We live in a dangerous time for companies. The pressure is on you to be active in social media, to communicate across a wide range of mediums, and to look for ways to be innovative and drive interest in your brand in new and exciting ways.

But at the same time, there are many millions of people out there just sitting around waiting for you to screw up. And when you do, nothing can stop the avalanche of bad blood that will come crashing down on your brand.

See recent examples from the LA Kings and Epicurious.

So here is the dilemma, put it all out there and risk making a mistake or play it safe and risk becoming irrelevant. Which one is more dangerous?

The sad truth is that a social media blunder can ruin a brand. So the answer is not, set someone loose and let them do whatever they want.

But at the same time, not participating in the conversation, or putting up so many roadblocks that you don’t allow your employees or spokespeople to actively participate means that people will lose interest.

So you have to find the middle ground. You have to find the right people, and put faith in them to play it safe without being dull. It’s not going to be easy. But no one ever said running a business would be.