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Still hiding behind the firewall?
How is corporate use of social media shaping up? Research conducted back in 2007 by Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the Center for Marketing Research, indicated that message boards and some of the more traditional social media tools like wikis were being adopted by about 30 percent of the firms then polled. Business users in that study indicated a high degree of familiarity with podcasts, uses of online video, and blogging-though few blogged at the time.
Two years hence, it may seem like "everyone is doing it," but there are many CIOs who remain ambivalent about social media use at their companies and they tend to put the brakes on.
"White labeled social media platforms for use behind the fire wall are gaining faster traction then anything that's customer facing because they are safer for the company," says Mark Lazen, chief technology officer and co-founder of Social Media Today, an online business community for social media bloggers, marketers, PR, and social media professionals.
Behind-the-firewall tools with the features of FaceBook or MySpace can function as an intranet knowledge management tool with extra capabilities-connecting geographically dispersed coworkers and creating a stronger bond and place to collaborate. It's not clear how widely used such internal sites are being implemented, but Lazen believes that many firms see it as a good way to start with social media.
In terms of internet-related risks, it's easy to see why some CIOs prefer gradual adoption: after all, business want some control of their message and their brand. But not everyone is "social media averse." John Cass, director of marketing, ideaLaunch, says that Mark Dunn, a former Dell and AOL technologist who is now CTO with Hearst, regularly contributes through platforms like Twitter and Friendfeed. As Cass sees it, Dunn"gets the potential" of social media.
Others who spoke with CIOZone made similar comments about some firms Tweeting or blogging, particularly to enhance traditional trade shows or industry events.
"I understand that the CIO needs to keep the computing environment stable," Cass says of lingering reluctance. "But the potential to engage the customer is there. And engagement has immense value even if it can't be easily quantified," says Cass.
Cass likens social media to email. "That was a tool, where, 15 years ago, you had questions about privacy, about security, about what could be documented in email and what shouldn't be," he says. "Eventually, the channel of email proved it's value. You can't imagine most businesses without it," Cass says. He sees social media evolving in the same way.
Businesses still on a learning curve
Granted, business users are still trying to sort out the value proposition and methodology, and making up the road rules in the process. "If a botanist, lumberjack, and a biologist walk through the woods, they are going to see different things,"says Malicoat. "Likewise, social media readers, consumers, and promoters will use and experience these sites differently."
Social media is part of an overall trend, the "consumerization" of IT. If you haven't begun a social media program because you didn't see the value-or, you only saw the downside, now might be time. "When it comes to social media, the train is leaving the station," says Carter Lusher.
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