EXACTLY! That's the No. 1 thing I tell every single client when I get pushback from them regarding social media and PR 2.0. We have to help companies and clients realize that people are going to have these conversations about your brand either with or without you online, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop that.

So like you say, why not get involved with that conversation? Or better yet, why not provide some key influencers and brand advocates (ideally, ones that you have worked to cultivate and respect) with the core messages and brand concepts that you are trying to get across the public? Arm them with this information in a very informed and transparent manner, and help them to build and enhance your brand's value for you.

Thanks for clarifying your points on this. I certainly agree that there are some subtle differences when you work directly for a brand vs. working at an agency with clients.

Too many companies in general seem too scared to open themselves up with SM. One of the things that they miss is that the conversation is going on with or without them, so why not get involved?

I'm a firm believer in engaging not only with Hacks, but also with the general customer. From experience, I have seen the value in building up relationships on Twitter with bloggers, for example, growing my company's blog network from a 10 good bloggers to now having 30 mom bloggers alone.

On the flip side, I could see the backfiring of any SM stunt (I use that lightly). My recommendation would be to pitch and solicit stories via SM as well as the 2.0 release format or SM release from a wire service. Its also a case where we can advise SM to a client, but they need to execute the communications on it because there is not an intimate knowledge if you aren't employed by said brand.

Not sure if I completely agree with you about acting first and ask permission later. Certainly, there are times (say, when a reporter/blogger is on a very hard deadline) that we need to do this, but this can also get you in a whole world of problems if you do something without thinking about the consequences first, particularly with client work, since you don't technically work for your client, so you could get your firm/your business in a lot of hot water if something backfires or doesn't work out quite right.

Though I do believe – like you – that we should do as much as we can to discuss the overall benefits of PR 2.0, while also discussing any downfalls from it (if there really are any of making better and deeper connections between brands and their advocates. Like I said, it's all about the counsel you offer.

Granted clients or companies may not be ready for the new PR, but its our job to educate them and make it happen. As our industry keeps changing we need to be evangelists for SM. We also should subscribe to the whole notion that we should act first and ask for permission later.

At the end of the day if a client or company isn't ready for PR 2.0 but the results are there, where is the foul?

So true. Our jobs are to prepare our clients for business success in many different ways by connecting them with the key influencers and brand advocates who will spread the word for them. Or as Edward Boches so aptly puts it, “Creativity in the digital age is about getting others to tell our stories for us.”

We can push and cajole and demonstrate the value of social media and PR 2.0 as much as we want, but if our clients are not ready for it, then we should take it upon ourselves to say “OK,” rethink some of our strategies to ensure they align with the agreed upon goals with the client, but also continue to discuss aspects of PR 2.0, over time, that we feel may be of value to the client and his/her business.

Little by little, though, I'm enabling the right people in the right ways.

That's why I'm such a big believer in PR professionals being counselors to clients. That's such an important part of our jobs, in my opinion. Even if people do not like/appreciate or fully comprehend the impact of the messages/ideas/initiatives/strategies that we are discussing with them, we will owe it to clients to bring up these pertinent issues and ideas that we believe would add value and improve their company.