No one has ever had control over the comments anyone makes about a product or service, whether in the analog world or the digital one. I don’t understand why people don’t get this.

It’s always been a dialogue, but in the old analog world, marketers liked to maintain the illusion that they were dictating things.

Kat — One of my first recommendations to clients thinking about blogging. I think I’m responsible for enough book sales of that to ask Debbie for a finder’s fee.

Carter — Well said and thanks for thinking I’m an it-getting. I think social media, if the tools are used appropriately, it plugs businesses into what the consumer is truly saying. The electronic medium allows corporations to, for the first time really, listen to the conversation about their brands. The smart ones are also participating in that conversation which gives them not control, but at least a voice. Thanks for chiming in. I love Doc Searls, by the way.

Doc Searls’ recent post suggests if PR wishes to remain relevant in an environment where networked markets get smarter faster than those that would spin them, the profession needs to define and satisfy a market for something other than spin. I think that means take the time to reshape the model based on what we, the people, take our time to tell you, big business, what we want.

I’m thinking fighting fire with fire is the best way. Can you imagine the message that big business would get (or have the opportunity to “get”) if thousands of their would-be customers sent them a message in a language they purport to understand? Is there a chance that their procedures would change if a group of folks started using their tactics to convey a very important, business dependent message? I’m thinking that’s what it would take.

http://carterfsmith.blogspot.com/2008/01/space-invasion-in-reverse.html

I’d highly recommend it to any businessperson who needs help getting more comfortable and familiar with the subject before diving in.

Instead of saying “You Are Letting Go Of Control, But You Aren’t”, I’d say that “You’re letting go of the illusion of control, you never had it anyway.”

You say as much in your intro… corporate blogging initiatives (and other social media introductions into corporate environments) simply serve to make visible that which has been there all along anyway. They couldn’t control the water cooler chatter, and they can’t control the online conversations either.

Social media does serve to amplify the water cooler considerably however, and I think corporations simply need to decide if they’re going to let the ampified water cooler stand as the ‘public record’ or are they going to jump in, participate, and help shape that public record.

Just my 2 cents worth Jason… then again, I haven’t had the full benefit of morning coffee as yet, so, I may be making no sense whatsoever…