Zuckerberg: Facebook is about a social mission

"Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission — to make the world more open and connected."

If it wasn't for an email from the global chairman of H+K Strategies, Jack Martin, I would not have thought to read Mark Zuckerberg's letter to accompany Facebook's Form S-1 Registration Statement for its IPO this week. (How many people read these SEC filings and prospectuses anyway?) But there's some great stuff in it that could almost comprise a manifesto for the social web. One idea in particular stands out:

Personal relationships are the fundamental unit of our society. Relationships are how we discover new ideas, understand our world and ultimately derive long-term happiness . . . At Facebook, we build tools to help people connect with the people they want and share what they want, and by doing this we are extending people’s capacity to build and maintain relationships.

In other words, the social web is about the relationships it can intermediate. Anyone who has heard me speak about the social web will know that understanding this concept is critical to getting any social engagement strategy right, whether for a non-profit or for-profit enterprise. It's why I prefer the term 'social web' to 'social media', the latter implying as it does that social platforms exist for broadcast purposes.

I'm not naive enough to think that the letter's altruism drives every one of Facebook's business decisions. But this sense of a social purpose does peak through in the entrepreneurial spirit of social web inventors.

Reputation Infographic

As I get ready to start teaching my reputation management class at a local university, I came across this recent infographic from a Swiss online reputation management firm.

A few statistics stand out: 53% of Twitter users tweet recommendations for products and services; 79% of online consumers trust the opinions of people THEY DON'T KNOW.

And one opinion is right on the mark: "Most businesses simply talk at their clients on social media. The successful ones monitor what is being said and respond. This can change people's opinions instantly."

Infographic - Social Media Microcosm

I swear this blog will not become a tout for the agency that employs me as head of its social media practice in Canada. But last week's infographic and this one provide a snapshot of the social media microcosm in 2011. Two things stand out in the latest:

1. A lot of social media and digital work is being done in-house today, rather than being outsourced to public relations agencies or digital/social media boutiques.
2. Perhaps because it is the guardian of reputation, the corporate communications function within organizations tends to spearhead social web animation.

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Non-Profits and Social Media

This cool infographic was posted today by Hill & Knowlton. The most interesting story this tells me is that Doctors Without Borders Canada has the most engaged community on the social web and yet they aren't in the top 'talkative' five. Could what you say be more important than how much you say it?

To Pay or Not to Pay

. . . That's at least one question companies ask as they consider including blogger campaigns in their marketing strategies.

The question is more complex than it looks and involves ethical (a system of moral principles) and moral (what is right and wrong) dilemmas.

(Conflict alert: I work here.) Hill & Knowlton (Hill + Knowlton Strategies in the U.S.) is hosting a panel in Toronto on Thursday that has sufficinet diversity among its panelists to suggest the discussion may be truly a debate. It might even be heated (hands rubbing gleefully):

Alexa Clark @alexaclark: social entrepreneur, author, photographer & social media addict. Founder of CheapEats, Secret Pickle and HoHoTO.

Erica Ehm, @YummyMummyClub CEO of YummyMummyClub.ca - a sexy online magazine that speaks to the woman in every mom.

Matt Hartley @thehartley Editor, FP Tech Desk at National Post. Amateur gamer. Jays fan. Pizza aficionado. Downright cromulent.

Zach Bussey @zachbussey Social media consultant, blogger and web radio personality. I love discussion and debate, have a knack for creating it and I like my media to be social.

Facilitated by Eden Spodek @EdenSpodek Work as a digital strategist. Play at Bargainista.ca, CommunityDivas.com and @PodCampToronto. Passionate about communication and community.