In response to the increasingly social nature of the web and the need for collaboration, Salesforce has introduced a social and collaborative function for its users called “Chatter.”

Similar to a combination of Google Wave, Twitter and Facebook, Chatter allows users to form a community within their business that can be used for secure collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

The application is free to people who already have a Salesforce account, and it is available for a $15 per user fee to businesses that don’t already use Salesforce, albeit with limited features.

To decide if Chatter is right for your business, check out these key features and drawbacks.

Pro #1: Follow Documents as Well as People

For teams collaborating on a big presentation or proposal, this feature is awesome! You can receive updates on the progress of any document, whether it’s a PDF, PowerPoint, or Word doc, and respond with guidance or comments to your colleagues in real time. This is a killer app for businesses that have dispersed workforces.

Chatter in action. Here, a team is collaborating on an upcoming presentation in real time, and providing contextual information to guide the discussion.

Pro #2: Follow Specific Service Records or Sales Cycles

Tracking the lifecycle of a customer service request or sales prospect is an incredibly valuable feature of Chatter. Managers especially may find this tool useful, as it gives them a top-level view of the progress on all key accounts. This is also a useful tool for attributing activity to individual employees.

Pro #3: Integrate Twitter Data into Your Profile

The Chatter system makes it easy to follow companies or individuals from within your broader Salesforce profile. The integration allows for data from companies to be appended to their internal records, so you can see the latest news from businesses while processing additional deliverables for that company.

Pro #4: Collaborate Securely

Using public social network tools to collaborate can leave important proprietary information out in the open, which no business wants to do. Chatter enables the same ease of use and accessibility of public social networks, but all collaboration takes place in Salesforce’s secure cloud, which tens of thousands of businesses already trust with highly sensitive information.

Pro #5: Post Status Updates Within Salesforce

Knowing what your key employees and teammates are doing during the workday can dramatically increase productivity and the quality of work, as this ability lowers distractions and enables more knowledge-sharing.

Chatter status update. Jim Halpert, one of the main characters on NBC's The Office, shows an example of status updates within the Chatter platform. Chatter updates are within the company firewall, and help to inform your colleagues of what you're currently doing.

Con #1: Need to Be a Salesforce User for Full Access

Salesforce licenses cost more than $700 per user per year for the professional version. If your business is not using Salesforce currently, this can be a hefty investment. Also, non-sales employees likely do not have licenses for Salesforce, which could restrict the benefits you gain from beginning to use Chatter for projects.

Con #2: Best for Mostly Large Organizations

Because it is an enterprise-grade solution for an enterprise-grade sales management platform, very large businesses have the most to gain from implementing Chatter. Smaller firms with fewer locations have less need for this sort of collaboration, and moderately priced solutions like 37Signals’ Basecamp and Campfire might by better-suited to their needs.

Conclusion

Overall, Chatter feels like a big step in the right direction for sales organizations to get more social and community-oriented with their sales approach. The application can decrease duplicated work, increase the efficiency and speed at which a sales team acts on opportunities and improve internal communications. Though it’s rather costly and probably more useful for large businesses, Chatter is powerful enough to warrant further exploration of your business needs.

What do you think about Chatter? Have you tried it out? Leave your comments in the box below.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google Buzz, Foursquare, and others that have just joined the game—and the list goes on and on ad nauseam!

“We already have a website and we get email. Isn’t that enough?”

The words invading our vocabulary are legion… and silly at times: blogs, fans, tweets, diggs, etc. Is this trip really necessary?

PERHAPS NOT. Let’s start by exploring why NOT to participate in social media:

#1. It’s Just a Fad

Pet Rocks, Hula Hoops, Chia Pets, social media. It won’t last. It’s just a flash in the pan. Something new will be showing up soon. Moore’s law (the number of transistors that fit in an integrated circuit doubles every two years) has NOTHING on the changes in social media!

Don’t try to keep up. It can’t be done. By the time you figure out how to do it, it’s already yesterday’s news!

#2. It Takes a Geek

“I never got my VCR to stop flashing 12:00, so how in the world can I learn this stuff?”

So much to learn, so little time. Even for those from the newer generations, the technology can be dizzying. This may work for Jimmy Neutron and Boy Genius, but not for most of us!

#3. It’s a Digital Black Hole

Farmville, Mafia Wars, Restaurant City, Bejeweled, Texas Holdem, and so forth. We’ll be paying our employees to play the latest version of Minesweeper!

The amount of time wasted, loss of productivity, and “dead air time” make the use of most of these applications a bad investment. Even if they TRY to use it effectively, the maelstrom of social media will draw them into its time-killing vortex!

#4. We’re Already Too Busy

Spending all day staring at a screen can’t be profitable. We should be meeting clients, talking to customers, negotiating with vendors, and beating our competitors, NOT typing insipid 140-character messages to our followers!

“I already get more email than I can handle, and you want to add MORE messages?”

Well, these arguments seem to be pretty cogent. I guess we should just sit it out. Skip this dance. Let others experience the “bleeding edge of the leading edge.” The return on investment just isn’t there, anyway.

Or is it?

Let’s take another look at these concerns.

#1. It’s Just a Fad

If social media is just a fad, then it’s managed to dupe an impressive collection of heavy hitters.

According to a recent study of 100 of the largest companies in the Fortune 500 list, 79% use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or corporate blogs for communication. Companies as diverse as Sony, Target, Ford Motor Company and Starbucks are all employing some type of social media.

These companies invest millions of dollars in creating a presence on the Internet, and they see social media as an important part of that investment.

Hmmm. . . . maybe they’re on to something?

#2. It Takes a Geek

If you can type (with 10 fingers or fewer) and click, you can use social media.

There are many applications out there to make your experience “friendly.” TweetDeck, HootSuite, Seesmic and even advances in the applications themselves allow most of us to navigate the wild and woolly world of social media with ease. You don’t have to be able to speak hexadecimal code to use social media.

Witness the lower right-hand corner of Ford's home page.

#3. It’s a Digital Black Hole

It’s a fact that there is a multiplicity of time killers out there. Facebook alone has screen after screen of games and adventures that have nothing to do with productivity. Not to mention all of the vacuous Twitter responses to “What’s happening?” that are typed in daily.

The ability to waste time online is ever-present. Of course, a company’s effective AUP (acceptable use policies) for the use of Internet applications can guide employees in the appropriate use of the plethora of applications out there.

Simply stated, social media does not HAVE to be a “digital black hole.” Just because it CAN be a waste of time does not mean that it HAS to be!

#4. We’re Already Too Busy

We ARE busy. The credo, “work smarter, not harder” has its place.  But “working smarter” has its limitations. You can only work so much “smarter” until you must make up the difference with “harder.” This places time at a premium, and clicking and scrolling do not seem to be very productive. Time spent on social media can be extensive, but there are ways to use your time more effectively.

And, a BONUS:

The Opportunity For Branding Is Extraordinary!

The amount of time the global public is spending on social networks has tripled in the past year. That’s quite an audience, is it not? There’s unlikely a better venue out there to ply your trade these days. The Internet itself is a goldmine of resources to educate you on the effective use of these new applications.

For example, there are Twitter tips here, as well as practical insights for both Facebook and Twitter here.  Investigate these extraordinary resources before making your decision.

What are your thoughts? Are you facing skeptics head on?  How do you overcome common objections to social media adoption? Share them in the comment box below.

And he used social media to do it.

His YouTube videos got 110 million views, estimated to be 14.5 million hours of viewing. Mass media advertising to reach that many viewers would have cost $47 million.

A famous rapper made a promotional video that gave him even more free publicity.

At the time of the election, he had five million fans on Facebook — over four million more than his opponent. On MySpace, the numbers were approximately 800,000 and 200,000, respectively. On Twitter, he had over 100,000 followers and his opponent had about 5,000.

And he rode that social media train all the way to the White House.

“If not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president or even the democratic nominee,” said Arianna Huffington.

Specifically, if not for social media, Barack Obama would not have become the 44th president of the United States.

And that is how social media is changing the world as we know it.

Social Media Is Changing the World

Erik Qualman wrote a book on this topic called Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Its tagline is “It’s a people-driven economy, stupid!”

And he says that’s a good thing. He believes social media will save billions of hours of productivity, make companies more accountable and efficient, and make products and services better.

It could even make your own life more fulfilling and productive.

Here’s an example:

Sally is in a supermarket checkout line on the Fourth of July weekend. She thinks it will take 10 minutes to reach the cashier. But instead of wasting that time, she uses her mobile phone to check her social media updates:

• She posts a message that the store is out of an ingredient she needs.
• Within minutes, a friend recommends an alternative.
• She learns that her daughter just aced an exam.
• Another friend announces she’s pregnant.
• She notices a Starbucks gift card at the checkout stand and buys it for her daughter.

“This is a simple example of why social media isn’t just for teenagers with too much idle time on their hands,” Qualman says.

It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore

It’s also for the new father who wants to find a good child safety seat. Instead of searching the Internet, he searches his social media sites. Within minutes, he sees that 14 of his friends bought the same child safety seat and they all recommend it highly.

And it’s for the woman planning a trip to South America. Instead of scrolling through 400 reviews by people she doesn’t know on a travel review site, she checks her social media sites. She sees that two of her friends went to Chile and rave about it. It’s within her budget, so she makes a reservation.

“One of the key maxims of this book is that wasting time on Facebook and social media actually makes you more productive,” says Qualman.

That’s why he believes social media will save billions of hours of collective personal productivity. “Social media eliminates millions of people performing the same tasks over and over. This recaptures billions of hours that can be redistributed toward the betterment of society.”

He claims online voting alone would save $6.7 billion in lost productivity during a presidential election because people won’t have to travel back and forth to the polling place.

And companies that monitor social media sites could quickly find out about problems that can easily be fixed. They can ask their followers to recommend product enhancements and even new products.

Who needs expensive focus groups and questionnaires when you have tens of thousands of Twitter followers? “The days of advertising executives sitting behind two-way mirrors munching on stale chips and M&Ms will become a distant memory,” says Qualman.

Socialnomics in Action

Qualman’s book has dozens of examples of Socialnomics in action:

• Two football podcasters saved money by letting their fans do much of the work.
• A comedy skit on Hulu.com drew more viewers than the same skit on TV.
• A human-lion encounter filmed in 1969 went viral on YouTube 40 years later.
• Barack Obama’s “micropayments” from supporters raised almost $700 million.

And many more.

Read about the 83-year-old man and the young mother of three who both say using social media has led to happier, more productive lives.

And the 22-year-old man hired by Apple who had never sent an email in his entire life. He preferred IM, texting, calling using his cell phone and communicating on Facebook.

In fact, as of 2013, Boston College will no longer give incoming freshman an email account.

Qualman doesn’t even think much of the Internet. “Search engine results and the traditional Internet advertising model are antiquated. Social media will push both of these to revolutionize, otherwise they will see a dramatic decrease in market share.”

Yes, you read that right. Erik Qualman thinks Internet advertising is “antiquated.” Internet advertising is the same old interruptive advertising applied to a new medium.

But spam filters and popup blockers do the same thing for Internet advertising as TiVo, mute buttons, and digital video recorders do for TV commercials. Consumers have made it crystal-clear that they do not like traditional interruptive advertising. Will advertisers ever listen?

And if Internet advertising is antiquated, traditional mass media advertising may soon be prehistoric. Qualman says the famous “Dancing Matt” YouTube videos have been watched by more than 33 million people as of April 2009. They were even shown on one of the large video screens in Times Square!

“The best part is the video is still being viewed by millions, which is completely different from a one and done television commercial.”

So once again, Social Media Examiner asks: Are you still sitting on the fence when it comes to social media?

If so, download and read your FREE copy of 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses. “If you’re still unsure about social media marketing,” report author and Social Media Examiner founder Mike Stelzner says, “I hope that these findings will help push you over the edge.”

Or maybe just push you off the fence. You may not be ready to jump off a cliff just yet.

We’ll let Erik Qualman have the last word: “Companies can elect to do business as usual at their own peril. We are at the start of a newer and brighter world for consumers and businesses; this is the world of Socialnomics.”

Social Media Examiner gives this book a 4-star rating.

Have any of you read Socialnomics? If so, what do you think? Feel free to comment below.

Do any of these sound familiar? “Who has time?” “You expect me to do all this on top of my normal duties?” “How do you fit everything in?” … and so on.

I am not going to lie to you. Social media does take time. In fact, time is going to be one of your major hidden costs of doing business on the Internet.  And for some of us, that time could be wasted if we are not careful.

You need to watch where your time goes to ensure you’re spending it efficiently and with the desired impact.  Here are five tips to help you.

#1: Spend Your Time Intentionally

It’s all too easy to just chit chat, browse and surf, get distracted or feel like we are making progress when really we are avoiding work and using social media “engagement and interaction” as an excuse to procrastinate. There are good conversations and wasteful conversations and you need to decide which is which.

Consider a face-to-face networking event. Do you spend all of your time speaking to one person at that event about the weather, or do you spread yourself around a bit and find new and interesting people to connect with? Are you just hanging out or do you direct your efforts toward a precise tactical aim or specific goal?

You need to know what you are doing and how you are going to measure your success.

How does this help you find time? Well, most businesses and individuals already allocate time for marketing, networking and research. If you know that your social media activities come in under one of those headings, and your efforts in social media are going to achieve equal or better results to other things you could do under those headings, then you are equipped to carve out time to try social media instead.

#2: Carve Out Time Where Social Media Is More Efficient

Because of my social media efforts, I no longer have to pitch, write proposals or go to sales meetings. I have never had to cold-call for my own business, and I do not write competitive bids.

How much time could you save if you didn’t have to do this kind of sales lead generation or closing?

In my previous job, I would have to spend more than six hours in a car just so I could go to one 30-minute sales presentation competing with several other companies with very little differentiation between us. Not only was it soul-destroying and a colossal waste of time, it was actually very ineffective.

I am not saying you will be able to 100% replace your old way of doing things with social media right away, and I would not suggest that is wise even if you could. But you should be able to take an hour or two out of a week to test social media and see how the results look. In fact, combining approaches usually works best, as each technique and medium compounds the results of the others. Reaching prospects through a multi-channel approach is normally much better than the sum of the parts.

The great thing about social media is you can pretty much get involved anywhere and any time.

#3: Use “Dead” Time

How much time do you spend just waiting? I was recently at a conference in Las Vegas and because of the long-haul nature of the travel and the fact that I would be alone much of the time, I did a lot of hanging around and waiting, which I filled with social media. Just think of your average business trip… What do you spend a lot of time doing?

• Flights
• Taxis
• Queues
• Departure lounges
• Restaurants
• Meetings
• Hotels
• …?

If, however, you have an Internet-connected laptop or smart phone, you can at least use some of this time to stay connected, engage with people, write some content or otherwise go from “hanging around” to being semi-productive. If nothing else, you will feel like you are not all alone in the world!

How long does it take to check your messages and send out a tweet, status update, check out a link, or answer a question? Seconds? Minutes at most?

How many times during the day do you get the odd 10 minutes where you are simply waiting?

Even at my desk I have to sit and wait, watching progress bars as something calculates, prints, renders or uploads. Those are prime “check what is happening in social media” times!

What if you find you have more than a few minutes to spare?

#4: Escape, Bulk-Produce, Store Up and Schedule

On those occasions when you have a good chunk of time, make the best possible use of that time and get a power hour of content produced.

• Outline and write a set of blog posts to go out later when you are too busy
• Brainstorm and create ideas, mind map your thoughts and generate headlines
• Plan for the future, write up an editorial calendar, “most like to meet” list or line up meetings with people with whom you have lost contact
• Get organized and make your week more efficient with tasks, to-dos, filing and an empty inbox
• Write out some interesting tweets to go out over the next week so you only have to check in and reply each day

One of my friends “escapes” to the coffee shop a couple of times a week and does all his content creation and planning for that week in those few concentrated hours. Being out of the office with zero interruptions (other than the constant stream of fresh latte) means he can bang out several quality items and his brain cooperates, rather than fights against his productivity with distractions and… Ooh, shiny!

#5: Just Relax

My last point is that this is not meant to be a chore. Nobody is testing you, tracking your use of time or holding you to any grading system. It should be useful and it should be fun!

Aim to build a reputation for being helpful and providing value, and most of all being a real human being. Then people will be much more forgiving and understanding. You do not need to be perfect.

If you do not post an article this week, so what? Your Twitter followers might be concerned if you do not appear for a few days, but they are not going to start saying bad things about you if you are too busy to tweet!

For me, social media is primarily social. It is my coffee break. Yes, I do find it a very effective set of tools for my business, but I also deeply appreciate the people who are at the other end of those avatars and tools. If you keep relationships foremost in your mind and do not treat social media as something you have to do or else, you will have much greater success at it!

What do you think? Have you struggled to find time? How do you find time for social media? Please share your comments below…

Photo by Leo Reynolds