I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily dangerous for all organizations to shy away from adaption of new social media. Some organizations, particularly those that are trying to reach an audience with little to no internet access really have no reason to spend the time or money on Web 2.0 tools.

I’m an advocate for social media usage in the right context. For instance, a welfare agency might have no purpose for social media use because its clients might not have the broadband internet speeds (or connections at all for that matter) to keep up with Youtube videos and Twitter alerts.

However, I do believe there are other organizations who should utilize social media to build relationships with some of their publics but not others. For instance, an organization that provides health care to mothers in third-world countries can’t justify the cost of using Web 2.0 tools to reach out to those mothers, however, the organization could use the tools to reach out to potential donors.

Before an organization jumps right on the social media bandwagon, proper research to justify how that media will be used needs to be shown to upper management.

I completely agree with you. Companies should not be afraid to embrace Web 2.0. It may be true that social media tools need to be moderated. And it may be true that it requires more time and money. But in the end companies will see positive results. Their relationships will be stronger with their audiences because they will gain confidence, support and integrity.

I also agree with Nicole. It is up to us as PR practitioners and corporate communicators to show organizations that they can benefit from embracing this new technology.

I really recommend taking a look at the YouTube video titled “Institutional Fear, Take 2,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F14-5LC3cBs. It uses several photos and some text to compare the before and now. Organizations didn’t have as much freedom before Web 2.0. Now they have the freedom to fly and expand on the opportunities new social media has to offer.

I’ll never forget the speech Dr. Holman gave us in the very first weeks of class. She said that our public relations field no longer relies on traditional forms of publicity. She also explained that with the current economic situation companies are not willing to risk new ideas or innovations because they need to budget their money well.

As public relations practitioners it is our job to show our future bosses why social media is so important and prove to them that it is all worth the time and cost. Luckily for us organizations keep coming out with new software to measure the effectiveness of social media; thus, the easier it will become to convince employers.