One of the first thing that I noted on this panel on social media brand monitoring was from Karl Long. He said that the reports he gets are largely confirmation to him of what he and his team suspected. That’s because when designing programs he tries to put himself in their shoes. How many marketing people do that? Or are too many of us concerned with what fits nicely in a spreadsheet?

David says there was some concern the people producing content would be mad they were being monitoring but that the reality was that they were thrilled. I think that’s true – most self-publishers are happy to hear they’re being listened to.

Overall, and while lots of good points were made, the main thing is that there’s a conversation going on online, something most of us online already know but which is good for everyone to hear again. Companies need to be ahead of the curve when it comes to a crisis or the wave will have washed their reputation away.

Suzanne said the Fiskars brand had very low brand excitement, prompting them to do more online and eventually launch their "ambassador" campaign. That sort of thing, something that let fans know the company was enthusiastic, eventually led to more enthusiasm in the general population. They also launched a new initiative that involves people who are already active on message boards and other outlets, inviting them to a special event. That’s a great way to embrace and activate the group.

Yep. What they said.