Media or Mindset?

I was in a meeting yesterday discussing digital communication and social media. I thought about Geoff Livingston's post My "Media" Does Not Bring All the Boys to the Yard, and this morning I read one of the comments that really hit home and aligns with my feelings about social media and client service. It was from jer979, and it read:

"I’m almost at the point where social media is more of a philosophy/strategy than a set of tools/technology. It comes down to an organizational belief of: “do we really, truly want to have a conversation with our customers/prospects?” or would we rather “control the message” and ‘broadcast,” b/c those pesky consumers burn too many cycles.

"Is customer service a cost center or a profit generator? Questions like that tell you about a company’s organizational bent re: ’social media’."

When it comes to social media and decisions about when and how to use it, the course of action is ultimately driven by the mindset and temperament of your organization and whether you're inclined to truly engage your customers/clients. Asking yourself the question about whether you regard client service as a cost center or profit generator, may give you all the information you need as to whether you want to join the conversation or continue to be frustrated by your attempts to either ignore it or interrupt it.