Social media tools help people easily (and virtually) connect with peers, friends and families to help answer questions like “how are you you”,”have you seen this video” and “so, what are you doing”. As Marcel LeBrun, CEO of Radian6 puts it social media is like a new phone. (credit Chris Brogan).

Moving forward, we can’t help but consider the opportunity to use this new form of social connection on the job. Your average employee has been using email for everything and for a very long time, and it is time to figure out best way to incorporate these tools with your team and organization. A lot of you out there are probably already doing this via grass roots.

Networks are exercises in structured informality.

The key principle of networking is focusing on what you do best and delegating other activities to your allies. - Heather Creech and Terri Willard | Strategic Intentions

Why bring social media tools into your organization and what is the best way? Groundswell, written by two analysts from Forrester Research, tells us to walk through Peope Objective Strategy Technology:

1. People - What is your employee and/or customer technographic profile?
2. Objective - Select one (yes only one) objective (Talk, Listen, Energize, Support or Embrace).
3. Strategy - What will be different when you are done? Do you want a closer, two-way relationship with your best employees or create a knowledge support groups and self-serve community?
4. Technology - NOW select your tool of choice (user-generated video, blogs, social network)

Let’s compare two technographic profiles. Do you see any differences? Notice the difference between critics, creator, joiners and inactives. Which group would be easier to talk to vs. listen to? Which group would be conducive for building an online community?

Profile A

Profile B