"Are companies wasting their time with social media profiles?"

The fact of the matter is that people spend more time on facebook and twiiter today than they do in front of their television set or reading a newspaper. Companies have always gone after their target audience wherever they are, and today they are on social media therefore companies should go after them. It appears to be the only way to stay in touch with your public.

 Thanks to social media,the door is now open to share your business with the world.It allows access to information ,thus giving businesses the ability to share news about their products and services with people that were once out of reach. Consumers now regard companies who are on social media as interactive and transparent.

However, although having a social media presence bears a ot of benefits for companies, it is fair to say that the current social media structure is not ideal for all companies. As a matter of fact, crisis prone organisations for instance become easy targets for angry consumers on social media platforms.In South Africa, it would not be a good time for the South African Police Services to be on social media right now, would it?

Although one would argue that with the reputation damage the organisation has suffered  recently, follwoing Marikana and reports of
brutality, the SAPS should be engaging with the public on social media in order to restore its image. But when the public really hates you, they will use social media as a way to hurt you even more.

Also, Corporate Twitter and facebook accounts, in particular, have proven to be vulnerable to hackers. It was reported this month that hackers breached the twitter accounts of Associated Press and posted a fake report about a bombing at the White House, causing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to plunge over 140 points -- erasing $136 billion in market value -- within a few minutes until the fraud was exposed. A group allied with the Syrian government claimed responsibility, reports Verne Kopytoff from CNN.

I think it is important for companies to have social media profiles but there needs to be measures in place to make sure it is secure and serve their best interests.