I was struck by a blog post awhile back and it came back to mind. The basic premise is Social Media shouldn't be its own discipline in a few years if the corporate stewards of Social Media do their job right.
I tend to agree. However, I think the timeline will stretch out as there's too much hype around SM to stop companies from dedicating a title or sometimes a department to it. Ultimately, I believe Social Media is simply a significant evolution of the web, but not a specialized channel. Here's how I see the all-encompassing term "Social Media" breaking down over time.
Platform: Social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have consumed all the press oxygen out there. At their core, they are platforms that enable social behavior. Brands have been quick to setup their Facebook Fan Pages and Twitter Accounts. Much of their benefits allow for the control of seed content by the brand, but have the additional benefit of allowing fans/followers/users to contribute to the content. As .com sites also continue to allow consumers to contribute to their site experience either publicly (reviews, posts, etc) or personally (Facebook Connect, Google Open API, etc), it is not unreasonable to expect the site owners (owned media) will own the Social Platform experiences. So the team that owns acme.com, will own facebook/acme and youtube/acme.
Communication Vehicle: The email address is now being usurped by the connection, friending or follow. It's the permission-based communication channel that allows Brands to reach consumers in a direct fashion. I would think this could become the world of the Email Marketing teams now. Plus, it's time those email marketers learn something new. They're getting tired of explaining what a good open rate is. They'll also need to get their PR buddies involved, as they'll be co-owning that element in some fashion.
Source of consumer research: Odds are if you're the "social" person at a large company, you were the one who owns the Radian6, Cymfony, Buzzmetrics, etc., relationship as well have setup Google Alerts that clog your RSS feed. Be you're probably not a Market Researcher, in Product Development or have access to the panic room during a PR crisis. Thus, these tools should be handed over to the folks who need them to do what they get paid to do. Understand consumer sentiment, get ahead of PR events or enhance products.
Don't worry SM folks, there will be something new tomorrow. Actually, at the break-neck speed of digital evolution today, there's always something new. You probably were the one assigned Social Media because you're good at understanding technology implications on business & marketing and you have a pulse on change. Try not to build to large a fiefdom of your own and lay too strong a claim on Social Media. Bring your company along, then look for what's next.
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