The other day I helped a company avert a disaster in the making with a proposed social media strategy. And I was reminded yet again just how difficult it will be for marketers to get their heads around the social media space. Interactions that take place in the "marketing" space and the "social" space operate under completely different customs, and this can be difficult for professional marketers to come to grips with.
When you have a discussion with a friend, colleague, loved one or stranger you apply a set of informal social principles, even though you may not think much about it. Don't interrupt. Listen first, show an interest. Respond to what others are saying. But there are subtler principles, as well. Suppose, for instance, a good friend were to ask your help in getting a job at the company where another friend of yours is a vice president. All he really wants is an introduction. He's your friend, and he would certainly do the same for you. But what if, in asking for this favor, your friend also offered you $100 to make the introduction? Or $500? Wouldn't you be totally put off by this? Maybe he's not really your friend after all, you might think, because this certainly isn't how friends deal with friends.
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