“微博机器人”来了

    “虚拟代理人”则有点像互联网的“C-3PO”（看过《星球大战》系列的读者应该记得这个机器人），它本质上是一组程序，有时也有类人的虚拟形象，可以智能回复用户的咨询，还能适时发布评论，甚至可以在互动过程中逐渐成熟。要想看看率先在Facebook上使用的智能虚拟代理人是什么样子，不妨去看看美国陆军的虚拟征兵官“STAR中士”。类似的技术其实早就有了，比如不少网站都有虚拟聊天代理机器人，当然还有苹果（Apple）那位令人愉悦、但有时又稍显冷淡的女管家Siri。

    这些自动化工具在企业社交媒体中是否也能扮演一个合适的角色？对于某些日常的信息交换来说，答案绝对是肯定的。就拿美国联合航空公司来说，有关航班延误的微博有好几千条，它很难人工逐一回复。但是只要被正确的关键词触发，一组脚本信息就可以轻松搞定这个问题。同样的思路也适用于天灾预警、危机管理或者其它FAQ式的、需要立即提供基本信息的情况。

    不过社交媒体的真正价值，即它与传统媒体的区别，就在于我们能通过社交媒体与粉丝建立更深的个人联系。因此这些内容自动化应用也可能产生事与愿违的结果。如果消费者已经习惯了到社交媒体上去寻求真实的人际沟通和人际干预，最后却发现自己被另一条自动化信息轻描淡写地打发了，结果可能不会很愉快。因此《今日社交媒体》（Social Media Today）的艾里克斯•阿文达诺提醒道，企业应该把应用自动发送的微博标记出来。

    目前对于那些希望从自动化应用中获得好处的企业来说，他们最好能够掌握适度的原则。当前最有效的社交媒体工具已经集成了经过检验的自动监听和自动规划功能，可以有效提高人力资本的效力和创造性。其中一些最出色的系统已经足以应付当代社交媒体的规模，使社交媒体团队可以迅速扩大工作范围，同时轻松地进行协作。社区经理和营销人员也可以从处理咨询等枯燥的任务中解脱出来。同时这些应用还可以帮助企业安排更新、策划广告等。总之，它们可以使企业的社交媒体团队留出更多的时间，用来与消费者进行私人的、专门的对话，这才是社交媒体的精髓。

    说到底，这才是社交媒体自动化应用的真正角色：让社交媒体变得更社交化。

    本文作者Ryan Holmes是社交媒体管理系统HootSuite公司的CEO，他的公司拥有400万名客户，其中包括79家《财富》100强公司。他的日常工作就是管理Facebook、Twitter和全球其它大型社交网络，因此他对社交网络与大企业两者之间交叉领域的问题有独特的见解。

    译者：朴成奎

    Virtual agents, meanwhile, are a bit like the C-3PO's of the Internet -- programs, sometimes with human-like avatars, capable of intelligently responding to queries, commenting where appropriate, even maturing through interaction. For a look at a pioneering use of an intelligent virtual agent on Facebook, check out the U.S. Army's virtual recruiter SGT STAR. Similar technology is already in play with virtual chat agents that pop up on websites and, of course, on Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 4S, with its beguiling -- if a bit standoffish -- concierge Siri.

    Do these kinds of automation have a legitimate role in corporate social media? For certain routine exchanges, the answer is a resounding yes. It hardly makes sense, for instance, for United to respond individually to thousands of tweets about flight delays when a scripted message could be queued up, triggered by the right keywords. The same thinking applies for natural disasters or crisis management or any FAQ-type situation where basic information is needed quickly.

    But social media's real value -- what distinguished it from the start from traditional media -- lies in creating deeper, personal connections with followers. And here automation of content risks backfiring. When consumers used to turning to social media for real, human intervention and connection end up running up against yet another automated message, the results may not be pretty. At the least, automated interactionsshould be flagged as such by the company, cautions Social Media Today's Alex Avendano.

    For now, companies struggling to find the automation sweet spot might be best served by moderation. The most effective social media tools at present integrate proven automated listening and scheduling functions with features that enhance good old human capital and creativity. The best systems are robust enough to handle the scale of contemporary social media, enabling teams to upsize quickly and easily collaborate. Freeing community managers and marketers from the tedium of processing conversations, scheduling updates and plotting ads, these apps leave more time for the personalized, bespoke interactions with consumers that constitute social media's DNA.

    In the end, this may well be automation's real role: to make social media even more social.

    Ryan Holmes is the CEO of HootSuite, a social media management system with nearly five million users, including 79 of the Fortune 100 companies. In the trenches everyday with Facebook, Twitter and the world's largest social networks, Holmes has a unique view on the intersection of social media and big business.