That social media thing: Who says what to whom in which channel?

Even in 2011, with years of reading articles and attending seminars, masterclasses and conferences about social media under their belts, businesses still struggle.

This is clear given that at events, delegates still ask the same types of questions ("What should I say to customers?", "What tone should I use?", etc), especially as the number of social media channels in which web users can engage has grown, each with its own nuances, form and style.

While all this is multi-channel chaos can be a headache for even the experienced person ("guru"!) responsible for a company's social media strategy, for the newcomer it can be intimidating, or simply a complete nightmare.

But often the best way to illustrate a concept is to describe it in the form of the lowest common denominator - toilet humour. Literally.

Step forward Lieke Muller of Netherlands-based Liber Media, a speaker last week at the ETC E-Business Academy in Amsterdam for European national tourism offices and DMOs.

Ex-NorfolkLine marketing specialist and now a digital media and marketing consultant, Muller probably has to explain this kind of thing to businesses all the time.

So what better way to demonstrate tone and channel than this fabulous illustration...