Don’t confuse social media with popular outlets for its expression. Social media refers to a dramatic change in the relationship between suppliers and their marketplaces, and one in which consumers now have the upper hand.

IT managers should not discount social media by associating it only with marketing or outlets for its expression like Linked-In, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. IT service providers are in effect marketers selling a product to a marketplace. For most of the history of IT that marketplace has been captive, communications largely one sided, and there have been few alternatives.

That situation has changed.

To survive, IT managers need to embrace the concepts of social media to empower their customers and users, too. Social media tools are already affecting IT operations. Read article...