Social media is about engaging in conversations with decision makers and influencers directly via the Internet. It’s about community and collaboration. And, with the changing media landscape, there are a lot of ways to engage in those conversations – from blogs to podcasts to social networks… the list goes on and on.

In fact, check out Brian Solis’ Conversation Prism to see the endless possibilities. At first glance, this conversation prism may appear overwhelming. But, instead, think of all of the opportunities that exist within this prism for you to have conversations – and build relationships – with ALL of the various channels you are trying to reach.

With social media, you are able to: improve customer communication and collaboration; track sentiment about the company; identify advocates, influencers and enthusiasts; spot any product/service problems; analyze market trends; get customer feedback on the product roadmap; drive people to your Web site; and recruit future employees… just to name a few.

Are you skeptical that people are actually engaging in social media? The 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study, released at the end of September, found that sixty percent of Americans use social media and, of those, 59 percent interact with companies on social media Web sites. (Read Curt’s observations about the study here.)

So, with this crazy changing landscape, and a direct avenue to reach the people we really want to reach, how do we also get the necessary information to journalists through the traditional channels? Social Media Press Releases (SMPRs) combine the information traditional journalists need along with multimedia elements that are dominating the social media landscape. SMPRs should in no way replace traditional press releases and this should not be the ONLY tactic to engage people. But, by including keywords, multimedia elements and tags within releases, you are also enhancing search engine optimization and, ultimately, making your information accessible to a “world wide web” and helping to start a conversation.

So, go ahead and give social media a try. Remember, it’s no longer a monologue, it’s a dialogue. Just ask George Colony, Founder of Forrester Market Research: “It’s now a two-way conversation. Listen, respond and talk intelligently. Stop dictating to customers. It’s your customers, not you, that have the power.”