I just had to comment on this one …

Years ago, in a “previous life”, I had the dubious distinction of serving on the committee to create the first web site for [NAME WITHHELD TO PROTECT THE GUILTY]. We were one of the largest corporations in the world, with one of the most visible and popular brand identities ever. I represented one of eight divisions in this large, multi-national firm.

We did quite a few things very well for our first web site, but we did not handle Question 4 very well at all. We organized the entire site around our eight divisions, plus “important” departments like Investor Relations. Within my division, we organized our content according to our Strategic Business Units. Everyone had a voice — everyone but our customers. We spent countless hours and lots of money building a beautiful web site that promoted our brand identity, but we did not organize one single aspect of the initial site according to our customers’ needs. It took several years, but we did eventually figure out how to organize the site according to our customers.

We had to change more than just the copy, of course. But my main point is that the key to Question 4 — and I think the key to all your questions — is not budget or resources. We had plenty of money and probably too many people working on our web site. We didn’t start with the right orientation.

I see lots of people — from big corporations and small firms — getting very excited about social media. If they don’t answer your questions as part of their process for creating and managing their web presence, they’ll have the same sorts of problems I had in my “previous life”.

Great questions!
Jim