• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 26, 2010

I'm listening to a heated disucssion on whether the industry has too much data.

Do we need more data in social media? Some think markers are a bit overwhelmed. Tech companies that collect the data need to take the time and show agencies and marketers how to use it, says Jeff Lanctot, Managing Director, Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft.

The industry tend to want to put new ad models in place to use the data, but it has to understand not all planners understand how to use the data.

"Data is the thing destroying social media," says Mike Germano, Co-founder and President, Carrot Creative. "We get so tied up in the data that we're not using it the correct way. ... Data is the massive roadblock to innovation."

Lanctot argues if you walk in with a busienss plan for Facebook and Twitter without the proof, the consumer product goods (CPG) company won't believe the campaign will work.