Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring?

by Bill Ives

August 27, 2009 at 4:48 pm · Filed under Event Announcements

I saw an interesting study reported in the Communications Strategist blog on the uses of social media by management. In July 2009, Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law undertook a research study to look at how business leaders view social media and its role in their organizations – see Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risk. They found three main fears: concern over how use of social media while on the clock might diminish productivity, how it might increases an IT infrastructure’s odds of being hit with computer viruses, and how a corporate reputation could be damaged based on what employees post to their personal online accounts.

Apparently with these fears in mind the following reasons that management uses social media were reported. The top reason is to read what customer might be saying about the company (52%). Next was to monitor a competitor’s use of social media (47%). Third was to see what their employees may be sharing, The fourth reason was to check on the background of prospective employees (25%). Thee reasons seems to bring in the vast majority of management into the social media space as only 16% said they use social media for personal use or not at all.

However, as the Communications Strategist noted, these were mostly defensive uses. For example, what about engaging in conversation with employees, customers, and the market in general. They also seem to display a lurker mentality. You really need to more fully engage to understand how social media might help the enterprise. The study also points out the many studies that show a rise in the use of social media should look closely at the reasons the various social media are being used.

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ffblogAugust 27th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

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billivesAugust 27th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

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The_PayerPlayerAugust 27th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and …: by Bill Ives I saw an interesting study reporte.. http://bit.ly/4R3h3

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sharondilleAugust 27th, 2009 at 6:03 pm

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BurkeandChaseAugust 28th, 2009 at 12:21 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and …: Eric Wentworth: In less than two years social m.. http://bit.ly/1FGd3c

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etpMNGAugust 28th, 2009 at 12:49 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and …: Eric Wentworth: In less than two years social m.. http://bit.ly/1FGd3c

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aponcierAugust 28th, 2009 at 2:31 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://is.gd/2DsrH

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paulcomacAugust 28th, 2009 at 4:25 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://bit.ly/2TJ1bt

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KathyHerrmannAugust 28th, 2009 at 9:46 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://ow.ly/lNOD > To gain most, u’v got to participate & engage.

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scoutlabsAugust 28th, 2009 at 5:17 pm

Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://ow.ly/lNOD > To gain most, u’v got to participate & engage. Right on, @KathyHerrmann

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dkasrelAugust 29th, 2009 at 10:37 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://bit.ly/kDJYp

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TheRealPRManAugust 29th, 2009 at 8:20 pm

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? http://ow.ly/ndXJ

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ImpactWatchAugust 31st, 2009 at 11:27 am

Is Management Focusing Too Much on Social Media Lurking and Monitoring? – Fast Forward Blog – http://is.gd/2DsrH

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Joseph FioreSeptember 1st, 2009 at 4:32 am

Nathan,

I completely agree with everything you said, and always have felt that the "corporate surveillance" or "fear motivation" skeptics unfairly pegged this industry in a defensive for far too long. I’ve witnessed the evolve of audience reactions to listening/monitoring services from the beginning and I have to say its one of the positive aspects of this spaces maturity that is warmly welcomed.

Joseph
@RepuTrack

This comment was originally posted on The Net-Savvy Executive

SynthesioSeptember 3rd, 2009 at 4:28 am

Hello Nathan,

I think it is tempting for managers who are unfamiliar with social media to fear what it can do to their company’s reputation before realizing the potential opportunities, as it is still new territory for many. “Listening on the offense”, for example, can be an opportunity to fix a genuine problem. Customers are extra sets of eyes that can to spot problems with a company’s product, customer service, delivery services, etc. that may have been overlooked.

Also, social media forces companies to be ethical, which is always a plus for the consumer. There have been numerous cases of companies trying to buy consumer trust via fake reviews, fake blogs, etc. They have learned the hard way that social media has revealed companies’ reputations for all to see, whether they are ready or not.

You make a good point that listening does not necessarily have to be negative or positive. It can be both, sometimes even at the same time.
Thank you, as always, for your insightful post.

Best,
Michelle
@Synthesio

This comment was originally posted on The Net-Savvy Executive

marcoschuellerSeptember 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 am

Social media is getting management attention, but for what reason? They monitor, while they should embrace http://ow.ly/nRR8

This comment was originally posted on Twitter

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