For those not in the know, according to its Wikipedia page:
“Parkour … is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.[2] It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment—from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls—and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas.”
Still confused? Check out this video of Parkour at the Fermi Institute. (Thank you google reader and thanks Judy for sharing!)
So what can Parkour teach us about Social Media Adoption?
For those now thinking, “Avi that was pretty cool, but I don’t need my organization or business to bounce off walls”, let me explain why I think Parkour works as an analogy for social media adoption.
1. Social Media can be very exciting
These days it seems everyone is talking about social tools. A lot of people are talking about the role it played in this year’s historic presidential election both in terms of communicating with supporters and tracking the election results. CNN anchors are reading Twitter on air. It’s definitely gotten some more attention lately.
When organizations first start to see a return on their investment into social media it can be a rush. Once you really start to listen and engage customers, donors, constituents, whoever it can be really exciting. Look! They’re talking about us!
2. You can get hurt
Of course, fast adoption of social media without careful planning and an adequate investment of time and attention can land your organization in hot water. You could make the mistake of throwing your social efforts on one person or department, cordoning off the responsibility and ultimately wind up with burned out and frustrated staff people. Equally dangerous is falling into the trap of being distracted by all the shiny tools, instead of focusing on where you’re going. There is a time to fondle the hammer, but as in Parkour if you’d better know where you are and where you’re going, or you’re likely to run into obstacles, maybe even have some nasty spills.
3. Transparency
With Social Media, as in Parkour, all the action is in public. If your not prepared to tighten your grip on your message and release the conversation to the wild than you ought to think twice before diving in. Of course, deciding that Social Media efforts aren’t the right approach for your organization or business is perfectly valid, but once you’re playing you’d better be prepared. It’s a complex question and there is a lot to consider before you do.
Does my Parkour analogy work? In any case these are some good things to keep in mind. What else should organizations keep in mind about Social Media?
I can’t leave it at that can I? No, did you really think I’d deny you these awesome Parkour links and videos? First off if you have an Xbox you may want to check out the new Mirror’s Edge game which let’s you lay it down on screen.
And another similar phenomenon of people chucking cans.
