The New York Times came out with a very interesting article today about the merits of monitoring the        public’s ‘feelings’ towards a specific brand/company through online chatter.  New online tools are emerging all over the place that not only monitor brand mentions but also the overall ‘feel’ of the sentiments being expressed by the public through conduits such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. We are now able to pinpoint exactly how people are either loving or hating a brand on any specific day/hour/moment. Powerful fuel for public relations.

This can be good and well for larger organizations and brands, but what does this mean for smaller companies or even start-ups? It means that if you have not started your own online dialogue you need to start now.  Something simple such as a Facebook fanpage and a Twitter account can go a long way to kick-off your own image. Social Media is not exclusive to twenty-year olds anymore.  Most people (especially those into social media) are voyeuristic curious by nature, so by sharing on a regular basis what your company is up to your potential customers feel involved. In the end isn’t that what we all want… to feel valued and involved?