“Social media isn’t for our company. People might leave negative comments!”

How often have you heard some variation of that line of thinking? Unfortunately, the truth is that if someone has something negative to say about your company — they’re going to find a way. If not on your blog, than on some other social media outlet. That’s why companies need to incorporate “listening” into their communication strategy. People are talking — whether you’re participating or not. (For more on professional listening, see Chris Brogan’s post on growing bigger ears.)

The importance of listening was perfectly illustrated on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog. He wrote a post about the role corporate culture plays in a company’s ability/willingness to participate in social media. The post included an embedded presentation about IBM’s company-wide incorporation of social computing. But, the lesson about listening actually took place in the post’s comments. Jimmy, an ex-IBM employee commented on the post and used the forum to express his deep-rooted frustration with the way the company reacted when he needed time off to deal with a family crisis. His comments painted a very ugly picture.

And that’s why it’s important to listen. Adam Christensen — who, according to his blog, does “social media communication” for IBM — read the original post and the ensuing comments. Adam responded with his own comment to address the accusations:

By inserting itself into the dialogue, IBM diffused a potentially negative situation. Additional comments discussed corporate culture; however, IBM wasn’t the target of further criticism. We can only guess how the thread would have developed if IBM hadn’t jumped in. Maybe readers would have posted more attacks on IBM … or maybe not. We’ll never know — but is that a risk your company wants to take? If not, it’s time to start listening.

Photo Credit: David Plotzki.

We’re always hearing how we shouldn’t expect celebrities to be role models — and with good reason. We’ve heard way too much about “misjudgements” of Amy Winehouse, Alex Rodriquez and everyone on The Hills. Even so, we can learn a few things from the stars. For example, some are using social media in ways that could benefit some businesses.

Be engaging.

Shaquille O’Neal invited fans to play at the mall — not basketball … but tag. He promised to give two basketball tickets to fans who tagged him and said “you’re twit.”

Jane Fonda tweeted and blogged about the Oscars — offering fans insights from someone in the “Hollywood crowd.”

Get beyond corporate talking points.

A recent addition to the New York Yankees, Nick Swisher revealed that the team took a break from spring training to shoot some pool — and that Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera were the winners. As a Yankee fan, I love the “behind the scenes” details.

Also, Jets defensive star Kerry Rhodes revealed that he cooks his own country breakfast — thanks to lessons from his mother.

Translate an “offline” brand online.

With more than 96,000 followers on Twitter, The Office cult star Rainn Wilson continues his funny-man tradition with clever humor and wit.

Already a mega-brand in his own right, Diddy’s online presence — including Twitter and a slick web site — matches his offline persona.

While celebrities are fortunate to begin with an already established fanbase and a pretty significant platform, social media still requires them to take the same leap of faith facing businesses. Like companies, stars have to shed the talking points, give up some control and be willing to spend the time to engage people. Some celebrities provide a useful roadmap to help brands understand how Web 2.0 tools can foster stronger relationships with fans (a.k.a. customers). For example:

• Can your company promote a contest via social media?
• What insightful “inside knowledge” can you share with consumers?
• Can your company use social media to provide lesser-known facts that will strengthen “fan” loyalty?
• Why can’t companies create a strong online presence that builds upon their strong offline brand?

We’re just starting to scratch the surface. How are your favorite stars using social media? And, what can we learn from them? Also, check out the Athletes on Twitter wiki and feel free to make additions.

Our office is slightly obsessed with Eat This, Not That — the new book from Men’s Health (yes, I said *Men’s* Health, despite that fact that our office is almost all women). The book provides healthy alternatives to common foods that most of us eat all the time. (For example, Raisin Bran isn’t really that healthy. Instead, opt for Cheerios or Shredded Wheat.)

Even though it may taste good, not all food is good for you. Likewise, not all situations are Twitter-appropriate — even though tweeting may seem logical in today’s always-connected world. Some examples:

Birth on Twitter: Do or Don't?

Tweet this: Office holiday party.
Not that: Workplace rumors. (Especially if those rumors are unconfirmed.)

Tweet this: Major breaking news.
Not that: Fake news. (Remember the Steve Jobs rumor?)

Tweet this: Helpful information. (Check out #jourchat or #followfriday for starters.)
Not that: Spam.

Tweet this: Positive client news.
Not that: Negative client reviews. (Don’t forget the FedEx/Memphis/Ketchum debacle.)

Tweet this: Death of someone notable.
Not that: Funeral

Unfortunately, not every situation is this black and white. For example, the Orlando Sentinel tweeted Caylee Anthony’s memorial service last week. What do you think? Memorial services: do or don’t? Also, what else would you add to our “tweet this, not that” list?

Photo courtesy of edkohler.

Across the country — from Florida to California — public radio stations are feeling the economic squeeze. Listeners have less disposable income, so donations are down and programming cuts and layoffs are up.

This past weekend, Chris Brogan wrote a post about his local public radio affiliate — WBUR — and how it uses social media to engage listeners. Not just dabbling in social media, WBUR maintains a listener photo project on Flickr, plus an active presence on Twitter, Gather, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Utteri. The station even hosts tweetups!

This got us thinking: Can social media save public radio — or at least make it stronger? We decided to pose the question to Twitter. The poll may not be exactly statistically relevant, but we think the results are telling.

Two-thirds of respondents said their public radio station did not use social media. That’s almost shocking when you consider how much NPR itself has invested into social media.

[NPR] is asking all of its journalists to rethink their storytelling and audience interaction. Most news organizations are at least paying lip service to this multiplatform goal, but NPR is putting its money (and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s) where its mouth is: The foundation gave NPR $1.5 million to train its 450 editorial employees in digital storytelling skills and to pay for substitutes to fill in for them while they learn. NPR is putting an additional $1 million into the training.

As NPR VP for News Ellen Weiss put it, “We’re going to get our stories and our storytelling and our journalism out to people wherever they are and in whatever form they want to experience it.” Going back to our poll, 100% of respondents said they believed social media would help grow the listening audience. It’s safe to assume that more listeners equals more money, right? Then, why aren’t a greater number of public radio stations incorporating social media? The easy answer is a lack of resources, but that’s not a good response. (To the contrary, Coffee Grounz general manager JR Cohen told Shel Israel during a recent interview that the bad economy just means that “this is the time to be innovative.”)

So, what’s the hold-up for public radio affiliates?

NPR’s self-proclamed “social media guy” Andy Carvin explained to me (via Twitter) that “NPR has a wide range of social media activities, but the stations are all different since they’re all independent.” Carvin said WBUR, WOSU and KQED are good examples of stations that “get” social  media.

Our local public radio affiliate, WMFE, has a talented pool of reporters. During the week, the station plays classical music all day, sandwiched by popular national programming. But, their online presence is non-existent, except for a basic web site. Listeners have zero opportunity to engage with the station or with reporters. Management doesn’t ask listeners for feedback. Social media doesn’t drive listeners to the radio station. Talk about a missed opportunity.

So, here’s what we suggest: Create a very active, very informative Facebook page. Get NASA expert Pat Duggins on engaged in Twitter (ADDED: He needs to be *conversing* more with listeners). Attend this month’s Orlando Tweetup and offer to host the next one. Blog (suggested topics include “a day in the life of” featuring a mix of onair talent and behind-the-scenes staff as well as the process of putting together a story). Let readers vote on stories, similar to Digg. Comment on other local blogs. Create a photo-sharing project on Flickr. Buy a Flip camera and create some videos. And that’s just for starters.

While public radio stations are non-profits, they’re vulnerable to many of the same challenges facing for-profit media organizations. Traditional media is losing ground to new media. That means public radio — like newspapers and magazines — has little choice but to embrace social media … or risk being left behind.

Is social media the answer to public radio’s woes?

Did you know that this week is Social Media Week? It is. All week, events like “Social Media Platforms” and “The Politics of Social Media” are taking place in New York City.  Last night, Fleishman Hillard hosted a panel discussion, “When Social Media Becomes Unsociable.” Follow this link to read Media Post’s summary — or, just read the most important takeaway:

Listen, the message is the same.  The words are the same.  The way you represent your company is still the same.  The desired behavior (from a company to its employee) is the same.  The channel has changed.  Use your head, know your privacy filters, and, as Constantin Basturea of Converseon said, act like you want to keep your job … Be a responsible representative of your company in public because you never know who’s listening. 

Words to live by in this day and age.

A recent Weber Shandwick survey asked 700 executives from around the world about online reputation management. According to the participants:

• Traditional media (television, radio, newspapers) plays a greater role in deciding reputational fates than new media (web sites, blogs, social networks).
• They [the participants] are five times more likely to trust traditional media appearing online as they are to trust strictly online media.
• The leading online source of company information is the corporate web site.

While monitoring coverage in traditional media is certainly important, times have changed. According to a Pew study from December 2008, more people get their news from the Internet than from newspapers. A ClickZ study found that 74 percent choose to do business with companies based on the customer care experiences shared by others online.

What does this mean?

There’s a clear disconnect between what these executives believe to be true, and what’s really happening. People are talking about your company, and they’re just not doing it in newspapers, on television, or on the radio. The conversation has moved to web sites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social media outlets. Ignoring these types of media puts you (and your company) at a disadvantage. How are you supposed to manage your online reputation if you aren’t listening to what’s being said?

These days there is no shortage of blogs about companies who excel at SMO (social media optimization).You know who I’m talking about: Zappos … Intel …The Home Depot…these names come up again and again when discussing online reputation management. In the past week, however, the Costa DeVault team has noticed a few other blog-worthy companies that are effectively using its online presence through Twitter…and in doing so have managed to separate themselves from the pack. Here’s why.

• Whole Foods, Crisis Communication – With the recent salmonella outbreak, Whole Foods has continued to give Twitter updates about what products have been recalled and ones that are safe for consumption.
• Dunkin Donuts, Community Relations – On the Monday after the Super Bowl, Dunkin Donuts offered its condolences up to Cardinal fans by offering a free donut (along with the purchase of drink) to Phoenix-area customers.

• Springpad, Relationship Marketing – Recently Springpad contacted one of our staff via Twitter with information about a new service. The message was personalized and asked for customer feedback.
• JetBlue, Client Communication – JetBlue offers travel tips and flight information. Along with SouthWest Airlines, JetBlue is part of a newly emerging travel industry trend, according to a recent USA Today article.
• Ichiban, Client Communication – Ichiban, a local sushi restaurant, is now accepting orders via Twitter. How did owners come up with this idea? They didn’t. Ted Murphy, local Twitterati, promised he would order from them once a week if they offered the service. He spoke; Ichiban listened.
• Dell Outlet, Sales – This week, Dell announced a one-day only, Twitter exclusive 30% discount on a laptop.

Tell us what you’re doing … and we’ll follow (and possibly blog about) you.