3foldComm

I still remember the first time I saw Facebook. It was summer of 2005, just months before I was getting married. I came home one night to my roommate laying on the living room floor in a fit of giggles as she gazed at her laptop. I peered over her shoulder to find pictures of an attractive alum. They’d been leaving each other wall posts–a clear indicator that cyber flirting was already underway.

At the time, Facebook was only for college kids, or recent alums who still had college e-mail addresses.  As a woman in my very first career I didn’t want to be part of a trend that was clearly too young for me.

Oh, how times have changed.

Last week, my 84 year old grandfather joined Facebook. He, like so many other people around the world, wanted to join the mysterious online party so many people have been talking about.  I don’t blame him. But, while Grandpa has little to lose if he decides he doesn’t like the site, you as a BUSINESS or NONPROFIT do. As Paul Gunning said this week in AdAge, “Now more than ever, we’re seeing brands rush head-on into the social-media space, staking their claim on their Twitter, Flickr and Facebook kingdoms, excited about what can be done versus what should be done.”

Have you fallen victim to what Gunning calls “Techno-ecstasy?” Start by asking yourself these three questions:

1. Am I more focused on creating a fan page to say I have a fan page, or actually listening to my customers?

2. How much participation is required to make a difference to my end goals? (And, for that matter, what are my end goals?)

3. Has my company developed a social media policy for our entire staff?

If you just read the above questions and are officially confused– it’s probably best you spend a little more time researching what social media is all about BEFORE signing up for every platform that exists. You can learn more by visiting my Delicious account, or contacting 3Fold about our social media trainings.