IBM introduces "social business." Ugh. Kill me now.

Earlier this week, I explained why you it’s best to ignore the coming social media backlash. At the same time, I’m blown away when I run into folks peddling some serious social snake oil. Here’s a perfect example: it seems IBM is pitching customers on the idea of “becoming a social business.” Fast Company gushes, “Given its prescience about e-business, a concept that radically transformed how companies buy and sell their products, it is hard to dismiss their latest idée fixe.”

WTH?

Fast Company cites “seven reasons why just about every company should be thinking about becoming a social business,” such as:

1. Social media will be dwarfed by social business
2. People do business with people, not companies
3. Your employees need to be digital citizens, too

That last one is my particular favorite. According to the write-up on Fast Company,

“Becoming a social business means recognizing the need for your employees to become “digital citizens” and providing the training for them to manage their digital reputations.”

Again, what?!? Aren’t your employees already “digital citizens”? And if they’re not, who are all these people I keep running into on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and email?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying any of these ideas are a bad thing in concept. And I’m sure not saying social isn’t significant. It is.

But what differentiates “social business” from “business,” exactly? Is it that it’s conducted using social tools? Well that’s silly. Is emailing your colleague “email business”? Is making a call to a client on your iPhone “mobile business”? No. They’re business conducted using communications tools. Social tools are communications tools, and people are going to use them to solve their communications challenges.

For some, it’s setting up private groups on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+ to work out product details. For others, it’s creating a wiki to track customer service issues. And for others still, it’s using BranchOut and LinkedIn to fill open positions. All of these are simply tools employees and customers use to solve their problems and fulfill their needs.

In other words, “social business” is going to happen whether IBM brands it as such or not, because employees are already acting as digital citizens. They’re already doing business with people, not companies. And their interactions already dwarf “social media” whether conducted via Facebook, phone or face-to-face. I’ve said many times before that “social is people.” And “people business”—one centered on your customers, your employees, your shareholders and your community—is kind of redundant, isn’t it?

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