Who “Owns” Social Media in an Organization?

The Driving Force:

I love learning through other people – reading blogs, hearing about experiences and collaborating on projects. Since social media is an arena that individuals and businesses are “figuring out” daily, I thought it would be interesting, not to mention extremely informative, to hear from some of the people that consistently provide beguiling insight in the social media realm.

These “panelists” were kind enough to make time in their busy schedules to answer several questions that I posed.

The Participants:

Chris Brogan is President of New Marketing Labsand the co-founder of PodCamp new media conference series. He is a speaker, blogger, and writer. His blog has been ranked in the Top 10 of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. He is also the co-author Trust Agents.

Jason Falls is the founder of Social Media Explorer. A social media educator, strategist, public relations professional and blogger, he helps companies understand the social web and shows them how engaging consumers online can help their businesses. His blog also ranks in the Top 20 of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs.

Rob Hahn is the founder and managing partner of 7DS Associates – a marketing, strategy, and technology consulting firm specializing in creative solutions rooted in strategic analysis. He is also a respected marketing, technology and real estate blogger and brings a unique perspectives on social media based on his unique background.

Charlene Li, founder of Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell, is a graduate of Harvard Business School and was recently named as one of The Most Influential Women in Technology by Fast Company. She has also made appearances on 60 Minutes, CNN and CNBC.

Scott Monty, Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for Ford Motor Company, is the strategic advisor for all organization-wide social media activities. A marketing and communications professional, he possesses experience in health care, biotech and automotive industries, working with a wide range of clients.

David Meerman Scott is the BusinessWeek bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR , which has been published in 24 languages. He is also the author World Wide Rave. David has presented at hundreds of conferences and seminars in over 20 countries on four continents.

The Conversation: Part One

Do you think one particular team must take ownership of social media within an organization, i.e. marketing, pr, web team, etc.?

Chris: No. Social media is like a phone. Everyone should have one. What you DO with it is what differentiates.

Jason: As I wrote and have indicated before, I think public relations is the department that should take responsibility for an organization’s social media. There are a number of reasons, but Kami Huyse summed it up nicely by saying, “Public Relations is great at building and maintaining relationships, as well as creating informational content.” Social media is about building and maintaining relationships and providing customers with content in its many forms.

Keep in mind, I say “take responsibility” instead of “take ownership.” Everyone in the organization owns a piece of it. Social media isn’t something that can be silo-ed off in one department. It is most effectively implemented across the enterprise with everyone taking ownership to a degree. Public relations should be responsible for training and implementing social media best practices, providing content and keeping track of/managing the relationships both internally and externally.

Rob: The only team that can and must take ownership is the Senior Leadership Team, specifically the CEO. The reason is that “social media” to me is just the application of Cluetrain principles,  and Cluetrain is such a fundamental cultural and organizational change that only the CEO can drive that kind of change.

If some team underneath takes ownership of social media, it becomes ghettoized into being just a “new communications channel” or an “interactive marketing technique” or some such and not much changes. Businesses who are doing that are just hoping that social media obeys the old paradigms of one-to-many communications rather than human-to-human relationships and conversations.

Charlene: It may start as one team because that team has something very specific to gain from participating. But there should be a plan in place on how to “spread” the engagement so that it becomes something that the entire organization does, rather than concentrated in one place. The more inclusive you can make it, the better.

Scott: If you’re a big brand, it’s not possible without Senior leadership in place. I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my VP of Communications or CEO. They understand it is important.

David: I think the right people to take ownership are those who are passionate. This is not just “marketing as usual.” You don’t just toss brochure copy out onto a blog. So it takes people and an organization with passion and who are genuinely excited about creating information online. 

###

Where do you think social media “belongs” in an organization? Should one division/department maintain complete “control” or take ownership of social media initiatives?

I look forward to hearing thoughts and opinions on this topic!

The Yellow Arrow Project

I am currently reading Convergence Culture – an insightful book by Henry Jenkins, Professor of Humanities and the Founder/Director of the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT. Although I just started the book, I am already enthralled by the observations and concepts presented by Jenkins.

One particular piece of information that caught my attention was a reference to The Yellow Arrow Project.  This was the first time I had heard of the project, and I immediately wanted to learn more. Yellow Arrow is a global project that allows participants to explore cities through mobile phone SMS. The basic concept is centered around the fact that every individual brings a unique perspective and experience to a particular region, location or object. 

Here is how it works:  a person positions a distinctly coded Yellow Arrow sticker to catch the attention of other individuals. Once the arrow is posted, the “poster” sends a SMS to Yellow Arrow with a unique code and a personal story about the spot where the arrow is posted.   Yellow Arrows are often posted at local businesses, on a unique bus stop billboards or spots where breathtaking views of a city can be observed.   When another person encounters the arrow and is interested in learning more, he sends a SMS with the unique code and instantly receives the previously recorded message initiated by the “poster.”

I love this. I find it intriguing beyond words and, again, very telling of how individuals are creating history and meanings through personal experiences and technology.

Staying on Top of Social Media

From the moment my alarm sounds in the morning, information is coming at me from all directions - the newspaper is waiting at the door, Blackberry is full of e-newsletters and tweets are in full force.  Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a gripe.  I love learning and figuring out how I can put things into practice, but there is no disputing that it can all be a little overwhelming.

Since creating more time in the day isn’t an option, managing information is a challenge that takes practice, patience and time and content management skills.

Here is a snapshot of some of my favorites from this past week:

Twitter 101:  Succinct guide for anyone interested in learning more about Twitter. It is fairly basic, yet very informative. It also includes great stories about businesses that have successfully used Twitter to promote business objectives.

GeoChirp:  Cool website that allows you to select a region and then select keywords; tweets in that region that include the specified keywords are then shown.

Defining Your Social Media Strategy:  Great educational video that outlines strategies for social media.

The Key to Developing a Social Media Strategy:  Informative article that addresses the intersection of social media, corporate communications and public relations.

Letter to Employees from Zappos CEO:  No doubt, a social media pioneer, Zappos made headlines this week when they were bought by Amazon. This letter reiterates how Zappos not only incorporate social media into business practices, but also in transparent internal communications.

Communications Graduate Programs Address Demands

Throughout my process of researching graduate schools, I have come across several articles indicating that programs and curricula in Communications departments continue to evolve due to developments in new media. Traditionally, concentrations are added or graduate degrees are intergrated into undergraduate departments, but, in general, it isn’t all too frequent that completely new degrees are constructed. This has changed…

Northwestern’s Medill was a pioneer in the creation of the IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) program. It was definitely innovative. Graduates receive a Masters of Science rather than a Masters of Arts, which was traditionally the norm in Communications and Journalism schools. There is a strong emphasis placed on data analysis, database management and integrated approaches to marketing communications.

In addition, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication offers a Masters in Communications Management. Areas of focus include Marketing Communications, Organizational & Strategic Communications, Communication Law & Policy, Online Communities and Entertainment Management. Students are also given the option to take courses outside of the department. Popular interdisciplinary areas include Business, Psychology, Technology and Public Policy.

This is great news for anyone who has been teetering on the idea of returning to school. When I received my BA, I looked into a few programs. The challenge I encountered was finding a program that offered both applicable and theoretical coursework. Innovative programs, including the IMC and MCM, definitely satisfy business needs, while providing valuable background in theory and rhetoric by offering such courses:

Theory:
Interpreting Popular Culture & Society
Communication, Values, Attitudes and Behavior
Theories of Creating Organizational Identity:  Meaning Through Messages
Communications & Persuasive Messages

Business Centric: 
Business Management Strategies for New Technologies 
Creating and Implementing Campaigns to Measure Communication Efforts
Audience Analysis
Communications Research (surveys, experimental tests campaigns and formative evaluations)

Alas, the best of both worlds!

Book Recommendation: Always On

I just finished a wonderful book by Naomi S. Baron – Always On:  Language in an Online and Mobile World. Wonderful, I thought – I had yet to read a book that addressed the implications and impact of new technologies in relation to language!

Naomi Baron does a wonderful job in discussing historical concepts of language and electronic communication technologies and how they are affecting society in an immense way. The book was published in 2008, yet some of the topics in the book might already be considered archaic by some – just another example of how quickly new media is morphing, progressing and changing, only to be replaced by the next “big thing.” 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in social media, language, multi-tasking, linguistics, cultural studies or communications. If nothing else, you’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on how electronic communication is influencing how we listen, speak, read and write. I have to admit, throughout the book I found myself thinking, “I am guilty of that” and “I should be more conscious of that.”

Books addressing similar subjects:
Language and the Internet
Alphabet to Email  
Convergence Culture:  Where Old and New Media Collide (one of my next reads)

The US Air Force and Social Media

A colleague passed this article around last week. I had the opportunity to read through it on the El ride home today. This is definitely a well thought through “manual”.  It not only serves as an educational tool, but it also relates social media directly to the members of the Armed Forces. The diagram on page six is a great visual aid.