With so many companies tightening their budgets in the midst of the tough, uncertain economic climate, there’s a tendency to look at social networking as the new, free panacea. I’ve seen a few financial services and insurance companies start social networking strategies, promising to be open and reach out to their customers — only to turn these strategies into yet another communication channel where they do all the talking and none of the listening. One particular financial services company, which will remain nameless in this column, serves as a cautionary example.
