I wish Sony well. I think their heart is in the right place. They have stumbled a few times in social networking.

One instance they were outed for trying to portray consumer advocacy that was fabricated, which called attention to an insurmountable issue, their new game console wasn't upgraded enough to justify the cost.

Thus there was pent up backlash from avid fans who had hoped for so much more.
The fake social networking ploy became the poster child that epitomized all that was wrong with Sony's new game platform that so underwhelmed from a purest perspective, they had to hire fake enthusiasts to get the word out.

Now, at every turn in social networking, Sony chooses the path most followed in hopes of attracting those who typically choose the path less followed.

It's safe to find a proven blogger audience and be 100% transparent in your communication to them. They do a good job of getting the word out. But there is a currency of "wow" that doesn't translate well with this approach.

That's because it is a watered down version of the contrived fake approach, the only real difference is the degree of transparency.

Sony should dip their toe back in the water and expand their social networking strategy to include more organic initiatives to address the blogosphere. Providing real informational tools for bloggers to discover and share on their own without any direct relationship with Sony, will bring back a little "wow" factor and wonder back to Sony.

But, Sony cannot afford to take the risk of being labeled contrived once again. They also cannot control the messages of unpaid bloggers who could post negative thoughts and opinions about them for any random reason like reviewers in magazines and newspapers often do.

But if Sony's products are exceptional and they truly have an advantages that opinion leaders can get excited about, then an organic approach will deliver a significantly higher engagement and pass along value.

We have a white paper on the subject and a new study coming out in a few weeks that drills down on the specifics of monitoring and addressing social network conversations.

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