Attending #140conf so far has been a great experience, but beyond right now, I believe the real challenge for #140conf participants is to put the values we talk about so often (transparency, authenticity, etc.) into specific, measurable actions.

I think the first step for any company is not on the level of grand social media strategy, but in allowing all of their employees full access to social networks and the invitation to interact with  customers. This being driven, of course, by a set of organizational guidelines for use.

If we claim that Twitter (and services like it) is a HUGE and powerful tool for connection, communication, and collaboration, why would we limit it’s use to the marketing or PR department?

It would be naive to think that there aren’t real hurdles to climb over in implementing a company-wide social media structure. I’ve been talking about this for a while with people in various industries, and listed below are three objections I most frequently receive.

1. “People will check their Facebook/Twitter/FriendFeed instead of working”

Sure, but people make personal phone calls and send text messages instead of working already. When you open the door to social networking in your office, you must set up a set of guidelines and exceptions (e.g. when you’re at work, don’t play Farmville) so that people clearly understand what is and what is not appropriate.

Will people cross the line? Sure. But the nice thing about social media (instead of calls and texts) is that there’s usually a public record associated with activity. That public record allows your work community to hold itself accountable. If you notice that Bob is doing really well as a Mafia boss, and not so hot at his job, then you talk to him.

And as Adrian Dayton (@adriandayton) stated at #140conf yesterday, if you wall off your employees, they will find a way under the wall. So, it makes reasonable sense to me that you should be proactive in actively engaging and empowering your employees for your company.

2. “You mean I should let my all my employees interact with customers? What about message control?”

If the real-time web is all about authenticity and transparency, are we obfuscating the transparency of our messages by filtering them only through our marketing communication people?

Please know I’m not suggesting that you should make everyone an official spokesperson for your brand. I’m sure there will always be a place for someone tweeting behind a logo. Allowing your employees to use social media gives them the power to respond to customer needs that directly impact their job function. Part of your guidelines could be that they point to your corporate account in their answers.

For example, if you work for a ski resort, and one of your mountain groomers sees a tweet asking about snow conditions, I believe it’s entirely appropriate for him or her to respond directly.

The point, as Stowe Boyd (@stoweboyd) clearly articulated, is that with the real-time web, people cooperate like a marketplace in a village–each interaction is personal and important.

Because there’s so much information on the web, the hard part isn’t finding information, it’s in finding what’s relevant (that’s why they call Bing the “decision engine”). Why not allow your employees to be agents of meaning in the new marketplace of the real-time web?

3. “So what’s the point of hiring communication or social media professionals then?”

As the real-time web emerges, the role of your communication professionals should not be “message control” but rather to build a communication strategy and to cultivate a community of social media culture.

It means a strong commitment not only to building strategy and educating a workforce, but also to monitoring, listening and helping employees follow the strategy and guidelines that have been established.

Of course this requires that you trust the people who work in your organization not to do something stupid. But with the risk and with the strong measure of trust, you put transparency and authenticity in action.

I’m sure you have an opinion on this. Please share it.

-Andrew

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