Companies begin to get the message from social media

For many people, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have changed how they stay in touch with family, friends and co-workers.

Those changes are also now becoming apparent to businesses keen to exploit social media.

Its usefulness is even tempting the most venerable of businesses.

Founded in 1698, Berry Bros and Rudd is the oldest wine company in Britain.

But just because it dates from the era of William and Mary that does not make it a technophobe, said Charlie Bennett who oversees its web operations.

Berry Bros has an iPhone app for its catalogue that customers, both committed and casual, can browse through.

It has blogs, has toyed with podcasts and its Facebook pages are under development. It also runs some services unique to the wine trade.

“Customers can make a virtual visit to their wine,” said Mr Bennett. “They buy the wines and we lay them down.”

“The area of the site where people can view their wine cellar is very heavily visited,” he added.

This is despite the fact that the experience of drinking, of savouring, of taking time to enjoy the riot of flavours in a glass seems to be the antithesis of the relentless pace of the web.

Flag bearer

Not so, said Mr Bennett. Berry Bros has even embraced that flag-bearer of the up-to-the-minute web - Twitter.

Some wine buyers for the firm have their own Twitter account and send messages, or tweet, when they are on a tasting trip.

But, said Mr Bennett, strict rules govern what can be said via the micro-blogging service.

“I feel quite strongly that people should only tweet when they have something to say,” said Mr Bennett. “We do not use it commercially. That’s not what it’s there for.”