PR Week, the only weekly publication that directly targets the public relations industry, this week is featuring an article authored by Ed Schipul, founder and chief executive officer of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company. The article, "Social Media Programs: Cultivate - Don't Control," takes issue with conventional wisdom in the marketing and communications fields. While many so-called social media experts suggest that PR, marketing and advertising professionals can and should take an active role in implementing social media strategies, Ed warns that doing so can squelch the greatest positive impact of social media, which can only come through true authenticity.

"Any effort to “control” a social media initiative will doom the effort," says Schipul, who is scheduled to speak at the 2008 PRSA International Conference in Detroit. "successful social media efforts are largely driven by people outside your control or influence."

He says that instead of trying to control all aspects of social media strategy, PR practitioners should concentrate on the following four pillars of social media success:

Planning – Set realistic objectives (i.e., positioning the company as an industry thought leader, driving qualified leads back to your corporate Web site, and strengthening recruiting efforts). Take time to listen to customer feedback and examine the best ways to measure results so you can adjust course.

Recruiting – It is essential that you step back. Identify staff members who are blogging, connecting on Facebook, or posting videos on YouTube. These are the social media mavens in your ranks who should drive your program. Don't be discouraged if these are not C-level executives – your leaders probably don't have the time to devote to the effort.

Training – Participating in social media activities requires a great deal of trust and autonomy. Assess where best to devote time and attention, and build consensus for the initiative internally. Before going live with the effort, educate everyone involved about the subtle nuances of online interaction such as the importance of disclosure and being generous with credit and links. This work offline can ensure high standards and mitigate risks.

Promotion – Learn where the individuals with whom you intend to connect are congregating and have your mavens participate. You can reach a large audience, but never lose sight of the individual and remember that these are dynamic interactions in which what you receive is probably more important than what you send.  

Schipul - The Web Marketing Company offers a range of Social Media Consulting services, providing a powerful double-punch of tech savvy public relations and effective communication technology to your organization's Web marketing plan. Schipul's Social Media Consulting expands your organization's outreach to an enormous online audience and enables you to interact with your visitors through engaging rich media and online conversation.

• Strategic brainstorming do determine if this the right course for you
• Connecting you with good online and book resources
• Teaching online culture
• Blog set up and content collaboration
• Help building a presence on social web sites
• Strategic and spamless e-mail marketing to existing network
• Integration with Search Engine Marketing
• Reporting to configure tracking and analytics 
• Consulting on how to monetize your activity
• Guidance in how to set up a podcast 
• Cross promotion of video and audio assets you may already have
• How to balance design for beauty with design for entertainment and design for sales  

PR Week has a weekly circulation of nearly 17,000. See the entire article here.