In order to write a blog about social media, maybe we should first define exactly what it is…
The word “media” means “an instrument of communication.” The term first became popular in the 1920’s, to describe mass communication and advertising. The main forms were in print form, such as newspapers and magazines, although radio was also becoming more popular. The main formats were in print form, such as newspapers or magazines. Another major media outlet at this time was radio. By the 1940’s, television became more popular, which made advertising to the masses even easier.
Obviously, due to technology, media has evolved over the years and became more complex and precise. Companies now allocate enormous advertising budgets and
spend colossal amounts of money to ensure that their thirty second ad will be seen by millions during the Super Bowl, for example. For a while, this has been the most efficient way for companies to promote their name and products but, we are turning the corner in our civilization. In this new world of internet, TiVo(DVR), Ipods and cell phones, we no longer have the need to listen or watch traditional media in order to receive information. More and more people are shying away from industry media and moving into social media. More companies are noticing and benefiting from this evolution. Not only is the cost of advertising on social media sites lower, it is also provides a larger organization with far more social reach that ever before. No longer do businesses have to spend the largest part of their budget to get their name out, in some cases it can be done for free!
Ok, now that we know how important social media can be, let’s figure out how it can be important to you. Social Media is “media designed to disseminate information through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques”, as described by Wikipedia. But what does that mean??? Let’s look at it like this… people are talking to other people in order to get basic information. I like to compare it to a game of table tennis, so think of industry media as your opponent. What if you didn’t even have a paddle? The balls are being hit to you, but you have no way of returning them. If you use social media as the paddle, you can now play the game with industry media, as well as anyone else that would like to “take you on.” You have no limits in who you choose to interact with, whereas before, only big media outlets could be your opponent. Now we have a way to not just listen to others opinions, but actually give our own input! You know how the old saying goes… “opionions are like ______ … everyone has one!” (you can fill in the blank). Some examples of these social media outlets are blogs, online articles, video sharing, and social networking sites.
A “social network”, is a social group made up of individuals connected by a relationship. This could be a business or personal relationship, connecting with people you already know, or people that you don’t. You can, literally, connect with people all over the world. The reason that this has become some popular is that people gravitate towards being included in a “group” and having that social interaction. There are unlimited reasons as to why or how people become connected, but what is important is that now you can be connected in a way that has never been seen before in the history of civilization!
Now, let’s talk about social reach: This is simply the amount of people that you can “reach” through these social networks. For example, if you have 100 Twitter followers, 150 Facebook friends and 100 Myspace friends, your social network is already reaching 350 people. Although it is debatable as to whether these people actually read everything that you post, the same can be said for regular media. Not everyone reads the newspaper or watches the 5 o’clock news. What is important is the possiblity that these 350 people can, in turn, connect you to many more friends and followers, making your overall audience grow. Businesses are now understanding this importance and are starting to see social media as a major tool in advertising, so begin building your network today because you may need it in the future!
In conculsion, social media has found it’s place and quickly becoming the wave of the future. Internet based social media has only really been around for about 8-10 years, imagine what it will become in 20 years!
Food for thought: Think of building your social presence like making an investment… like buying a surfboard. Anyone without one will be stuck in the ocean for the sharks to eat!