I am pretty sure the go/no-go debate of using social media is behind us as many companies are adopting social initiatives. Now the debate shifts to ROI and measurement of social media.

I see the same banter and arguments going on that have plagued all of marketing for a hell of a long time. Case in point: When I ran the marketing for a mainframe computer brand, there were a handful of marketing programs that had specific package solutions.

Citing a recovering economy and increasing marketer interest in the space, research company eMarketer recently raised its 2010 spending forecast for advertising on social networks by nearly 30% to $1.68 billion domestically.

Within the social media world, however, a number of trends are dictating how, why and where money gets spent — trends that will push the industry past the $2 billion mark in 2011, according to eMarketer’s projections.

Does this situation sound familiar? You’re a marketer, you believe in the power of social media, you’re convinced that it’s a must for you organization, but when management asks, “What’s the ROI?” you find it difficult to provide a concrete answer. For years, experts have debated the ROI of social media and despite all of the measurement techniques and tools available online, it’s still difficult to measure accurately. Lately, however, I’ve noticed a few signs that point to proven ROI on social media, when it’s done well, the first of which is a new report by Forrester.