Social Media: Tip-Toeing The Transparency Line

Some believe that social media is one of the greatest viral marketing opportunities that has ever been presented. Others felt that it is a passing fad with no long-term future, and that businesses shouldn’t waste valuable time and manpower chasing the social media audience, to which they ascribe the perception of fickleness.

Blogging. Social Bookmarking. Viral Video. The list goes on of the ways that Web 2.0 marketers are looking to promote brand awareness, to get the word out about new products, and to reach new audiences. It requires a lot of investment though, and sometimes the returns just don’t justify the costs of diving headlong into social media.

Matt McGee ponders a similar question in his Robert Scoble took the concept to new heights in his no-holds-barred blog commentaries on the state of affairs in Redmond, showing no fear in taking shots at company CEO Steve Ballmer for some of his decisions.

Is there a point when transparency becomes detrimental, though?