Tell me what you really think of me

Do you take critiques well from friends? Brands are learning that if you want to start a conversation, there's going to be a listening part associated to the relationship. And this is proving to be a difficult hurdle for brands who are used to shaping the consumers perceptions with one sided communications. But as Matt Freeman, CEO of digital-media advertising company GoFish says, "It's a cultural change for brands that are used to having more control over their communication...and cultural changes take time."

Its also a matter of how you want to manage the feedback, which in the web 2.0 realm is inevitable. Do you want to handle the negative critiques head on,"in your own backyard?" Or as Dave Morgan, former head advertising strategy for AOL says," would you rather have it pop up on blogs, social-network pages, and other sites where you may never see it. "It's sort of like how taking your medicine right away is better."

read it here