The tips all make sense to me, however the only point I want to make is that it is far from being the right solution for everyone.

Most business wanting to tap into social media do so because they understand that by the time negative publicity hits the mainstream, its too late to manage the damage. Advanced warnings on consumers or employees expressing their dissatisfaction on a message board or a gripe site won’t get picked up by free tools.

Then there is the content filtering aspect, and wanting only relevant results for review (ie. *union talks over potential “strike”* as opposed to *air “strike” talks loom large* or *yankees pitcher “strikes” out the orioles*).

And to speak nothing of the online terrain that is covered by paid services like RepuTrace(TM), which include the following in its monitoring scope and reach:

Blogs
Forums
Groups
Social Networking Sites
Consumer Sites
News
Gripe
Images
Video
Other

“Other” representing content that doesn’t fall into any of the aforementioned types of social media.

Nathan Gilliat recently posted a blog regarding the topic of paid services versus free tools to track social media – in the blog he writes:

“Readers here will realize that the paid services go well beyond vanity searches and feeds. Multimedia sourcing, content filtering, analysis (automated or human) and customizable client dashboards with analytical toolsets are a start. The interpretation and consulting services many offer put them entirely out of the category of the free services. And, of course, there are lots of variations, which is a big part of what makes this interesting.”

I guess one must first learn how to walk before running. A starting point is necessary – Andy Beals beginner guide is definitely a must read for anyone who is starting out and is serious about brand and reputation monitoring.

Joseph