Implementing social media in technical communication

Social media changes traditional technical communication by turning a passive, reading audience into active, contributing participants. Using social media channels, the technical communicators get closer to the users, breaching the gap between the creators and consumers of the support content. Currently, social media channels are an underutilised asset for the technical communicators and for the companies that employ them, because they are mainly used for marketing purposes. Cost savings are pressuring companies to promote self-service on company websites, but with small steps, the companies could offer support content in social media channels, helping users directly in them. Before participating in social media, careful planning, strategy, and guidelines are required, because despite its promise, social media does not suit every product or user. For technical communicators, social media brings new roles and processes, and at the same time, requires a new mindset and courage: to step out into the open and face the users in a direct contact.