2009: A year that's looming larger each day for social media. Or is it?


Times are tough. Many people may be looking forward to four years of hope and change, but the realities of a slumping global economy are upon us today. As we conclude budgeting season - or some procrastinating companies are just beginning - social media undoubtedly has received more attention for integration than ever.
On one hand, social media tools can be inexpensive and an effective way to create deep customer relationships. However, they don't scale very well and measurement is a mystery.
On the other, traditional media provide reach and create awareness better than any other tools. However, they can be extremely expensive and many consumers are conditioned to ignore these messages.
So what's next? Is 2009 going to be the year that social media makes it big? Will social be bleeding edge while traditional digital (e.g. search, email, display ads) are leading edge? Or will the current business environment knock social and its experimental nature back a few quarters from adoption, maybe more?