Social media has been featured a lot lately in the headlines but not as we might have suspected, either as an advertising tool or because a celebrity reveled some shocking personal information.   No instead it is being credited with helping spread freedom of speech and creating revolution.

Recent events in Egypt have proved without a shadow of a doubt that social media reaches far beyond entertainment and advertising.  In the past traditional media was the only way to infuse public opinion into a society's consciousness.  The major difference being major media outlets were regulated by their owners who could sway the opinions expressed by a newspaper our network to their own.  But Facebook and Twitter don't control the content as tightly so the voice of the common person can really come through without major censorship.  This change has been recognized by every government around the world.  Once the dust settles I think most people will realize we have just witnessed the dawn of whole new way technology is going to influence society and humanity.

Which brings me to my point.  I really hate to turn this extraordinary event into a advertising example...  But I'm going to.  The great thing about social media is as an advertiser you have immediate feedback.  You don't need a control group or a survey to know how your campaign or product is holding up.  Not only that but you get real, unbiased, uncensored and pressure free feedback.  Sometimes it might hurt to see what people "really" think but at least you know where you stand.  And having such great access to this information lets you make faster choices in your direction and what needs to be fixed to improve your R.O.I.