By Christopher Carfi, entrepreneur and CEO of Cerado, Inc

When venturing down the social path, it seems for some reason that the natural inclination is to jump right in and start prescribing technology.  While the technology is an enabler, there are still the basic questions that need to be answered in order to get things off on the right path, and help to stack the deck in favor of success.  The fundamentals of what an organization needs to think about before embarking on a social media activity could not be more familiar to us.  They are the basics of communication.

1. Why?

Why do this?  Why get social?  Sometimes, the answer is simply “In order to connect.”  And, in the case of many efforts, that answer is sufficient.  However, as is more often the case, there are additional reasons to jump in:  better and more timely feedback from customers, the ability to connect with others working on similar problems, putting a human face on what had been historically a sterile organization, creating a framework for communications, or, most importantly, creating a platform for enabling better/broader/more timely information exchange.

The “why” is critical.  (And, as a point of note, “because we want to explore this and get to understand it” may be the right answer.  When that’s the case, make sure that expectations are set accordingly.)

2. Who?

Social is about people.  Period.  Who are the people involved?  Who will be the primary contributors to the effort?  What are their backgrounds?  Who are they as people?  In addition, who are the other people who will be interacting with the environment, even if they don’t initially contribute?  In many social efforts, the ratio of commenters-to-posters is large; the ratio of readers-to-commenters is astronomical.  What’s in it for each of those constituencies?  Does the environment support them and provide what they need?  What value does each group derive from it?

Similarly, there are typically a handful of “power” users, a slightly larger group of sometimes-contributors, and a huge group of people who may only be observing.  (Members of this last group are commonly referred to as “lurkers.)  What’s in it for them?

3. Where?

Online gathering places are examples of the “third place” as defined by Oldenberg:  a “place” other than home or work, for democracy, civil society, and social engagement.  Is what you are putting together a destination, or a directory that sends people forth on their journeys?  (Both are relevant.)  What does the place feel like?  Is it open, or exclusive?  Is it part of a larger site, or a stand-alone entity?  How will people find it?

4. When?

Is the activity that you are proposing using social media an ongoing concern, or tied to a particular event?  Note that unless there is a large, existing group of participants, it will oftentimes take a few months, perhaps even a year, to achieve “critical mass.”

It’s like planting a garden.

5. How?

“How” is all about the norms of the place.  What’s the tenor of the interaction?  Is it “strictly business,” or relaxed?  Is it moderated, or free-wheeling?  What will participants do if their contributions are edited or deleted?  If there is a “topic,” will off-topic discussions be immediately squelched, or will the interactions be free-form, like a lively dinner party?

Additionally, a key “how” item is thinking about how the site’s members deal with “trolls” and spammers.  Will the be ignored? Banned?  Given a warning?  Deleted without comment?  Sent to “time out” for a period of time?

Much of the “how” derives from the “who.”  The types of individuals who collectively make up the constituency of the place are the ones who will drive the “how.”  Heavy-handed moderation will make the place constricting, yet too lax a policy will rapidly devolve the interactions into noise.

Social is Business

The best social media / social business efforts are pragmatic in nature.  They tie to metrics that are relevant to the business.  They connect to the fundamentals of communication and story telling.  They are rooted in the things that should be of no surprise to business professionals.  Yet, at the same time, social can be frightening to organizations that historically have relied up command-and-control based infrastructure.

Ultimately, social means bringing the right people together for the right reasons, and allowing them the freedom to do the right things to enable the business to flourish.

Marketer’s How-To, From The 60 Second Marketer

Cleary identify the Why, Who, Where, When, How before your social media are set up. Check back to be sure you are staying within these guidelines.

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Christopher Carfi is an entrepreneur and CEO of Cerado, Inc. In December 2009, he was named One of the Smartest People in Social Media. His blog, The Social Customer Manifesto, is a “Top 25″ marketing blog, and has won numerous other awards including “Top CRM Blog” in 2005 and 2007.

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