with.

I am going to expand a little more on transparency, harnessing on the trust aspect of social media. Chris Brogan once used the term “Snake Oil in Social Media”. As some companies would have experienced by now, getting led by a blind is not exactly a pleasant experience. Therefore, as much as parties like bloggers choose the brands they would like to be associated with, marketers should also scrutinize the parties they are intending to partner up for any social media initiatives.

While most people referred social media as publicity or relationship building, I am looking at social media more closely related to experiential marketing than anything else. Some time back, I was just sharing how social media can be applied across various corporate functions and also shared three examples of how they’re being used. Now, what are readers factually digesting from bloggers who talk about the various brands? Their experiences! What else can it be, other than to gather the fundamental impression of a certain product or service. So before anything else, businesses should ask themselves if they’re embarking on another social media stunt or truly getting involved with the community.

If your answer is the latter, then these will be some points you may want to explore when determining if a certain partnership is worth the investment.

1. Is the blogger/group harnessing on your brand to raise his/her own profile, without realistic contribution to the community you are hoping to build? (It’s all about getting the target audience, not whack-all-and-wait.)

2. Is the blogger/group transparent with their agenda, as much as you’re being expected to do so? (You don’t want to be short-changed on transparency.)

3. Have you followed the blogger/group long enough to establish the true values behind the party? (You want to distant yourself from those who advocates social media but not practising it for real, surely.)

4. Have you tracked the blogger’s participation in other blogs? (The kind of comments they leave in other blogs give you a clear hint if someone’s talking social media, or doing social media.)

5. Metrics are just figures, without clear understanding. Is the blogger/group boasting about their numerical advantage too much? (Quantitative readership isn’t everything, qualitative is.)

6. Given the extremely small scene we have in Singapore, it is easily manipulated by just a small group of bloggers. Are you mentally prepared to allow your brand to be “controlled” by just a small group, sacrificing the bigger consumer community at large? (Be mindful of what’s a community, and what’s a mob. It will happen.)

What frustrate many of us, is being fully aware of such facades being promoted by individuals and driven by bloggers. With a reality check, there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop them in their tracks before more businesses are “tricked” into their methodology.

As a blogger and social media junkie, it’s a sad truth to stomach. We see various products being published in blogs, lasting nothing more than one single post looking like a cheap advertising space. Which is why, I refused to do sponsored posts unless I have “tested” the products myself. Ask Daryl of BLOG2u or Paddy of BAK2u (sister companies), this point was communicated clearly to them. To up their social media efforts by two notches, they do not invite me to events unless it is relevant to me. Something, that I appreciate many times more than the invitation itself.