Just read this Q&A with Sandy Carter:
And finally I think that companies don’t realize that this is brand new. It is not what they studied in college and is bigger than marketing. It encompasses the business. Social technologies should be part of your market intelligence, your strategic delivery, your development cycle, your customer support, your marketing and your sales. It is a cultural change in how we create business.
Which I think sums up what people miss so often. You can’t just use social media for marketing, you need to engage customers and influencers at every stage now.
In a meeting last week where someone said that it has become a cliché to say “join the conversation” but also that it is still true.. that’s what you need to do.
The rest of the interview with Sandy is great. If you haven’t heard of Sandy before she is something of a legend in IBM.
Karl, why do you think Sandy is a legend in IBM?
Surely it’s because she is one of the only real execs actually personally visible in social media at IBM? There are lots of other executives at other companies that blog, tweet etc. what makes Sandy different is that she IS, for all intense and purposes, IBM’s social networking speaker, and thus when press, media etc. want someone from IBM, they get Sandy. The good news for IBM, is she is good. The bad news for IBM, is that there are hundreds of other vice presidents who are completely invisible, not participating.
I agree in principle with the assertion that “It is a cultural change in how we create business” but I think it’s just part of a continuum, rather than a change in and of itself. Eventually IM and phone will be linked, twitter, voip, cell, home, directory etc. will be one and by then, people won’t be thinking of social media as a game changer, it will be the game.
Hi Mark, How’s it going in the new place?
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Actually the legend thing was not so much to do with social media as with Sandy’s personality and work rate – in a good way.
Anyway, yes she is good and yes she is possibly the only VP visible or highly visible in this sort of thing at IBM. There are others but even though they talk about the possibilities are not leading like they could. The worst thing about it is that they have a lot to give and so much to gain. I’m not going to mention any names. When they do get round to doing something it is usually really interesting, if only they could maintain the momentum.
But… I’m not so much bothered with those that know where and how to get involved but don’t. I prefer to help out those that are enthusiastic but don’t know where to start.
Of course it isn’t an end game, it is all a journey. I don’t think any business has quite understood the incredible changes that they will need to be making in the coming years (if not now) to keep up with the new emerging companies that are starting to live the life, not through some contrived marketing plan to increase pipeline or some other nonsense like that, but to really open up and engage from a personal level.
You can’t explain enlightenment but you know when it happens. So ‘they’ say.
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I agree. Here isn’t the place to discuss the new job, suffice to say, it’s very different, although on this topic, very the same. There is really only one visible exec in social media circles.
I so agree with you about IBM Execs. I don’t know if its the rotational system that makes them afraid to commit. After all, Sandy is pretty much a marked woman now in terms of people knowing what she does and who she is. Rod Smith is less so, but still visible(sorry Rod, didn’t mean to forget you in my earlier post). But there are so many IBM Execs that would be engaging, interesting and valuable if they’d commit to being open and participatory. On the other hand, I know they have a huge amount of “staff work” to deal with as it is, so I guess it is what it is.
I guess also that, that brings us nicely back to Sandys point. As the professionals of today, who are fully engaged via social media, become execs. the number visible will surely rise. If not, perhaps it is “your fathers IBM” after all.
Don’t worry Karl, they will teach that in schools soon also
A colleague of mine just mentioned they have a class on SecondLife in Norway, so I assume that in about 5 years they will also mention Twitter and Social Networks 
If they will still exist then…which brings us back to the need for a smarter education and less bureaucracy in developing the educational plan.