Tuesday
Sep022008
Social networking as business tool
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 02:35PM A brief respite from Melrose Place the campaign -- I was quoted in a piece about the use of Facebook and other social networking sites as business tools. Evidentially, some companies are banning their employees from using these sites at work. I would ask those companies: do you also ban the phone? Companies need to view these as business tools, and encourage -- not ban -- employees to use them for business purposes. In a world where reaching critical stakeholders is becoming more difficult every day, social networking sites are empowering employees to do what marketing has not: connect with customers.
Reader Comments (4)
Right on...
I have a sneaking suspicion these are the same people that don't know how to use computers. Same old adage though, what you don't know you fear. Thanks to Nick Ragone for encouraging me to start my own FaceBook page. The ROI has been immeasurable. I mean if you take free multiplied by 164 professional/personal contacts divided by global idea incubation and sharing.
Good point Ragone. I have a friend that works at a large fin services institution and they dont't even allow internet access except for company approved sites. theya re missing the mark completey
This point should be elaborated on in an Op-Ed piece in every major biz section of every major biz publication and newspaper nationwide. Talk about missing the mark -- it's the equivilant of employers not giving their staff cellphones and laptops. Networking sites have not even remotely crested in their ability to connect business people and ideas -- by banning them many institutions are virtually shackling their employees and ultimately, their profits.