You cannot control the person making comments on your blog or other forms of media, but you can control your response.

Fear of dissension can be conquered by establishing:

• Privacy Policy
• Comments Policy
• Legal Policy

Determine which comments are a valuable contribution.  

Not every comment requires a response from the author(s). Thank the readers for expressing their thoughts. Your readers want to know you are reading/listening. Acknowledgement is one of the building blocks to creating a successful relationship. Questions should be answered. Turn the table and ask a question in response. Remember, social media is about open dialogue. Keep the conversation going by continuing the conversation on the commenter’s blog. This is a great way to get to “know” your readers. After-all, those making the comments cared enough to take time to leave a comment and share their thoughts and opinions. Tap into this enthusiasm.

Think before you respond. 

Not all comments will be positive. Take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard before responding to an emotionally charged comment.

As fellow Now Is Gone contributor, Ike Pigott, says “Just listen with a thick skin, lest you lose your shirt.”

“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven!”

I am a big fan of novels, Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem. The dystopian universes described are always at the bleeding edge of becoming reality. Book burning for fear of knowledge and dissension, the deletion of ‘I’ and praise for collectivism rationale bubble up to the surface when the phrase “social media” is uttered in some companies.

dis-sen-sion n. Difference of opinion; disagreement. American Heritage Dictionary

Don’t be afraid. Embrace dissension.

• Seek dissension in your company and consumer forums.
• Connect with adversaries as well as advocates. Participate in conversations to seek full understanding of motivation and behavior of consumers.
• Distribute the information gathered from social media forums throughout your company. Shed light on the true feelings of your consumers. Those conversations taking place in dark corners lead to dark deeds and outcomes.
• Report back to the consumers accurate information and your plan of action.
• Vocalize and walk the talk.

Dissent is not negative. Change the context of how you think of dissent. Your company reputation is on the line. Discussion not always following the party line may raise corrective actions to concerns. Put meat on the bones of a great idea or stop  bad execution in its tracks. Dissent will remove the rose colored glasses and reveal a broader understanding of how your company and consumer think and interact with each other. Novel concept.

Take your phone directory and organizational charts to the next level. How many hidden jewels of talent exist in your organization?

Employee personalized Intranet home page

Think social networks. Encourage employees to post pictures for easier recognition. Their home page may include:

• highlights of resume
• job title and description
• supervisor
• work affiliations
• project group pages

Don’t know the POC for direct mail? Use your Intranet search engine to find the experience you need. This degree of exposure may be uncomfortable. It is important to have transparent governance to set minds at ease and embrace the benefits of improved internal communications and potential career growth.

Find the right people to be in the right job at the right time.

There are instances of people being placed in jobs not matching their skill sets. Human Resources should comb through the Intranet as a first resource to find talent. This exposure will also help you identify gaps in knowledge. Use this tool as a barometer for training and recruiting.

Succession planning is important to the success of your company. Encourage management to use the Intranet to seek out potential candidates to mentor.  There are diamonds, emeralds and rubies just waiting to be discovered.

An Intranet is as customizable as needed, but can easily become overwhelming and overrun with an endless maze of data, bells and whistles. Begin by thinking of your company Intranet as a portal to a virtual file cabinet. Organization of files and content differ by company objective and style.

A successful document library is:

• Current   
• Organized
• Identifiable
• Shareable
• Search-able

Remember your Intranet is representative of one company, one version of the truth. Several companies organize their Intranets by areas or regions. Each section may add unique flare, but at the end of the day, consistency and ease of search throughout the Intranet is paramount.

It is helpful for companies to establish an Intranet template (Map Key) for customizable areas. For example, my company is operated by five regions, each having a designated area within the company Intranet. With over 45,000 associates and a mobile workforce, contact information is in constant flux. By requiring the same placement and format of region directories on each portal landing page, any one can easily locate information. This example may be extended to your document library. House all FACT papers, working documents, etc. in the same format and location.

Just like your actual file cabinet, you control the lock and key. Set permission to view or edit by Intranet area and specific folders/documents.

Many Intranets include a feature for the user to “check out” a document to review and edit. This is a brilliant collaboration tool whether work groups exist in the same building or across the globe. The Intranet is a social media tool. Keep it social.

Simplicity is vital to the function and usability of your company Intranet.

Always keep the end-user in mind during creation and management of the virtual file cabinet/document library. Allow for feedback and easy to use edit and customizable features. Associates are more likely to buy into the technology and function of company Intranet if you and fellow management use the system and set the example. Be an advocate.

Previous Social Capital Posts:

• Intranet Treasure Trove
• Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours

“The intranet is a direct reflection of the ethos, soul, and culture of a company,” says Jeremiah Owyang.

Would you rather cut off your right hand before navigating your company intranet? A treasure trove of social capital is waiting to be discovered beneath the clutter of broken links, duplicate files and outdated information.

(Stifle the drones of despair. Your company’s intranet should not be perceived as an IT beast with an unending hunger requiring massive amounts of additional labor.)

Too often I see companies get caught up in the design of the intranet instead of the function. First determine the strategy and direction of the company intranet.

1. Identify needs and requirements of users.
2. Identify business requirements.
3. Identify best practices.

Needs and requirements of intranet users are constantly evolving, so continuously monitor strategies and direction to prevent stagnation of use and content.

Senior Leadership and an isolated IT department cannot be the sole authorities of how the intranet is designed, used or fed. Social capital cannot be built and kept current by a few. Increase efficiency and effectiveness by knowing what reports, fact papers, case studies, discussion boards and various applications are relevant to your workforce.

Next, simplify the unearthing process and reap rewards quickly with a map key of your company intranet.

Social capital is your greatest asset.

“By analogy with notions of physical capital and human capital–tools and training that enhance individual productivity–”social capital” refers to features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit.” -Robert Putnam, Dillon Professor of International Affairs and director of the center for International Affairs at Harvard University

Traditional social networks such as church groups or business associations are finite to a geographic area. Online social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, are an infinite mash-up of mass membership associations and support groups. In a world driven by fear, more people are shifting their culdesac parties and civic engagement online. Great wealth lies within these virtual communities, but first you must become part of the community to reap the benefits.

To become part of the community, you must engage and consistently demonstrate:

• Tolerance
• Trust
• Acceptance
• Reciprocity

A flourishing community is the result of individuals righteously practicing basic principles for the betterment of the whole.

Cultivate diverse ideas and rich conversation within online social networks and you will increase the quality of day-to-day conversation and ultimately, your business and life . You will be amazed at how naturally social trust is developed in a virtual world.

Morpheus (to Neo): “Welcome to the real world.”
-The Matrix

Do not dismiss the power of an online community. This realm is full of real people, living real lives in real time.

Recently, tragedy struck too close to home. MAJ Andrew Olmsted published his final post. As part of my “real” (paying) job, I monitor military online networks and blogs. Through these forums I have a connection with the “front line” and discover their true needs and wants. I have followed MAJ Olmsted for over a year and read his trials and tribulations, but never did any situation in any blog feel as “real” as his final post.

“This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G’Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It’s not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn’t hesitate to accept the charge.” …

Cypher: “All I do is what he tells me to do. If I had to choose between that and the Matrix, I’d choose the Matrix.”
Trinity: “The Matrix isn’t real.
Cypher: “I disagree, Trinity. I think that the Matrix can be more real than this world. All I do is pull the plug here, but there…you have to watch Apoc die.”
-The Matrix

Serving a military community, death is not a foreign topic for me. It is difficult to get a grip on the fact that this online being/”friend”/acquaintance/customer is gone and their digital voice silenced. The absence of sound is deafaning. Some people leave digital footprints on your heart. MAJ Olmsted was one of those people in my life.

Agent Smith: “You hear that Mr. Anderson?…That is the sound of inevitability… It is the sound of your death… Goodbye, Mr. Anderson…”
Neo: “My name… is Neo.”
-The Matrix

This week I witnessed an extraordinary account of an online community becoming an unstoppable force of gratitude, respect and tribute.

Twitter member, http://twitter.com/ashPEAmama passed away in a tragic car accident.

@Queenof Spain asks the Twitter community - What can we do for Ashley’s family? Twittering.ning.com, jumps on it. Within hours a Twitter remembrance avatar and site for donationsare created; messages of condolence and relief are passed immediately through personal networks. Ashley was a “real” person who established strong emotional connections virtually.

“As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn’t bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don’t know. I hope so. It’s frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won’t get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is.” - MAJ Olmsted

Silly avatars, spammers and accounts of flogging overshadow the majority of people participating in social media. If ever you doubt the people online are not real, come back here for a dose of reality. These communities/villages are lightning in a bottle.

Trinity: “Neo…nobody has ever done this before.”
Neo: “That why it’s going to work.”
-The Matrix

Performance and merit stand strong among other principles as foundational stones, but the ground is shifting. The “shoulds” are sabotaging the new marketing landscape.

Your company should have a blog.

Your company must have a blog.

Your company ought to have a blog.

Your company has to have a blog.

Get rid of the ’shoulds’ and learn how to choose in a grey world.

In Neurosis and Human Growth, Karen Horney states the erection of a system of “shoulds” is part of the attempt to actualize the idealized self. Grandiose expectations feed “shoulds.” We want to be perfect. We want our companies to run perfectly. Everyone is telling us what we should do to achieve perfection…in a black and white world.

“Shoulds” don’t work in the real world. “Shoulds” are argumentative and close-minded. “Shoulds” apply to Old Marketing.

This year, resolve to take out “should”, “must”, “ought to” and “have to” from your thinking and conversation. Stop “shoulds” from creating victims of “I don’t want to, but THEY are making me.” You always have a choice.

We are facing a conservation gap. “Shoulds” are barriers creating the illusion of safety. New Marketing exists in an ecosystem without limits. Old Marketing is not in dire enough circumstances to be classified as endangered or common enough to be hunted. ”

Not yet.

The TV is still blaring. Using New Marketing tools is your choice. Accept the world is growing and changing. Let go of the expectation of perfection.

“Perfectionism is simply putting a limit on your future. When you have an idea of perfect in your mind, you open the door to constantly comparing what you have now with what you want. That type of self criticism is significantly deterring.” –John Eliot, Ph.D.

How do we work together and manage this new ecosystem by fostering social and economic factors in relation to a comprehensive communications strategy aimed at protecting and enhancing sustainability, diversity and productivity of our natural resources?

Open questions. Open mind.