Social Media -- Be Careful Out There

It's not hard to find articles detailing the benefits of social media. Without question, it's an exciting new day in communication. Consumers have never wielded more influence over brands, which is a great thing.

But, there have also been some well documented incidents of "brand jacking" in recent years -- when a competitor or disgruntled stakeholder, etc. misrepresents your company online to spread false or malicious information. Jeremiah serves up some great examples.

The moral of this story?

• Keep your eyes and ears open -- think about establishing a system to monitor what's being said about your company/brand on the Web.
  
• Move fast when misinformation surfaces.
  
• And, with a tip of the hat to Hill Street Blues -- "Let's be careful out there, everyone"