For this week’s column from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the newly appointed CEO of the body talks about the way the association is responding to new expectations as a result of social media.

2010 marked the end of the first 10 years of social media. Or 20 or even 30 years (consider Usenet, 1980). Or maybe it all started much later – 2003, when “Web 2.0″ was first coined. (For those interested, here’s a history lesson with a difference.)

Either way we have seen the blogging explosion, Friendster, Second Life, MySpace, YouTube, iPhone and Android apps, almost 600 million people signing up to Facebook and many millions joining Twitter, not to mention Foursquare, Groupon, Quora and Linkedin.

Social media users are not simply information consumers. Participants produce, share, curate, publish and consume information via social media. Social media are direct channels of communication that can foster the sense of ownership organisations increasingly seek to encourage among their customers and staff. Improvements in technology – particularly in mobile device capabilities – has meant that this dialogue can build momentum among engaged audiences very quickly.

Organisations are now investing heavily in social media. A growing library of advice and examples exist to illustrate success or failure. However, the challenge for these organisations and the PR teams working for them is how to identify, track and analyse the thousands of conversations, tweets, posts, comments and other content about organisations, the issues that impact them, or their markets, competitors’ products or services.

Complementing our 2010 Research, Planning and Measurement Toolkit and our 2009 Social Media Guidelines (also being revised), the CIPR is about to produce an updated guide to social media evaluation. Successful social media strategies aim to build reputation through conversation and engagement. They are used to underpin an organisation’s objectives to grow relational rather than merely transactional customers, and the customer’s life time value cannot be attributed to one week, one month or one social media strategy.

The CIPR believes that social media engagement can and should be measured, but, as our guidance explains, this measurement should not just be about tracking, or trying to understand how influential a particular commentator or participant is. It is about identifying what conversations the organisation should participate in and understanding how engagement can help an organisation meet its objectives.

The key to successful evaluation of social media engagement is to measure the impact it has on organisational objectives. Social media still feels fresh and exciting. But there is no reason to forget that a disciplined approach to research, planning and the setting of objectives for public relations activity is the pathway to better strategy execution. It is fundamental to all organisations and also ensures better measurement of results.

There is no universal approach to PR measurement. The measurement model used must be suited to the specific needs of the campaign or plan. Sophisticated practitioners could apply the CIPR’s soon-to-be-updated measurement guidance or the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication valid metrics – both of which will provide excellent starting points.

The first decade of social media – web 2.0 – moved us from passive information consumption to user generated content. 2011 could be the first year PR professionals begin to investigate Web 3.0 (the Semantic Web) and continue the closer integration of paid, earned and owned media. Whatever the future brings, social media will be more engaged and engaging for organisations, and strategic planning and evaluation will be vital guides for the practitioner.

Jane is CEO of the CIPR. Top image via Communication Overtones.

Tags: 2010 Research, cipr, guidelines, jane wilson, Planning and Measurement Toolkit, social media