Recent research we did for a large well known corporate client investigated whether their people understood remote communication tools in social media like Facebook and Twitter, and if they had an appetite to use them in the workplace? You might think that this would be a distraction for many at work and admittedly for some it would be.
But it also would be a way of engaging with audiences that ignore traditional methods of communication and encouraging more viral communication between departments that traditionally work in silos. People often crave an insight into what the CEO thinks - and a blog is a perfect mechanism for a quick weekly diary update.
The interesting thing the research showed was that even 'thirty something's' counted themselves as an 'ignoramus' about social media and people were resistant to something that has the power to make communication more innovative, useful and fun. The remote audiences however were crying out for fresher simpler innovative ways to communicate with the UK and it seemed that with the resistance they had thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
Tools like WebEx, YouTube, Second Life and SMS which could bring communication with global audiences to life had been put in the same basket as Facebook - as something a bit 'tacky' and not really suitable for the high end market they were in.
The problem is for these corporates stuck in the traditional mould is that their competitors may well be taking up these speedier and more innovative tools and racing ahead when engaging people around the world....
Look at how quickly an unknown like Susan Boyle can become a global name - what benefits could that bring when launching a brilliant new product to your market place or a key message to your most important stakeholders?
It seems that I know more men who 'twitter' than women. 
Social media is here to stay. The generation coming out into society expect to find it in the workplace, in some form, as a tool to do their job. Companies are realising the power of social media and how it can impact the bottom line. 
Colleague Lorraine Donald says "Social media tools - used well - can open a whole new world of options and opportunities to create the sort of quality two-way dialogue with audiences that business has been trying to achieve for decades. 
