When Steve Jobs answers a random e-mail from an average person, it makes the news.
It's also more effective for Sarah Palin to announce something through a Facebook post than to send out a press release.
Professional athletes, rock stars and actors are also among the most popular people to follow on Twitter; never before have so many people spent so much time talking about, and analyzing, 140 characters.
So should everybody set their clients or boss loose on e-mail, Facebook or Twitter?
Yes and no. It's a two-edged sword.
It's effective for public figures who are media savvy -- or have had some training -- and in small doses. If you do it every day, it's not special anymore.
The pitfalls also have to be recognized. Steve Jobs kept getting good press for answering random e-mails until he blew off a college journalism student and the story went viral.
It's also tempting for public figures to say too much, and say it too often.
Facebook, twitter and e-mail can be addicting time wasters. People in the public eye will find themselves saying things online that they'd never dare say during a live press conference. The keyboard gives you the illusion of privacy.
So what should you do?
Train any public figure before setting them loose on social media and e-mail, and make sure they're doing it when it's effective and needed, not as an outlet for creativity or as a diary.
Also, even the best writers need an editor -- even if that person is your client or your boss.