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Social media 101: What is social media?

Posted by Julie Delaforce in introductory, social media on 27 February, 2010

You’ll find many meanings of social media online, and there’ll never be one definitive explanation. For me social media is quite simply defined as:

“People having conversations online” (Kagan, 2008)

The internet used to be a one-way (broadcast) communication tool, websites were more like interactive brochures, a way of disseminating information. There were some exceptions to this, with traditional online forums/bulletin & message boards, and relay chat, but those formats were not mainstream, were not integrated into online communications and still only allowed for one-to-one or one-to-many communication.

The online/digital space has now become a many-to-many communication tool, with online dialogue or the ability to interact with others online. THIS is social media, it’s not necessarily separate to what the internet is, but a term coined to more easily define what it’s evolved into. It’s also sometimes called web 2.0 or new media. Email is becoming obsolete, as people use social networks and instant messaging to contact family, friends and colleagues. You can even communicate with businesses online, mostly via Twitter (a micro-blogging platform) and Facebook, who have a ‘Pages’ for businesses to set up their official presence on the social network.
A few of the most popularly used types of social media include:

  • Social Networks – Facebook, MySpace, Bebo
  • Blogs, Micro-blogs – WordPress, Blogger, Twitter
  • UGC – YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr
  • Online communities – forums, Whirlpool, Essential Baby
  • Wikis – Wikipedia, WikiHow
  • Social sharing – news, bookmarking & tagging – Digg, Delicious, Reddit
  • Information aggregators – RSS readers, Google Reader
  • Virtual worlds & gaming – Second Life, World of Warcraft

And that’s just a VERY small sample, Brian Solis’ Conversation Prism gives a more comprehensive overview of the myriad online communication channels and methods.

Social media has become very pervasive, for any business not yet using it as part of their marketing, communications and customer service mix, Social Media Revolution (YouTube video link) should act as a wake-up call.

“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”

References:

Kagan, M What the f*** is Social Media, 2008

Solis, B Conversation Prism, 2009

Qualman, E Social Media Revolution, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

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Twitter: adding value for business

Posted by Julie Delaforce in introductory on 14 April, 2009

Originally posted at freshchat.com.au

I feel inspired to write this post due to Twitter’s recent rise in popularity and the apparent misinformation about Twitter being discussed both online and offline.

There are a few criticisms of Twitter that have been circulating this year, and I’d like to address them here.

1. Twitter is the cool new app of the moment, it’ll pass.

Twitter was born in 2006 and has been a favourite of many early adopters and high profile online influencers for well over 18 m onths. The reason you may only be hearing about it now is because of the amount of attention Twitter is receiving in mainstream media. According to Quantcast, Twitter has undergone exponential growth in the last two months, more than doubling its user base. Twitter now has over 15 million users in the USA alone.

Twitter is not an alternative to Facebook and other social networks, in fact it is not actually a social network. Twitter is a valid social media tool in its own right and can be used as part of a wider social media program.

2. Twitter doesn’t add value to business

I have clients who would STRONGLY disagree with this statement. As a vehicle for communication in 14o characters or less, Twitter allows business to interact quickly and effectively with their consumers. Twitter can be used to encourage consumer feedback or simply build relationships with anyone important to your business. There are many different models for employing Twitter for your business, as with all social media engagement, have clear objectives before you create an account.

3. I can set up a Twitter account, start following people by the thousands, and market my product at them

Like all social media, Twitter is a two-way communication vehicle. The Twitterati DO NOT appreciate being marketed AT, you need to add value and engage with other users. When people converse with you (via @ reply), respond. If you’re only talking AT people, you’ll lose followers fast.

There are some businesses who got their foot in the Twitter door early, take a look at what they’re doing:

Southwest Airlines

Zappos

If Twitter is not currently a part of your social media strategy, I would strongly advise you to consider it. As with all social media engagement don’t just dive in, do your research first.

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