Some companies get social media, others do not. The title of this post is a question I receive often while talking with corporations:

Do people actually get paid to monitor this stuff?

or on a similar thread

This is actually somebody's job to monitor this stuff?

There are two important things with that question that speak to corporations' thoughts on social media.

First is that fact that they're even asking it. Too often organizations see the world of social media as something that isn't worth their time. Or in this case paid time. Why would they pay somebody to do this? This speaks back to my 'Who are these people, and why should I care?' post. If they do have an interest in social media it's a viral thing. It's the, 'let's put out a crazy video and let the kids share it' thing that rarely works.

The second thing is a bit more subtle. It's the word 'monitor'. Using 'monitor' rather than 'participate' speaks volumes about their perception of the situation. It's hands-off. They recognize the fact that they have fans (or detractors) that are discussing their company, but they wouldn't dare talk to them (See: Corporations Visiting Blogs, but Not Commenting = Prank Calling?).

When I give corporations examples of other firms that are actually paying (GASP!) people to work as evangelists or community builders many still can't believe it. Perhaps it's the region of the country I work in, around here Community Relations is purely and offline thing.

One thing that Jackie Huba and other folks that deal with loyal customers will tell you is that a big fan can quickly become a big pain if they feel they aren't getting the attention they feel they deserve from the company. In many cases all they want is some basic acknowledgment for their loyalty. A simple e-mail or blog comment would work wonders in any situation.

Why aren't more companies climbing aboard the community express? Perhaps it's because many organizations neuter the social skills of the their employees via policies and legal barriers..."Don't ever talk to anybody about anything!"