I doubt that anybody needed tangible proof that social media has surpassed its tipping point, with Facebook boasting more than 200 million active users (100 million of which log in daily) and holding the #4 spot amongst the world's most popular websites (MySpace is #11 and Twitter is #37). Sure, there are naysaying articles out there like the one from Nielsen Online in April that showed 60% of new Twitter users quitting their engagement within one month of registering. However, other articles like this one prove that Twitter is still leapfrogging other methods of e-communication, and we have to keep in mind that it is just one vehicle for viral communication (albeit the only one trying to launch a television series to boost its growth).

I think the most telling pair of articles regarding the power of social media came from Iran last week. The first story showed that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad considered blocking the nation's citizens from accessing Facebook in an attempt to hinder the efforts of opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi in an upcoming election. The follow-up article explained that the ban would not occur after all, although more than five million websites are still not accessible from Iranian networks.

These types of stories bring validity to the claim that social media is not just a fad, it's a necessity for the dissemination of information. It wasn't long ago that we witnessed the power of these e-communication channels during the Obama campaign, and Steve Rubel's Micropersuasion blog provides a great account of the strategy and tactics that were employed (as does this FastCompany article). Although the election wasn't close and Obama likely would have been victorious without these methods, the impact was significant nonetheless. Perhaps Ahmadinejad was feeling like John McCain once did, hindered by a lack of contact with more tech-savvy citizens.

I think the big takeaway is that today's society favors a wide range of fragmented communication vehicles, and the responsibilities of the diligent marketing team have increased as a result. No longer can your launch calendar include just 5-6 delivery methods (such as outdoor advertising, press releases, television, radio and print media). Your strategic plan might have 30 different columns including various social networks, blogs, influential writers, microsites and podcasts. In late 2005, I was blogging about the fact that 4% of your subscribers might prefer RSS to email. Now, three and a half years later, that same pie chart might have dozens of colorful slivers, each representing planning and execution for your team. Sure, you can decide to ignore a few channels along the way, but are you prepared to overlook some of your most influential potential supporters? Barack Obama wasn't willing to do that, and his election results were representative of that decision.