Okay, so simply put, what role does transparency really need to play? After some conversation and a little bit of thought (all I could muster on the train) I have come to the conclusion that I must readjust my stance on transparency. Yes, I may have been wrong.

From Twitter to Facebook social media gurus claim that transparency is the cornerstone of the Web 2.0 endeavor. I though wasn’t sold on the idea that the entire eastern seaboard needed to be twittered that I had just made a PB&J sandwich (no crust of course). I had felt Facebook operated in the same manner disclosing frivolous tidbits of nothingness. “Hey everybody look, I just bought something stupid from somewhere that I don’t really like.”

However, my opinion has changed.

In the case of interactive marketing I have come to learn that transparency is honesty’s enabler. By this I mean, the carnival of marketers and public relations professionals (that I am a member of) are being given the opportunity to reclaim not only their integrity, but also their ability to be frank and honest. This is being done through transparency, which roughly translates in to nothing more than candor. By apprising the community of my actions, my motivations become even clearer and the level of trust I am afforded increases.

So as advertising continues to go social and the role that transparency plays ever increases I now believe that the entire digital community will benefit from this paradigm shift.

In parting I leave you with this: If “hypocrisy is the homage vice pays virtue”, then trust is the reward presented by transparency.

One of the fundamental underpinnings of the (dare I say it) Web 2.0 revolution has been transparency and the ability to access information free of charge. The openness that has accompanied the new digital zeitgeist has without a doubt made an honest man out of a slew of otherwise nefarious individuals

This being the case when does openness and candor become a liability? Does it ever? Or is there a point when you are sharing just too much. I agree that organizations should disclose when they have “arrangements” with others so the enduser is privy to all the facts. But do I really need to know every last detail of every ongoing an agency or blogger may have.

As the walled gardens of the digital world come crashing down all around us will there be a standard operating altitude from which information will be openly presented or will it continue to be open for interpretation?

Walmart learned a hard lesson from Edelman on astroturfing a few years back. Will it take several more “life lessons” before the industry draws a line in the sand.

For a closer look on this topic visit Adam Broitman over at A Media Circ.us.

Because does anyone really care where I ate lunch today?