I’ve frequently blogged about new acronyms and buzz words. This week’s thought leader language moment refers to both an acronym and a buzz word. M2M communications stands for many-to-many communications, which is the purpose of social media.

A solid social media strategy can help a thought leader build a reputation within an industry and in a wider public. You can gain traction for your ideas and get real-time feedback from peers, colleagues and potential clients…and sometimes just plain nutters. But that kind of spam can be minimized technically, and the benefits of wider exposure of your ideas certainly outweigh those risks.

Don’t think of social media as a generational thing that is only of interest to young people. Your contemporaries and their teams are using social media to communicate to wider audiences. It’s a place where you and your company can connect easily — many to many — and share ideas, spot trends and shape the future.

Do you have a robust social media strategy to promote and support you as a thought leader? Ask, assess, then act.