I don’t think we disagree that much. Using NAACHO again, if they establish that a bigger portion of their members would rate/review their programs by using social media, then they have in-fact established a “tangible” reason to invest in social media.

I think establishing a reason to dive in helps focus your efforts which is usually more beneficial in the long run.

You’re right. It’s important to be sure your efforts fit within your organization’s mission. Though I wonder if we might have slightly differing definitions of what social media really is. At it’s core, social media is not a suite of tools or websites. It’s the simple act of enabling social interaction around digital content.

Not to harp on your example, but couldn’t a group like NACCHO benefit from a social media solution that makes it easy for their members to rate and review links and articles that would help them be more effective city health officials? I’m not talking about using Digg or Reddit, but simply enabling social interaction inside a niche community. If that’s not part of their mission, I bet I could think of a different strategy that is.

And I still think everyone needs to at least be listening for their organization name–maybe not on Twitter or Facebook, but certainly through Google Alerts.

I agree to disagree.