Ask the Hard Questions When it Comes to Social Media

In my world, this time of year is always crunchy, it's an endurance race to the holidays. It means unfortunately that I don't get to read as much, blog as much, breathe as much, etc., but oh well, so be it. I figure I can either put my head down to cover ground and get some creative stuff in the works for '08 or stand still debating the finer points of

Truthfully, this is a healthy fear to have, but please don't kid yourself or let it blind you.

The list goes on, the important thing is that you ask the questions - both internally if you're on the corporate side and externally, if you're talking to a consultant. Oh, and for all of these questions, there's the big, fat inevitable one, right, which is "where has this been successful?" I mean, if you're gonn'a try and replicate something that's been done, know that it worked, right?

Fear is one of those classic business motivators, and at times it's a healthy one, but don't let it cloud your judgement or get in the way of what you're company is trying to accomplish. Social tools, social strategies might be be able to help your business in a number of ways, but they might also be a terrible distraction.

The only way you'll know which is to be uncomfortable with the easy answers and always ask the hard questions.