I was reminded last week that no matter how hard I push, and believe me I can push pretty hard, a certain fear will always rule the day. That fear is of the unknown.
When we’re looking at the unknown, it’s perfectly logical to fear that any negative risks associated with action always outweigh the risks associated with inaction. But that’s simply not an absolute. I would argue that substantial progress can only be made when those risks associated with a new action are taken… Besides, what misstep can’t be cleared up with a little authenticity online these days?
Hithertofore, I would like to go on record saying that only good can come from producing social media in an up front way. Even in large organizations.
That’s not to say that fearing the unknown isn’t a perfectly acceptable behavior. It’s healthy to respect the unknown, just as long as that fear does not paralyze progress. So how do you tell the unknown from the benign? I would say that social media is benign, for the most part.
That should make things a bit easier.
What is Benign?
Let me temper the term benign with intention. If your employees are on video doing malicious things to people’s food, for example, then social media doesn’t feel very benign to you… However, an organization would A. never intend for their employees to do malicious things to people’s food and B. never intend for that type of video evidence to circulate.
An organization would intend to get information out to people though, and that type of social media IS benign… not to mention the best low cost way to spread a message.
If that information is packaged in an interesting way, then when that information is turned into social media and hits the internets… you can only win. Worst case scenario is that nothing happens because nobody notices. But if/when people do notice, I’m arguing that only good can come from it, no matter how entrenched the opposition is to your cause.
Think About It
When was the last time that social media brought an organization, or even an individual, to their knees from a financial perspective. Seriously. As much as people opine about the power of social media, I don’t know that you can come up with an example. (But I welcome you to try in the comments below) In the meantime, you need to get over your fear of the benign and start figuring out that social media CAN help you reach actual business objectives.
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