I've been getting more and more client questions about social media, Facebook, blogging, and how all of these buzzwords really fit into the fabric of a company. What is particularly encouraging is that the questions and ideas have graduated beyond paranoia: what will I do if someone writes something negative or profane?

There's clearly not a cookie cutter approach that might work for all businesses. I think this statement is particularly true when I think about how a large corporation with a mass appeal and universal cult-like following (think Apple) approaches social media in contrast to a smaller, localized brand (think your local independent non-profit). Two very different sets of challenges and opportunities. For starters, it's more difficult for a smaller organization to build an engaging online community from scratch, establish critical mass, and sustain it. For Apple, not so much. At the same time, the stakes are higher for a more established brand.

So my approach to helping a client approach social media is encouraging them to learn about the various tools and business implications first and then consider their business in this context. One interesting thing to start with is reading this recent Business Week piece that provides a marketer/manager with a nice tour of the landscape; it's an update of the earlier 2005 cover story. I also think that actually joining Facebook (or something similar) is essential to learning how it might be used in a business. Sounds obvious, but I find many managers are interested in learning how to utilize the tool yet hesitant to join.

I also hear many times that people want to be the Facebook of x (where x=their industry, town, or market segment). While I think this is always an interesting thought, I think that the approach may (at times) be ambitious. Then again, a cruise through ning.com--a site that facilitates social networking communities--will reveal that even David Hasselhoff is building users at an alarming rate. As I live and breathe, users are joining HoffSpace (I couldn't make that name up if I tried) almost constantly with a membership base approaching 11,000..

I am also finding that people seem more likely to join a group within their existing social media application of choice (usually Facebook or Myspace) than they are to join something completely separate (like HoffSpace, for example). On the flip side, services like friendfeed help individuals manage multiple social media accounts in one place.

It is certainly much to consider, but the sense of urgency in the business community is certainly rising. Shifts in demographics beyond the college crowd is one major reason for this. Future user growth and platform enhancements will only make the trend more critical for businesses.