A History of Social Media and What it Helps People DO.

In last week’s post on social media, I discussed what social media is and what it’s not. Next, I will speak about some of social media’s history, what it allow users to DO and how can begin engaging social media in your business. We will also talk about when you do not need social media.

Social media, or Web 2.0, is the integration of online technology with social behavior. I like to think of it as:

People + Social Media = Worldwide Interaction.

Interaction on a scale never seen before. When the internet first began, most websites were not interactive. They had an assumption behind them that was not much different from the assumption behind broadcast T.V., newspapers and radio: They were passive modes of broadcasting and consumption. Websites were not much different: You would go to a website and “consume” the information

Yes, the early internet was amazing and you had access to huge amounts of information. But to a large extent, you could not interact with what you found. And other than through email, you could not interact with other people.

The New Internet

In contrast, the new social media websites are about engagement and interactivity. That is, you can talk, share, express your opinions and have conversations. And you can do so 24 hours per day, all over the world, and relatively cheaply.

Anyone can communicate and collaborate anytime using social networking websites like Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube or tools like blogs and podcasts.

And the next generation of the social websites have arrived - sites like Stereofame and Ning that allow you to create your own social network, brand or even record label (!). In the social media arena, everyone is a publisher now and can create multiple “presences” and identities. You can create your own bookmarks, profiles, podcasts, videos, pictures and music and put them online.

Again, social media is the story of people using technology to participate across borders and time zones on a scale that has never seen before. There are people helping one each other simply because they want to help. And business brands? As you may know, they are being created and, yes, destroyed by conversations on the internet.

Social Media Implications

You - and anyone with an internet connection - have the power to unleash ideas upon the world, to create communities, and to collaborate. And that “you” can be anyone - a mother, 13-year old child, marketing manager, IT manager, CEO or business owner.

Engaging social media is a bit like buying a house or choosing a business location. You will need to pick and choose the elements that that are most important to you and your business. A few things to consider:

• What ideas would you like to share online?
• What do you want people to know about you?
• About your company and it’s products?
• What do you want people to know about others’ products?
• How and where could you begin communicating these ideas?
• Where are the conversations happening and how will you join them?
• If they are not happening, how will you create them?

If you don’t know where to start, I can give you one quick hint: Take a few minutes and create accounts at some of the networks that I have mentioned. Look around. Leave some comments and get familiar with the technology. Gain some first hand experience so that you can begin the process of learning about social media and social marketing.

But do you really need social media?

And let’s remember that everything above presupposes a business or organizational outcome. This my surprise you, but I often tell my clients that they do not need social media marketing. It’s not always the best and most effective solution and in fact it can be a huge waste of money and time. If you have a website that needs more traffic, you may be better off spending your time and money doing search engine optimization. If you need more leads, you may simply need to do a split-testing of your lead generation page to create a page that capture leads at a higher rate. Don’t get caught up in the hype of social. Personally, I love it and use it. But only when it serves a business or personal function.