Absolutely not. I was reading a good post about this topic (see the article here). The writer is very good, very insightful, and always worth reading. However, her post left me feeling that too many people are losing sight of the fact that social media is simply another tool in our communication tool belts. As I wrote as part of my comment on her blog:
“Social media is simply another set of tools that can be utilized as part of your overall corporate strategy. They enable a richer two-way communication than some of the older approaches (like direct mail, e-mail blast, etc..) but do not warrant another seat at the table any more than newer software technologies like Ajax do. I haven’t yet heard a suggestion for a Chief AJAX Officer and hope I never do.
“
Coporations are in place to deliver value to stakeholders and customers. The overall mission of most corporations is to drive profit by increasing revenue and decreasing costs.
C-level executives, as part of the leadership team, bring their respective views to the table with a goal of ensuring the corporation is best able to make the right decision. As representatives of major functions in the corporation they are viewed as being best suited for this role.
The use of social media tools should be something each of these executives are aware of, but we do not need one person at the table repesenting these tools any more than we need a CAO (Chief Agile Officer) or CFITO (Chief Fitness Officer). While each of these jobs represent a set of tools and processes that will make the company better we need executives that focus on business strategy not business tools.
What do you think?
John
April 17, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Too many chefs in the kitchen can spoil the soup just as much as too many ‘chiefs’. I think the C-level is reserved for what I have called “pinnacle positions” such as at http://www.ciorant.com As such, a chief social media offer would be more appropriate in discussing the essence of a role but diffusive if brought to an actual job title.
April 17, 2009 at 11:00 am
[...] John Moore argues there’s no need for a CSMO because existing executives already at the table should be [...]
April 17, 2009 at 12:14 am
John,
I agree with you that social media really consists of new tools to deploy within a communication, marketing and sales strategy.
That said, I do believe the successful implementation of social media requires another person at the “table”. Why? Mostly because social media consists of two-way conversations that need to be monitored and measured. As well, there needs to be active engagement – something that hasn’t happened in the past using “traditional” tools.
Mark
April 16, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I think you’re right. But I also think the social media is more than just software, is a way to communicate transparently with your audience and clients.
More than a social media officer, we need communications and media officers aware of the way people communicate with the company and between them as a mature audience. Officers willing to lead their companies to a transparent way to communicate and focusing on being instead of appearing.
Regards
Carlos
http://twitter.com/CarlosMLopez