Latest Social Networking Tools: GPS and a Helmet

Explaining business software can often be a challenge. You will typically see descriptions like this:

“Our new collaboration cloud is the latest SaaS-based app to enable new levels of engagement, uncovering real-time influencers that gets translated into a listening grid so you can better automate outreach, nurture leads and convert high-value traffic.”

While this is all completely made up you are probably trying to think where you heard about this product. Unfortunately, marketers get sucked into the latest buzzwords (me included) and before long you can’t make heads or tails of what it is they are trying to communicate.

Since the launch of the new site last week I’ve gotten a lot of questions. Like, did you finally get some sleep? A: No (I have a 4 month old at home). Who designed the site? A: We have a very talented designer who did all the work on the site and product. And finally what is the difference between Socialware Sync and Socialware Compass? This last one came up the most so I’m going to take my own recommendation and try to shed some light on the topic.

When it comes to Socialware Sync think of it as your social networking insurance policy – similar to wearing a helmet when out on a bike ride. Whatever example you prefer, the underlying principle is the same. We all make decisions and investments every day to reduce our risk and give us greater peace of mind. Sync does this for anyone with a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account. There are so many things that can go wrong. Your account can get hacked. Regulators, like FINRA, SEC, FSA, FDA, IIROC, can require you produce electronic records. Or a citizen can make a record’s request to a government agency and compel you to produce an old social media message.

Without a backup of your social activity and an easy way to search across it, you could be looking at fines, litigation or at a minimum emotional stress if your content ever gets lost. So if you are looking for peace of mind to ensure you comply with regulators, want to ensure you never lose your record of social interactions or just want a simple way to search across your entire social archive, then Socialware Sync is your answer.

Now let’s shift gears and talk about how companies enable social networking use. To date companies will start by creating a policy, some will train employees on how to use these tools and then they open the floodgates and hope that the directions are followed. This is similar to someone starting a trip with an old paper map. They plot their course and head out on the journey. Periodically they make some wrong turns but usually get back on track. Often you will run into a stretch of construction that you didn’t know about and then in the hope of making up time you go past a speed trap and are staring at a $200 dollar ticket and 6 hours of drivers education classes.  When the trip is over you have no idea how long it took you, exactly which way you went (thanks to those wrong turns) and of course this experience will be repeated on the way back home with one change – you will be driving the speed limit.

Now compare this to a GPS system. You search for your address and quickly tell the system to calculate directions. You can tell it if you want the shortest distance, shortest time, least use of freeways and more. As you start out on your trip you get notified of changes in real-time like traffic, speed traps or construction. If you need to make an unplanned stop the unit will re-route you and give you all the guidance you need to get to your destination quickly, safely and on your terms. When you finally arrive you know exactly how far you traveled, how long you were driving and the route you took.

Socialware Compass is like a GPS unit for companies that want to help employees navigate the social networking superhighway. Most companies, especially those in regulated industries, have a policy of which features can be used, which topics to avoid and who needs to review any content that is in question.  Socialware Compass does all of this and more. It automates a social media policy providing real-time guidance for any employee using sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Employees don’t need to worry about where they “might” violate policy; the system will guide them the entire way. In addition, it archives everything so enterprises can comply with industry or federal regulations and analyze usage across the business.  And best of all, it is as easy to use as a GPS unit – you setup the policies (where you want to go and how you want to get there) and let the system guide you along the way.

I hope this helps shed some light on how the two solutions compare and helps you decide which one would best suit your needs.  If you are looking for more information there are videos, tours and a wealth of other resources on each site (Compass, Sync). In addition, you can sign-up for a free 30-day trial of Sync to give it a test drive.