tangled web

To add to my ever growing SXSWi envy, I came across The Suxorz: Worst in Social Media of 2007 via PRNewser today.

As a side note: given the supreme level of talent typing away out there, I’m a social media newbie who continues suckle from the wisdom teet, but will have her own two feet in no time. I’ve been playing catch up on how Fortune 500 companies have been tapping into social media to connect with consumers.

That said, this is a great post that will give a few ideas of how NOT to craft and/or execute social media strategy. Scott Monty chronicles the SXSWi session in full detail. Here’s a quick snapshot:

The panelists included Charlotte Selles (brand perspective), Jeff Jarvis, Rebecca Lieb, Steve Hall, and the moderator was Henry Copeland. While this may not seem like a who’s-who of the social media industry, they did come at it with a pretty broad perspective of advertisers & marketers using common sense. You’ll see a number of selections that were based on poor opinions of creative execution, as well as those that don’t follow good social media practice.

Here’s how the session worked: each panelist nominated a campaign; after three rounds, the “winner” was selected.

Yikes! My vote goes for Walmart. Someone once quaffed, “What a tangled web of lies we weave…” Like I said, lots to learn in this arena, but I do this much: a winning SM formula should always include a good idea and a lot of honesty.
What other corporate mishaps are out there we can learn from? Let me know!