[Video also avilable on LiveWorld's blip.tv channel]

Finance and healthcare institutions have often been slow to embrace social media because of strict regulations that govern their industries.

Not so at the Mayo Clinic, where social media efforts have taken off under the direction of Lee Aase.

So just what did it take to convince legal counsel at Mayo that social media could work?

"We're really blessed to have a legal team that looks at risk management as also reward management," Lee told me in a video conversation recorded at Mayo Clinic's headquarters in Rochester, MN last week. "It isn't all about preventing bad things from happening; [instead], it's looking at, 'What is the realistic possibility or probability of bad things happening, but also, what's the upside? What are the benefits?'"

Rather than using HIPAA [The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] and other privacy regulations as a crutch, Mayo has simply learned to work within the law.

The approach has proven fruitful. Mayo's social media portfolio includes some eight corporate blogs, several Twitter feeds, and a YouTube channel that feature stories from patients and research from physicians.

Lee is a also a regular on the speaking circuit (check out his full slate of SlideShare presentations), sharing the Mayo Clinic's challenges and successes in hopes of inspiring other organizations to move forward with social media.

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Lee's day-job title for Mayo is manager of syndication and social media. But he runs an extra-cool project in his personal time, too, serving as chancellor of Social Media University, Global, or SMUG.

The tuition-free online "university" has a noble mission: providing "practical, hands-on training in social media to lifelong learners."

So if you're looking to learn about blogging, podcasting, microblogging, or how to use Facebook or Twitter, Lee has a course for you!