The Pope On iPhone

If you’re still wondering how new social media/networking platforms have become so pervasive I would suggest hearing how an expert explains it. That expert is Pope Benedict XVI.

Most AgWired fans know how big a fan I was of Pope John Paul II and that personally meeting him was one of the highlights of my life. I have also grown very fond of our new Pope Benedict XVI and am amazed by how well he and the Vatican are implementing new media/social networking communications strategies. I think we can all learn a lot from these developments:

The Pope has written a message (pdf) to go along with the new website which explains his view on using social media. I think he’s gets it completely. Here’s an excerpt:

While the speed with which the new technologies have evolved in terms of their efficiency and reliability is rightly a source of wonder, their popularity with users should not surprise us, as they respond to a fundamental desire of people to communicate and to relate to each other. This desire for communication and friendship is rooted in our very nature as human beings and cannot be adequately understood as a response to technical innovations.

So even though these new platforms are cool and we have cool new gadgets to use them they only work because they are helping people communicate how they want to, not necessarily how a company or organization would like to. That’s really a hard concept for traditional communicators to grasp but is one of the best explanations I’ve heard for why what we’re doing is working so well.

How is your company or organizations adapting?