As a result, companies need an organized approach using enterprise software that connects business units to the social web – giving them the opportunity to respond in near-real time, and in a coordinated fashion.

18 Use Cases That Show Business How to Finally Put Customers First. Customers continue to adopt social technologies at a blinding speed – yet organizations are unable to keep up. Why? Rapid adoption of social networking enables users to connect with individuals and communities who share mutual interests, increasingly leaving organizations out of the conversation.

Don't know how to approach Social CRM? Start with this framework. This key framework is from the report "Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management" From the Altimeter Group, in March 2010.

All of Jeremiah Owyang's research reports at Forrester Research. It's a search results page.

Consumers will rely on their peers as they make online decisions, whether or not brands choose to participate. Socially connected consumers will strengthen communities and shift power away from brands and CRM systems; eventually this will result in empowered communities defining the next generation of products.

The Five Eras of the Social Web: 1) Era of Social Relationships: People connect to others and share; 2) Era of Social Functionality: Social networks become like operating system; 3) Era of Social Colonization: Every experience can now be social; 4) Era of Social Context: Personalized and accurate content; 5) Era of Social Commerce: Communities define future products and services.

Jeremiah Owyang presented the 5 Eras of the Social Web, the latest Forrester analysis

Web Strategist Jeremiah Owyang analyzes and explains the five eras of the phenomenon known as "The Social Web." Through extensive research he has defined these five eras, some of which have already occurred and some of which have yet to occur.

Visible Technologies' Blake Cahill interviews Jeremiah Owyang at the Inbound Marketing Summit SF.

In the last few months, I’ve interviewed nearly a dozen community managers at many companies, and compiled 16 specific job descriptions to create these 4 Tenets of Community Managers. We also had many internal discussions to whittle down what’s important and what’s not.

The first role is the Social Computing Strategist, the second is the Community Manager, although the titles vary, and sometimes it’s a part-time function, there’s clearly a trend as corporations staff.

In our latest research: Social Media Playtime is Over, we found that 53% of marketers are determined to increase their social media budget during a recession, and 42% will keep it the same, a total of 95% of marketers bullish on social media marketing. Why? The reasons are obvious to some, it’s inexpensive and the opportunity to benefit from cost-effective word-of-mouth, are promising.

Now this doesn’t mean that budgets are expanding immensely, since this is a ‘new’ media, these are small budgets. How small? I say minuscule. Three-quarters of marketers have $100,000 of less budgeted for social media marketing.

This report is great for anyone brand deploying a social network marketing effort, or for agencies that are trying to enter this new world. Marketing efforts did best when the control was turned over to the hands of the community.

First of all, many companies have a hard time being successful with their community if they want to control it too tight. The most successful companies let go of the control and acted more like a host, rather than a policeman. Secondly, many companies had a hard time kick-starting a community, just because you build it, doesn’t mean they’ll come.

It was the first on a two part series, it’s focus, which taught interactive marketers (and web strategists) the processes, roles, and ideology that 17 other companies had success with. In this second of two report entitled: Online Communities: Build Or Join? Objectives Should Drive Community Strategy And Technology Decisions. The report gives specific answers after a plan and strategy has been drawn.