Cruising around online today I came across an interesting blog post by Giovanni Gallucci titled "10 Commandments for Social Media PR Companies." Given recent numbers that claim that users are spending 8 BILLION minutes per day on Facebook, it seemed like I should take a look at Gallucci's ideas.

Most of them really are sound concepts not just for outfits playing the social media PR game, but companies in general regardless of their industry. Much of it is -- you would think -- common sense business practices on how to treat your customers. But what stuck in my mind was his second commandment:

Each client shall be presented with pre-defined goals and metrics by which the social media pr campaign’s success or failure can be easily measured.

The commandment conjures questions, for me, about the differences between traditional and social media when used for PR. I don't feel like measuring the impact of PR in a social media environment is as straightforward as it might be in other areas. On top of that, should you approach PR in the same ways normally would?

I like to think that it's a slightly different animal. The point of PR using Facebook or other similar discussions should be discussion and opinion gathering from fans and customers. The value of PR in that kind of environment is information versus results on a call-to-action. If you are that close to your audience, then take the opportunity to get at what they're thinking.

That aside, I think the ideas Gallucci presents are good rules of thumb, but I feel like one is missing. In my opinion, an equally important commandment should be that each client should get a plan for his or her social media PR campaign that is consistent with the brand image. A company's image is what people keep in their mind, and that emotional connotation is worth preserving (provided it's not a negative opinion). So, the approach to PR in a social media atmosphere needs to be consistent. It may not matter that there's "a really cool option" for your client, if it doesn't jibe with who they are.