Dell is first corporation to step up to Word of Mouth Ethics Agreement.

I’m very glad to see all the resources that WOMMA has been offering to companies and organizations. This is becoming more important for agencies, studios, and corporations that want to use Social Media to connect with customers.

Trust is so important when it comes to using social media, if someone looks behind the curtain and sees something unauthentic, a corporations brand, trust and ability to get close to customers has just been blown, and yes, this can impact the bottom line.

Dell a company known for being a bit naive when it comes to listening and responding to social media (blogging in particular, followed by exploding laptop videos) has stepped up to the plate to embrace an Ethics promise in regards to Social Media.

I’m pleased Dell is heading the right direction, but agreeing to the policy vs adoption will take some time, I wish both orginzations luck. Now for Edelman and Walmart…

Last night, someone asked “What is Social Media”, I was about to get into my usual speech but was cut a tad short.  Here’s a few responses I hope is read for those that don’t yet know:

• Social Media is the medium that people are using to communicate, it includes tools like blogs, podcasts, wikis, social sites, and whatever is next.
• Social Media is not new, ‘Traditional’ tools include; Email, IM, phone, and the human voice.  The new tools (combined with Google) just make the voices louder and easier to find.
• As customers talk to each other, it makes companies less relevant, companies need to learn what, why and how to participate (Yes, and understand ALL of the tools out there).
• I call this “Community Marketing”.  It’s also been called Social Marketing, Pinko Marketing, and Blog Marketing.
• Gaining TRUST is so important in using these tools, to me, this is one of the underpinnings of nearly every best practice.
• Womma, Blog Business Summit, and other Social Media groups teach how to do this.