The Ragan Sponsored Conference “Social Media for Communicators: A Web 2.0 Summit for Internal Communications, Public Relations and Marketing” is being held at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The great irony of the event is some of the leading social media gurus and bloggers are there to present in a venue where wireless is not provided. Wireless is available, but at a “tweeted” cost of $50,000. It was not cost effective for the conference. This resonated with me because on a daily basis I consult with BurrellesLuce clients struggling with how to be relevant and incorporate social media into their overall communications strategy.
The reality:
Every communicator and public relations professional today is faced with making decisions on how to allocate their organization’s resources. Very similar to this conference, it is a judgment call of economics and resources. Just as the tweets keep coming from a venue where wireless was not provided social media activity continues to increase as resourceful professionals “find a way” to be part of the conversation. Sadly, there is no perfect system. The fact that conversations are taking place and resources are being allocated to the development of these programs shows fortitude of communications to be relevant while being mindful of organization objectives. I wanted to share this example to let you know you are not alone and to show support of everyone faced with making tough business decisions every day.
The lesson:
Even though you don’t have the program you think you need to have or want to have the fact you are looking at this blog post relevant to your interests is a step in the right direction. The hardest part is getting started and you’ve already done that. Take the next step and provide feedback to be an active participant in the conversation. If the social media cobblers children have no wireless and they can survive so can you.
What is your $50,000 wireless challenge?
