During the last year, I have written a number of opinion pieces on the issues and trends around Social Media, along with the (sometimes) ominous implications.  With the fullness of time, some of these are even more important today.  A few selections…

Does Free Always Mean Free?  Beyond the embarrassing photos, new found friends, professional connections, and social gaming, there lurks a conflict – and conflict of interest – that most people know nothing about.

Facebook:  Billions Served:   This year, Facebook announced that it now has one billion users – an astounding number. On the other hand, you (or your organization) may have but 1000 or 10,000 – hardly a dent, and at best, a rounding error.  Whether your number is on the lower side or hovering at a billion, this singular measure of “success” is of little value, and at best misleading. This Viewpoint article answers the question why, and suggests more meaningful ways of measuring Social ROI.

Email RIP:  From Telex to Fax to Email, how we communicate has changed dramatically over the years.  This Viewpoint article makes the case for why Email as we know it will be going away – and what you can do to prepare for when that day comes.

Risky Business: Picture this scenario: An employee gets charged with a serious offense and the company’s name gets mentioned repeatedly in the news reports.  The reporters found the connection to your organization by scanning through Social Media.  Learn why organizations are fundamentally not equipped to address this risk (and 16 others) – and what they need to be doing right now.

Social Censorship: Have you ever heard of the 3C’s of Social Media?  Sadly, there are two different versions:  communication, collaboration, and community building is one, and clamp down, control, and curtail is another.   No CEO wants to be known as a hypocrite, but choosing between these C’s often makes them so.  This Viewpoint article speaks to the challenges when an organization works beyond its borders.

47 Tough Social Media Questions:  How does your organization decide to invest in Social Media? With all of the fluff being written on the topic, it isn’t surprising that finding a list to help executives make better decisions is tough.  Based on our experience advising clients, we’ve put together 47 of them.

The Case Against Social Media Regulation:  Should social media be regulated and controlled? Should hardware and network providers be forced to open a one-way window for authorities to monitor the flow of conversation? These questions are once again being asked, as supposedly “civilized” societies erupt into violence, riots, vandalism, and hooliganism.

Planning for an Uncertain Future:  In 1997 there was no Google. In 2002 there was no Facebook. There was no Twitter in 2004, and the iPad only made it’s debut in 2009. There is no indication that the pace of innovation will slow, so how can you plan for the future when the target is moving, and moving quickly?  This article speaks to six things that you  – and your organization – should be doing to get ahead of the curve.

Is the Cloud for the Birds?  If you read the business or technology press, you’ve probably heard about “the cloud”.  And if you believe the ad copy, just about any problem can be solved merely by “putting it on the cloud”.  Can this really be true?  Is the hype even close to reality?  And what is this cloud, really?  This Viewpoint article answers these questions, and poses it’s own: what should you ask if you are considering using the tool.

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