Regardless of the rationale, some organizations are struggling with these feelings. In the third portion of the conversation, I asked these smart folks about the topic:

How does a company or individual deal with fear and the idea of “giving up control” when using social media?

Here is what they had to say:

Chris: Start with small wins, brief projects, simple pilots, and build off your smaller successes. 

Jason: Nothing worth doing has even been achieved without someone first being afraid of the results. And control within an organization is a myth, at least from an external messaging standpoint. We’ve had millions of water coolers all over the world until recently where people talked about your company or brand, good/bad/ and indifferent. The only difference now is that there’s one big water cooler (the Internet) with millions of people gathered around it. Now the water cooler talk is permanent, indexed and searchable. The Internet only places the water cooler talk in front of company executives now.

They’ve never been able to control it. Now they just know they don’t control it.

In terms of the “internal” control, we’re at a crossroads in business where individuals have personalities and personas and even personal brands on the Internet. Companies insisting their employees not participate on the Internet, or completely omit any link to the company (which is almost impossible) through their internet activity are going to soon find it hard to keep employees.

Rob: My advice, I suppose is basic.  John D. Rockefeller once said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to tell people that you’re doing the right thing.”  That’s my advice.  The fear of the unknown, I think, stems from a lack of confidence that you’re doing the right thing.  If you are, and you know it, what’s to fear? Leaving aside the issues we mentioned (trade secrets, legal issues, privacy, etc.), if your people are united in their commitment and passion, and your company is doing awesome work, what’s there to control as if your people are mindless automatons or saboteurs?

So really, two steps to social media success:

First, do the right thing. That is the most important thing, ultimately.  Who cares if you’ve got the greatest social media practices in the world if you’re churning out second-rate products or doing douchebag things?

Second, assuming you’re doing the right thing, then tell people that you are — and let your people tell their people that they are doing the right thing. It’s simple when you think of it that way, right? More from Rob.

Charline: The first thing I encourage organizations to do is to get a firm understanding of what the benefits are of engaging. If this isn’t front and center, you can’t move forward. Second, pick an area that has big upside that’s measurable — or at least, visible — and also not so big that it feels risky. Take a core customer group that you are pretty sure are “friendly” and give it a whirl — you want to create the opportunity for success the first time out. Giving up control requires confidence, and you get confidence from taking small little steps before taking the grand, giant leap. 

 
Scott: Spend some time listening and understanding how these networks and communities work. Put a strategy together, one in place that matches and supports your business goals and start building against that tactically.

Don’t worry about the tools. Don’t worry if you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account. None of that matters. You need to understand the culture of it first. These tools will always change. You just need to get your mind around it. More from Scott.

David: For your ideas to spread and rise to the status of a World Wide Rave, you’ve got to give up control.  Make your information on the Web totally free for people to access, with absolutely no virtual strings attached: no electronic gates, no registration requirements, and no email address checking necessary. More from David.

Fear has the tendency to interfere with life. At times, fear is a good thing – it stops us from entering situations that can literally be harmful, but at times, it hinders us from pursuing the new and the foreign – the new and the foreign that often result in success, discovery and growth.

So, as with life, the fear of social media must be evaluated. What is the worst-case scenario in acting on the fear and in not acting on the fear? Is the fear justifiable or simply a misperception? And, of course, what underlying issues are present that concocted the fear to begin with?

Have you experienced an instance of fear in your organization? How have you dealt with such instances? I would love to hear thoughts and opinions on the topic.