“Is social media a good thing?”

That question is typically on the minds of people who don’t use it for personal or business reasons. 

But I would argue that is the wrong question to be asking.   After all, are we still wondering if e-mail is a good thing? Of course not. We take the good with the bad, and even the “reply all”. 

Social media is quickly maturing into a “must” technology for businesses to understand.  Yes, it is important to understand the ROI for social media and, different businesses will use it in different ways.  But if you’re not utilizing the technology, you can bet your competitors will.  Is that a risk your company can afford to take? 

On Thursday, April 16th, I’ll be talking about social media and the legal issues associated with it in more detail at a keynote presentation for the Worksmart 2013 conference, produced by Adnet Technologies, Inc.    Several hundred participants are expected.  If you haven’t already signed up, there’s still time to do so. The best part is that it is free. 

As I was preparing for the presentation, I came across an good article from the SHRM Foundation Executive Briefing on “Issues and Strategic Questions” to think about with social media in the workplace. If you’re thinking about the topic, it’s a good place to get started. 

And if you prefer your education on social media to be done with videos, the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog has links to a few here. 

Otherwise, I hope to see you all on Thursday at Worksmart 2013.  You can follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #worksmart. 

My sincere thanks to Adnet Technologies, Inc. for the invitation.