Here is the short version:
Social media expert Chris Brogan says people are losing sight of the fact that it is the INTERACTION not the APPLICATION that makes social media special. Here is that post.
Donna Fenn posted on Inc Online that J&J running a semi-patronizing social media campaign directed toward infant-toting moms. Here is that post.
J&J has apologized. To be honest, I really like J&J. They have a good reputation for their products and doing the right thing. What this situation really highlights is corporate America’s struggle for the right way to use social media. I met a blogger at BlogHerDC who works for Sun Microsystems. “They encourage us to blog” she says. I am guessing these blogs are heavily monitored by corporate communications. (More here). I talked with someone on Capitol Hill the other day here in DC. Staffers working in on a presidential campaign had to login to their Facebook accounts and clear out everything. That is the good part about social media on a SMALL scale. You can start over. The issue with J&J’s campaign is that it was on a LARGE scale. They can’t take it back. So, if you’re a newbie to social media, and you’re going to go big, here are two recommendations:
1. Experiment – Start small. Get on Twitter, blog, encourage staff to blog. See how it goes. Check out the reactions. Learn. Find models such as @MyStarbucksIdea on Twitter and the new initiative Shared Planet, which apparently evolved from My Starbucks Idea.
2. Hire an expert. A good example is someone like Stacy DeBroff, Founder of MomCentral. She helps companies targeting moms not look stupid. (My kids: “Mommy! Don’t say stupid!”)
Happy surfing, tweeting, and blogging to all.