Just finished the launch of a social media program for a public company in the electronics sector and it was a great experience. We had a packed room with about 50 people live and around another 10-20 on line around the US. Got a few pointed questions and answered pointedly with several stepping up and say they want to learn more... even in marketing!

That's an important statement. In 2007 Time magazine reported a study that 55 percent of technology customers used social media to decide what to buy but only 34 percent of marketers in technology companies were using social media to reach their customer base. Last week, PR Week put out a study showing that decisions makers are only increasing their dependence on social media, yet marketers in tech are at best, still holding at 34 percent. In fact, the survey showed on 6 percent of companies using social media are incorporating input from customers on social media into customer service efforts. So when marketers step up to adopt social media in an electronics company, that's big news.

I'm particularly encouraged. This was the first of several projects I'm planning to help companies create effective social media efforts, all of them with companies that might be considered in financial distress or, in the least, with very little market visibility. The marketing chief of the company I just started with said he thinks we are entering a period where sociologists and communication experts will be doing important studies on the effect of social media on the economy and business that will be rewriting how business is done on our world. In a couple of years, certain segments of the electronics industry will have new leadership and it looks like social media will have a real impact on who those leaders will be.

Like I've said before. It is a brave new world...