It’s funny how sometimes something sticks in your head as an action or placeholder for something you want to do. Well, a few months ago I had heard my friend Sherrilynne talk about a set of stages that organisations go through in their jounrey to adopting Social Media. I ended up digging around and found her source, a most excellent post by Brian Solis called The 10 Stages of Social Media Integration in Business.

In a nutshell, the 10 stages are:

• Stage 1: Observe and Report
• Stage 2: Setting the Stage
• Stage 3: Socialising Media
• Stage 4: Finding a Voice and a Sense of Purpose
• Stage 5: Putting Words into Action
• Stage 6: Humanizing the Brand and Defining the Experience
• Stage 7: Community
• Stage 8: Social Darwinism
• Stage 9: The Socialization of Business Process
• Stage 10: Business Performance Metrics

It’s a thought provoking piece, and if you read nothing else today, read THIS. And I mean really read it; don’t skim through it, savour every word and ponder on its significance. It will give you a deeper understanding of the journey we’re all heading through.