Last year I had trouble typing “social media.”

It kept coming out “SoCal Media,” which was not intended as an editorial comment on the trendiness of these new communications tools. Now I’m blogging.

Today I’m getting ready to attend my fourth major communications conference of 2009. I don’t need to compare the conference programs side-by-side to state with total confidence that social media has been the most popular kid at each of these parties.

No wonder. This new kid is attractive, interesting and a great dancer. But you can’t dance every dance with the same partner, no matter how attractive. Sometimes Justin or Beyonce have the right moves, but sometimes Travolta, Fred or Ginger are better partners.

Some of today’s social media tools are cool. Some are silly. Some are passing fancies and some will become important tools of our trade, as relevant and useful as websites, e-mails, face-to-face and the printed page.

Social media isn’t a silver bullet. It’s not a panacea or a solution to every problem. Just because we can use social media applications doesn’t mean we always should. Social media isn’t the answer. But it can – and should – be evaluated and applied as part of an integrated, multichannel communications strategy.