2009 Social Media Predictions

As companies debate who should "own" community efforts within the organization -- marketing, corporate communications, IT, etc -- their front line workers will go about quietly, inobtrusively interacting with customers, partners, and other employees within their social networks. Examples like @comcastcares Frank Eliason or "Nuts About Southwest" blogger Gordon Guillory (who is a mechanical engineer) point to the democratization of social media within the enterprise. Companies will struggle with how to control who says what -- but will increasingly realize that in an economic downturn, they need all the marketing muscle and leverage they can get and actively encourage. [from Charlene Li]