The Influence of Culture on Corporate Social Media Use

Jeremiah Owyang, a prominent blogger, writes that companies have been slow to participate in social media. The reason is because of their culture: legal, management or location. The power of social media lies in people's interest in authentic dialogue. Companies must embrace the power shift in the conversation from the company to their customers so they may build longer lasting relationships and stronger brand loyalists. After all, nothing is more effective than word of mouth (WOM). So the benefit of social media tools for companies is to really understand their products from the people who actually use them.