????“虛擬代理人”則有點像互聯網的“C-3PO”（看過《星球大戰》系列的讀者應該記得這個機器人），它本質上是一組程序，有時也有類人的虛擬形象，可以智能回復用戶的咨詢，還能適時發布評論，甚至可以在互動過程中逐漸成熟。要想看看率先在Facebook上使用的智能虛擬代理人是什么樣子，不妨去看看美國陸軍的虛擬征兵官“STAR中士”。類似的技術其實早就有了，比如不少網站都有虛擬聊天代理機器人，當然還有蘋果（Apple）那位令人愉悅、但有時又稍顯冷淡的女管家Siri。

????這些自動化工具在企業社交媒體中是否也能扮演一個合適的角色？對于某些日常的信息交換來說，答案絕對是肯定的。就拿美國聯合航空公司來說，有關航班延誤的微博有好幾千條，它很難人工逐一回復。但是只要被正確的關鍵詞觸發，一組腳本信息就可以輕松搞定這個問題。同樣的思路也適用于天災預警、危機管理或者其它FAQ式的、需要立即提供基本信息的情況。

????不過社交媒體的真正價值，即它與傳統媒體的區別，就在于我們能通過社交媒體與粉絲建立更深的個人聯系。因此這些內容自動化應用也可能產生事與愿違的結果。如果消費者已經習慣了到社交媒體上去尋求真實的人際溝通和人際干預，最后卻發現自己被另一條自動化信息輕描淡寫地打發了，結果可能不會很愉快。因此《今日社交媒體》（Social Media Today）的艾里克斯?阿文達諾提醒道，企業應該把應用自動發送的微博標記出來。

????目前對于那些希望從自動化應用中獲得好處的企業來說，他們最好能夠掌握適度的原則。當前最有效的社交媒體工具已經集成了經過檢驗的自動監聽和自動規劃功能，可以有效提高人力資本的效力和創造性。其中一些最出色的系統已經足以應付當代社交媒體的規模，使社交媒體團隊可以迅速擴大工作范圍，同時輕松地進行協作。社區經理和營銷人員也可以從處理咨詢等枯燥的任務中解脫出來。同時這些應用還可以幫助企業安排更新、策劃廣告等?？傊?，它們可以使企業的社交媒體團隊留出更多的時間，用來與消費者進行私人的、專門的對話，這才是社交媒體的精髓。

????說到底，這才是社交媒體自動化應用的真正角色：讓社交媒體變得更社交化。

????本文作者Ryan Holmes是社交媒體管理系統HootSuite公司的CEO，他的公司擁有400萬名客戶，其中包括79家《財富》100強公司。他的日常工作就是管理Facebook、Twitter和全球其它大型社交網絡，因此他對社交網絡與大企業兩者之間交叉領域的問題有獨特的見解。

????譯者：樸成奎

????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.