Socially awkward? Facebook and Twitter co-founders talk to skittish advisers

Financial advisers here at the Schwab IMPACT conference in Boston today had access to two of the most influential technology minds on the planet: Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Two quick hits that stood out. First, the not-so surprising: Many of the advisers in the room said that they didn't utilize either Twitter or Facebook for their practices. Few hands went up when the audience was polled about their use of these networks, which have a combined 500 million users on board. Now, for the surprising: Most of the advisers who said that they don't currently use Facebook or Twitter didn't raise their hands when asked if they planned to create a Facebook page or a Twitter account for their practices in the near future. Why? Compliance constraints perhaps. But more likely, the majority of financial advisers probably don't know where to begin with social media and make the mistake of thinking about is as technology. So Stone and Hughes offer some quick tips. For one, social media is a tool, not a technology. You don't need to have your own website to find value in the web, Stone noted. Keep it simple. Use Twitter to search for companies and products that you're interested in. Don't worry about Tweeting. Just think about Twitter and Facebook as another search, but one that lets you get a sense -- potentially -- of what your clients and prospects like and dislike, who they connect with, and how you can engagee them when you're not face-to-face. View the news stories that they like, or Tweet your own, say, from InvestmentNews ....