@jbtaylor on tech

When I started using Twitter, You Tube and other social networks as part of my job, I disclosed my affiliations for a reason -- you need to know what's motivating my point of view so you can make your own decisions about what I am saying.

That said, when I first started in social media, I wasn't sure the bosses at Sprint would approve. My approach in getting started was to keep track of all the customers I helped and all the reporters I connected with who otherwise, I never would have encountered.

Then, if one of our bosses questioned what I was up to, I would be able to demonstrate exactly why social media was important for Sprint to participate in.

But a surprising thing happened on my way to PR 2.0., my bosses at Sprint were delighted that I had embraced some new tools to communicate with reporters, customers, the public and the occasional policy maker. Ultimately, as one of my attorney friends at work remarked, social media is just another channel for communications.

Companies need to start treating social media that way. When you go to a Sprint retail store, you know who the sales people are because they are in a Sprint-branded shirt. By the same token, when you come on Posterous, Twitter, You Tube or other social media networks, shouldn't you know who is advocated on behalf of Sprint?