A colleague raised an interesting point in a meeting yesterday. How would you assess the value of a client having a presence on social networking sites like Second Life or Facebook? I must admit that, while I am a Facebook user, despite having poked around Second Life I am a neophyte on SL in particular. Beyond looking at using Social Networking Theory, which could be a bit like smashing a fly with a hammer in this case, how would one undertake a sort of cost-benefit analysis (either qualitative or quantitative) to either 1) propose that a client jump in and creat a presence or 2) evaluate the merit of having done so after some time has passed?
UPDATE: not 2 minutes after having posted this originally, a colleague came across this fascinating post outlining a
Social Media Index.
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About Alan Chumley
In the newly-created role of Director, Measurement, Alan works with clients from the business development phase all the way through their relationship with Hill & Knowlton, identifying the ideal metrics for defining, and then measuring success. Alan marries his background as a communications practitioner with a deep understanding and experience in measuring communications to deliver measurable impact.
An active blogger and frequent speaker, Alan is also a resource on trends, theories and the latest insights in measurement.
Prior to joining Hill & Knowlton, Alan was the Vice-President, Business Development, at Cormex Research, a Canadian media content analysis and measurement firm. Before this, Alan held increasingly senior positions on both the client and supplier side including: CNW Group (formerly Canada Newswire) as Director, Media Intelligence Services; Bell Canada as Associate Director of Corporate Communication, and ING Canada as Marketing Communications Specialist.
Alan is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and holds a post-graduate certificate in public relations from Ryerson University and an M.A. in communication and culture from York University with research focusing on media effects and uses, audience analysis, reception studies and best practices in PR management and measurement. Alan teaches a course in research and program evaluation in Ryerson University’s post-graduate PR certificate program and is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society’s Measurement Committee.