Tweeting Cars from Ford – What Next Your Toaster Updates Your Facebook Status?

Wow, CES 2010 is obviously full of surprises this year. I was mildly amused and somewhat alarmed to find out that Ford is unveiling a tweeting car.

This, of course, has some folks up in arms about safety but what does this say about Social Media? We hear that it is a passing fad and perhaps this whole Social Media thing will finally blow over and we can get back to business. But is it?

This new development from Ford seems to suggest the exact opposite of Social Media being a fad or a passing moment on the internet. But it does make sense from one perspective, Scott Monty, uber social media guru, is the Social Media Head at Ford and very much engaged in building the Social Media presence at one of the oldest brands in the world. Scott has done some “experiments” with Social Media while at Ford so far and it looks like they are getting some traction (ROI is debatable).

So, I would love to hear from you – Is Social Media a passing fad or do you have some personal concrete experience and examples to share that indicate Social Media is integral to our lives and also to businesses?