Sunday, February 27, 2011

Making Sense of Social Media/Social Networking

 Back towards the end of 2008 the terms Social Media and Social Networking held absolutely no meaning to me. I had no clue what they were, what value they had and what was the difference between the two. From what I was hearing it seemed like a lot to learn and was going to take up way toooooo much time. I think most of us started in that very same place. Funny how things can change so fast for once I understood what this type of marketing was all about, the light bulb went off.


Navigating the uncharted waters of social media and networking can be fun, lively and engaging once it makes sense. There are very few guidelines and rules but that allows for much creativity. Some of the standard ways of self promotion and marketing do not translate very well into this fast paced, fickle and every changing world of social media and networking. 


If you just beginning and even if you have been doing this for awhile this may help you have a clearer vision as to what you are doing and why you are doing it. So lets begin with the difference between social media and social networking.

Social Media is......according to Wikipedia
Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies
to turn communication into interactive dialogue. 

Social Networking is....according to What is Social Networking.com 
 Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups...
When it comes to online social networking, websites are commonly used. 
These websites are known as social sites.
Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. 

 Scratching your head now aren't you? When I first read things like this it was....okay...and this means what??? So let's make it simple... Social media you share information/content in an interactive way....things like blogs, internet radio, newsletters and YouTube are all types of  social media. Media meaning writing, radio and video that all are internet based as opposed to more traditional types of media such as magazines/newspapers, TV and radio. Think of it as translating the traditional into the online world.

Social Networking site would be things like Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin and Twitter to name the most common ones. There you have people who you can engage in conversations with through the sharing of your content. The concepts are based in some the same things as traditional networking is only here again it is translated into the world on the internet. This makes it a whole brand new world where you can network with people you have not actually met. Oh what great possibilities there are in that.

The really cool thing is now most social media sites now can be linked to your social networking sites so that you have this stream of interactions going on.  Now that is exciting....you can write your blog and it is shared automatically on your facebook and twitter... think of the possibilities there....think of the fun in that.

So my fellow Goddesses and Gods of the social media world..there will be much more coming to help you really enjoy your social media and social networking experiences. 

See you on Facebook.... 







1 comment:

  1. Thanks Mary Anne. It's about time someone helped us make sense of this social media madness. I look forward to reading your post.

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