At the DMA ‘09 in San Diego, Alterian announced the launch of the Social Media Marketing Council.

The SMMC will provide guidelines, documentation and best practice advice for organizations on exactly what kind of data it is acceptable to source through social media, and how they should be using it responsibly for lead generation and customer service.

There will be an online portal to provide access to these resources, which will include a discussion forum and opportunities for companies to demonstrate that they are exhibiting best practices. The council will meet for the first time at the DMA in San Diego and thereafter on a quarterly basis to discuss the latest developments in this space, with the first objective to define what constitutes the unacceptable use of social media information.

The SMMC will be doing some great things for the social media industry:

• Producing useable content for organizations, customers and brands.


• Establishing best practices and regulations regarding social media privacy.


• Assist social media marketing organizations with challenges and