Engaging Social Networks

The new social networks proliferating across the Web have fundamentally changed the equation for professional communicators once again. The first wave of social media consisting of blogs, boards, viral marketing, and user-generated content created challenges and opportunities for public relations and marketing professionals. Marketing began its transition to interactive conversations rather than competing to push more messages through one-to-many channels. Customers were empowered, and companies had to share the podium with their audiences, loosening up their traditional tight control over messages and brands.