Conference coverage Communicators embrace social media ; managers fear it

Communicators remain as passionate as ever about social media and Web 2.0—but they continue to struggle with skittish bosses and nagging questions about matching the right tool with the right strategy, according to interviews conducted at Ragan’s Web Content conference.

For those communicators lucky enough to have CEOs who back their social media initiatives, the questions are more direct: What tools do I use and where are the case studies to help guide me along the way?

Other communicators are limping down the path toward first base, hindered by managers who not only fear social media but have blocked access to powerful tools like Facebook, the MyRagan communicators network and YouTube.

“How can I pitch a video sharing site for employees when I can’t get access to YouTube videos lambasting our company?” complained a media relations manager at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company.