The availability of mobile communications and social media has certainly helped focus the events in Egypt as large numbers of people seek a voice and the organisation of such mass scale demonstrations would perhaps not have been as effective without this method of communication.

As we all know social media allows many individuals with a common purpose to co-ordinate their efforts effectively.  At CCA we are witnessing a huge volume of enquiries around this area and whenever we are on a member visit it is always on the agenda.

Broadly speaking, our membership is falling into 2 camps: early adopters who are actively using social for customer and sometimes employee relations, and those who are waiting to see the effects and understand how they can create an ROI around this "channel".

Experts like Guy Stephens from foviance addressed the recent CCA Social Media Masterclass in Glasgow.  It is clear that we should not get too fixated on existing channels but rather assess how open or not your organisation is to this new way of communication. 

In the traditional world of SWOT, most organisations can probably identify both a threat and an opportunity with social media and whilst some are not yet ready to embrace a full-blown business plan in this area, it is unlikely that anyone can afford the potential consequences of ignoring this "channel".

Why not join us on this journey of exploration where we will challenge, assess and debate the relevance and impact of social media.

24 February, Edinburgh

30 March, London

9&10 November, Glasgow