Social media is a fad in the sense of Facebook, Twitter and all the hype that surrounds them... however the power of the crowds + the semantic web will be the future of the web, and making sense of information. What we are seeing now is a really dumbed down version of what is to come, it is when we really start collaborating on the information we care so much about that the changes will really start to happen.
Unfortunately, while socialnomiocs’ author Erik Qualman may be a Social Media expert, he tends to be somewhat naïve and foolish when it comes to general brand management.
The primary focus of your brand message must be on how special you are, not how cheap you are. The goal must be to sell the distinctive quality of the brand. — Kerry Light, Brand Strategist