The cult of the exotic
The first barrier to using social media productively is to treat it as something "exotic." When something is seen as exotic, one either fears it without reason, or treasures it excessivley beyond its true value. One should not dismiss a new tool out of hand as some strange thing only young people can grasp, while on the other end of the spectrum, one should not praise every new thing that comes along as the greatest invention since the CueCat. The fact of the matter is, these new tools are no more exotic than the weekly Value Line Survey. They provide practical and valuable services. If a defined need can be satisfied by a social media tool, then the tool's value should be obvious. It is up the advocate to define those needs, and the skeptic to acknowledge those needs.
Here is a scenario where a new tool is treated as exotica:
Advocate: Have you heard of Bliperoo.com? Everyone's using Bliperoo. We should, too. It's awesome!
Skeptic: I saw something about Bliperoo on Dateline. It definitely didn't seem like anything for me. What can you do with Bliperoo, anyway?
Advocate: Well... you can bliperoo. Everyone is bliperooing these days. If we don't start bliperooing, we're going to be totally out of touch. We must bliperoo.
Skeptic: I just don't get it. Maybe if I was twenty again...
On both ends here, the new tool is seen as something exotic. One fears it and one treasures it, but both have little understanding of the tool's value and use. In truth, if there was such a thing called Bliperoo it's users would be using it because it satisfies a need in their lives--it may help them connect with friends, or organizations, or information, or what ever, but it is a tool that fills a need. And that is all it is. Just like Value Line, or the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature.
We put up blocks for ourselves by not truly understanding social media. Understand it yourself first, then convincing the skeptics will be much easier.
