Vinnie, history has shown that, societies create the jobs necessary for the societies to continue. Sure we have upheavals and there are some job categories wiped out and they are inevitably replaced by new job categories. Where people get panicky is when it comes to the individual looking at the picture and their individual job. Is that job one that is going to survive? If so, great. Modified? Learn the newer skills. Eliminated? Find out what replaces the function and learn that job. Not as easy as I make it sound, but its in the nature of history that the human species organizes itself to survive. Nothing guaranteed. But we have 7.5 billion people and are managing to sustain things despite all the bleakness out there. We are in the midst of a transformation more profound that even the industrial revolution and its changing the nature of the jobs needed to effect the transformation. But people will continue to eat out and do laundry and buy homes, and watch sporting events and go swimming etc. and that all requires jobs that have been around for a long time and have no need to change. I'm not trying to prove a research point here. I'm just stating what has been obvious at the macro-level for eons.

Actually, FreeCRM, I don't think technologically. I know technology certainly, but, the reality is that to me CRM and SCRM are first and foremost strategies for customer management and engagement respectively. As always, the technology is an enabler but not the driver though with Social CRM it does play a greater role in the velocity of the engagement strategy's execution that it did in traditional CRM. However, I'm sad to disappoint you, but my technological thinking is a secondary but important aspect of my thinking on CRM/SCRM.

Of course PRM companies can play if they meet the "commercially available, 4 referenceable customers, under $12M revenue in 2010 and so far in 2011" criteria.

You are absolutely right, Ultimately it is very hard for technology to deliver an ROI by itself, since it tends to be dumb and agnostic by nature and how its used is what would (or wouldn't) deliver the ROI. Even though SCRM is a new discipline for the most part, its governed and plagued by the many of the same issues that most enterprise deployments of CRM are - in addition to a few new ones, of course.

Graham, Thing is, while its not hard to figure out what's NOT in there, I think you might be overestimating the scope of what they attempted to do. They make it quite clear in the subhead that this document is to identify 18 use cases and that's what Ray and Jeremiah do. While your comments are entirely right as far as their content, to say that Jeremiah and Ray don't include them, while correct technically, takes their excellent work beyond its scope. I don't think it intended to do more than it says and for that too they should be commended. Finally, you're right I am thinking that you should be writing more - and doing SocCRM for your clients doesn't buy you my silence. You're a great thinker and writer and besides, I do SCRM for my clients too and I managed to write an 800 page book on the subject while doing it - and you're far smarter and more versatile than I am. Get that pen out,bud!

Hey Iblink, Depends on the source of the music really. The iPhone works great with the most current (not this one) incarnation of the Super.Fi Pro which I think is 6. Ultimate Ears is a great company. I think that the new version might be available at the Apple Store too, if that matters. Check with them. Best Paul

Hi Prem, Thanks for the responses. I agree with you entirely that $3 million in Dell purchases is hardly a case study. Ultimately, whether for sales, marketing or customer service, Twitter is a channel - and only one - and while it has sex appeal at the moment, won't make or break any company whether the results are good or bad. I also think in general that its a lousy sales channel because not that much is going to be purchased with 140 characters of description or discussion. I also think that while there are exceptional customer service efforts being made using Twitter (Think Frank Eliason and @comcastcares), it is only one part of a set that has to be used to provide great customer service. Its not a surprise that Frank's @comcastcares rankings are huge and great while Comcast as a whole still sits near the bottom of many customer service surveys - though I think that Frank keeps them off the bottom. As far as Paul Seaman goes, I agree with him that social media "just is" - its a set of tools that are neutral - meaning how you use them is how good or bad they are. Where I differ from him is his perception of the "not revolution." I don't think social media created a revolution - they provided a transmission belt for support of one though. The revolution was a social and cultural one - and it came in how we communicate, not how we do business. It was driven by the easy access to one and many that the social Web provides and by the ubiquity and commoditization of cell phones. We are now able to, via voice or text or online tools, communicate 24X7 in an untethered way with a nearly immediate response expected and, at least from peers, delivered more often than not. THAT is revolutionary because it revolutionizes how we converse and what we expect of all institutions and individuals. There is a fundamental cultural change embedded in that. So while Paul Seaman is right about social media, I don't think he's right about the not-revolution. Its just a different one from a different place than he thought.

Brian, I'm happy to speak with you. I'm well acquainted with Montgomery County's CRM efforts - one of the most aware and active counties I've ever run across in trying to do what's right for constituents. Feel free to email me or call me at paul-greenberg3@comcast.net and 703-551-2337 respectively. It'll be good to catch up also!

John, You hit the nail on the head. Customer not only need to be first, because companies need to serve customers, but customer evangelists are often the best sales people you have because they are trusted by a community that sees each of them as "someone like me." That means the chance for good deeds by a company to go viral are greater and minimally you'll have a loyal customer.

You've compiled an OUTSTANDING list of blogs and sites to refer to when it comes to CRM. There are a couple of additions I would recommend. The Wise Marketer (www.wisemarketer.com) being one. Springwise/Trend-Watching (www.springwise.com) being another. The former is probably the best site out there on marketing when it comes to the contemporary brands and the issues around advocacy. The latter is terrific for its observation and capturing information on the "long tail" niche markets & creative new business models that are being generated to meet the needs of the 21st century customer. Great job all the way around!!