In the pre-blogging world, communications was about broadcasting one-to-many messages and employing command-and-control around those messages. Today, the new paradigm is about open and transparent conversations and influence in networks. Employing social media concepts and tools through an external communications program for knowledge transfer and reputation enhancement and internally for business productivity gains is all about transparency and authenticity of voice.
This is not to suggest in any way that as a profession we stop doing what we currently do very well via our traditional communications programs. Many social media purists may disagree with this statement; however, they would be wrong to assume that the culture of the past 50+ years will end so abruptly. And as Robin Fray Carey stated to me during a recent conversation; their free speech isn't burdened by legal departments or regulatory agencies. What I am advocating is beginning innovative social media communication programs that prepare us for an innevitable future where authenticity is the rule rather than the exception.
As you may or may not have noticed, my blogroll is a combination of bloggers that cover the space of Business software (the industry that I am in), the topic of social media (the focus of my role at SAP) and some of the biggest names in the PR world (my chosen profession). My intent is to bring them together along with you, the communications practitioner, so a conversation may begin from which we may mutually benefit. My hope is that the end result will be a more formal acceptance and use of the concepts and tools of social media in the corporate communications profession.
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