Social Media May Be Hot, But It's Not for Everyone

(MoneyWatch)  There's a general feeling in many parts of the web that social media is the coolest thing on Earth. Those companies who take advantage of it are considered leaders while the rest of the companies either want to be like them or are just out of touch, or so some will have you believe. I'm going to take the stand that social media sometimes just doesn't matter, and in fact, may be just be a waste of time and effort. Just because it's out there, doesn't mean it's worthwhile, and I'll point to the Singapore Airshow as an example.

So why am I singling out this Airshow? I was actually inspired by a post on the Simpliflying blog entitled "Social Media creates waves at Singapore Airshow 2010." The post goes on to explain that "unexpectedly, there's a ton of social media infused into the happenings, which makes the airshow really hot."

But what does it mean to be hot? Sure, it gives it a little buzz by having a lot of social media presence, I guess, but what benefit is it providing? According to the post's author, Shashank Nigam, there are a handful of things that were different at this year's airshow thanks to social media.

• Normally you get printed daily digests at airshows, but at this show you received electronic updates with video, interactive graphs, and even tweets.
• CNBC Asia was broadcasting on site and had a "lively" guest blog going.
• Aviation Week allowed people to upload photos from the show.
• Simpliflying and Bombardier held a tweet-up (meeting of Twitter account holders) on a Bombardier Q400 while on the ground.

Forget about the fact that the "lively" guest blog actually just has three posts written by Shashank himself and no comments. Also forget that the Aviation Week photo upload functionality is extremely clunky and difficult to navigate. Let's pretend like all went as planned . . . but who cares?

Will all this social media drive any aircraft, engine, or part orders? Will it help suppliers establish better relationships with key decision makers? I imagine the answer is a resounding no. I understand the value of social media in some situations, especially those that have an appeal to a very wide audience made up of the general public. But in an industry where the key players already have established relationships, what value does social media add?

I don't see anything that will help to improve the business relationships between suppliers and buyers. That's something that I imagine plagues a lot of social media efforts. While social media may be hot, it doesn't always provide a benefit.