Shel Israel recently wrote about what he perceives as two camps with very different views of how social media can be used by organizations:

Camp #1

…those who understand that social media is something new and different from traditional marketing. It is not about putting messages into foreheads. It is about the enormous wisdom and efficiency to be gained simply by having conversations with customers, prospects, employees and partners.

Camp #2

…there is muttering and trepidation of another camp, one that is often being pushed by the traditional marketing people who see social media simply as another channel to push out brand awareness and product-related messages. It is another way to have the corporation talk about the corporation rather than listen to customer concerns, complaints or even compliments.

In the comments, Bob Duffy writes:

I do believe that social media is a medium for the community, and as you describe, any manipulation will fail. But as a marketing guy I believe there is a place for businesses to build brand affinity in those dialogues.

Bottom line for me, is social media connects business closer to the customer. That is an amazing opportunity that marketing cannot ignore. I suspect we will be horrified when it’s badly exploited but we will also be delighted by truly innovative programs. Like anything else the bad stuff just makes you appreciate the good stuff and sets the bar higher.

Shel offers several specific social media uses that aren’t public facing, but are equally important:

What if Tropicana used a wiki to share info with growers, and it’s supply chain? How about a CEO internal blog to the ecosystem on issues impacting corporate reputation and safety? Same issue for Windex. Social media can be used for conversations in the supply chain, with a company ecosystem, to learn from real customers about new products or services. Social media has a warehouse filled with conversational tools. I suggest the companies you name might use social media when they think beyond companies pushing products.