Who owns social media? Jon addressed this question just a few weeks ago, and it is a topic that continues to come up. My question back is, does it really matter who “owns” it? What we should be asking and establishing is who is going to be accountable for social media.

I attended the PRSA International Conference in San Diego a few weeks ago and sat in on a session titled PR (R)evolution where Brian Solis commented on this exact question. He said that no one owns social media, it’s in the hands of consumers so therefore we all play a role.

OK, nothing too earth shattering there. But what rang very true for me was what Brian brought up next. That while no one department or type of agency owns social media, someone has to be accountable for it. There it was, the word people don’t use enough – accountability. If there is a crisis, issue, or question who will the C-suite, sales team, customer service, and marketing team turn to? They’ll turn to public relations. They’ll turn to the team who manages and monitors the brand’s messaging and communications strategy.

As an integrated agency, I know and believe that great ideas and creative implementation can come from anyone in any department. However, what is critical to a successful social media presence and its programs is that someone is accountable. Someone or a team needs to be tracking what is being said, have a plan for when issues arise, and have control of the correct key messages for the brand or company. Which is why public relations agencies, public relations practitioners and public relations departments have to stand up and be accountable.