By Sam Sova
If you follow my posts on this site, you will see that most are about social media. Implementing a social media strategy in the enterprise has been something that I have been working on and passionate about for almost two years now, and I really think that explaining the basics of Web 2.0 and social media has been the toughest thing in my young career. I write this series of posts based on my experiences in the enterprise and with folks in the industry that have also shared their experiences.
Rule One – Define the “old school” tools in social media
Basically, define what you have grown up with – like a blog, podcast, vodcast, forum, wiki, social network, etc. You wouldn’t believe how many executives asked me if by creating podcasts we had to buy all of our associates iPods to view it. Could you imagine the numbers going through their head! Crazy, yes…but understandable. If you are a Gen Y-er, then you probably at least know a few of the terms, especially a blog since you are reading this! But think about the older generations. You need to clearly set definitions for how you will refer to these tools in YOUR organization. So in my case, I nixed the whole podcast term for now and have referred to our online videos as – “online videos” because everyone gets it – and because I define a podcast or vodcast as something that is downloadable to an mp3 device and we have not taken it to that step yet. Truely baby steps.
The biggest thing about this generational gap is the adoption of this technology. By confusing or making it unclear what tools you are planning on using in your strategy, you will miss the boat with those that have no clue. If you make it clear of what you are using and keep it basic, easing the older generation, you are bound for more adoption and success.
PRSA Young Pros 