Lack of Social Media Supervision Spells Risk

This past December, The New York Times announced that it is eliminating its Social Media Editor position -- less than two years after creating it. The Pentagon recently announced that it too is eliminating its Social Media Office.

Both organizations have commented that they simply don't need centralized management of their social media efforts anymore. They reason that, because social media needs to be a part of everyone's job, they no longer need someone in charge of it.

This trend may continue. Some pundits are evangelizing that the role of Social Media Manager is temporary -- i.e., that if a Social Media Manager ("SMM") does his job well, he will no longer be needed.

Social media campaigns, however, are delicate. The smallest misstep in their management can alienate an audience. The consequences can be as unpleasant as losing some fans or followers, or they can be a catastrophic PR nightmare.

Worse, poorly conceived social media efforts can lead to legal trouble. Government regulations, advertising laws, intellectual property rights, libel concerns... All of these things can be triggered, not only by the social media endeavors of the organization as a whole, but those of individual employees as well. (At least one corporation has realized the importance of having someone with knowledge of these issues manage its social media.)

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Source: internetrevolution.com
By: Joe Stanganelli