In Gartner Reveals Five Social Software Predictions for 2010 and Beyond, the IT Analysis firm claims, “A dearth of methods, technologies and tools will impede the design and delivery of social media solutions in the near term.”

This is a typical claim of the IT mindset. It is the problem.

If Gartner is trying to say conventional IT methods will fail for social media they are absolutely correct.

However, on the contrary, there exist a good number of robust, proven and comprehensive methods for the design and delivery of social media solutions. If interested, contact TNS.

Thing is, they are unlike anything IT has used in the past. They are outside the IT conversation.

Gartner is also correct in predicting IT units are ill-equipped to lead critical social media initiatives for the firm. In fact, they peg the failure rate through 2012 at 70%. This is conservative in our opinion. Sadly, in spite of this dire prediction, the IT establishment seems to be ignoring it and is determined to prove Gartner’s prediction.

Social media are orthogonal to traditional IT methods, lifecycles and techniques. They also do not ‘fail forward,’ allowing failure to drive effective learning. Like many innovations on the horizon, social media require methods outside the traditional IT approach. This is the theme of The Social Enterprise.