DISQUS

That was a sad story. From my perspective Bob did everything correctly. In fact, it sounds to me that he went above and beyond his responsibilities to his company. As an employee of an interactive agency in Honolulu, I truly believe to be an extension of my brand. I think about that every time I Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, whatever. That mentality has given me the fortune of bringing in new business through these methods, and even given me the opportunity to speak to other organizations about these practices. Employers need to change their thinking, accept that this is a new way of communication, and hire folks who they can trust to understand their company's brand, code of ethics, etc. It evens the playing field in my mind, both for the customer perspective and the employee/employer relationship. It’s so easy to spread information these days that folks need to stop being nervous and fearful, and start getting respectful and educated.

I think that social media has already defined itself as the next chapter in our book of communication tools. That being said as important as analytics and value are, (believe me I know its all I preach as an interactive planner) I think basic presence and accessibility exceed all other priorities. As an individual promoting themselves, or a company staying in touch with their customer base, as long as you are being transparent and truthful I don't think you can really go wrong in the use of social media. Now, when the question of how much time you devote to the cause and the amount of money associated to it comes up, well... thats a horse of a different color.