By
Brenda Williams
Submitted On August 19, 2008
Social media, according to Wikipedia, "is the use of electronic
and Internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information
and experiences with other human beings." In laypersons terms, social
media is about socializing; it's about finding various ways to connect
with other people for the purpose of sharing information; and in the
past decade or so, social media marketing has grown exponentially,
continually changing and evolving even as we speak. This is why it is so
incredibly important to keep up with the latest techniques and
happenings.
You're Probably Using Social Media Without Knowing it
For those of you who think that you haven't heard of social media before or are not entirely sure what it looks like, chances are that you have seen it and are probably using it without even knowing it! When it comes to social media, there are a plethora of programs and sites available at just the click of a button. The following is simply a smattering of some of the more popular social media sites:
Facebook
MySpace
Flickr
Digg
StumbleUpon
Today, an increasing number of people have begun to realize the value of social media as it pertains to business and marketing. Over the years, the Internet has taken on a more prominent role in the lives of millions of people and businesses around the world. Other media and marketing strategies, which take shape in the form of television ads, print ads and radio, have had a hard time keeping up with the faster and more cost-effective appeal of the Internet. If you think about how many families have a computer in their home as well as how many people spend time on the Internet, you'll find that boosting marketing in this area makes more sense.
Taking Things One Step at a Time
If you're just beginning to get your feet wet with social media, all of the information out there can seem really overwhelming. Don't worry about it though. Just take things one step at a time. For starters, remember what the three W's of the world wide web are:
1.Who are you trying to target?
2.What is it you are trying to draw readers' attention to? Is it a product or service?
3.Where are the best places or social media areas to focus on building relationships? What is your niche?
The Changing Face of Social Media
As mentioned earlier, social media is constantly changing and evolving. There was a time when MySpace and Facebook were used almost exclusively by a somewhat younger audience for the mere purpose of reuniting with old friends and building unique profiles to show off. Today, businesses have discovered the value of platforms like this for promoting their products and/or services. And while social media is still about connecting with other people, it is more about making the connection with others in order to share (or promote) your own ideas.
Just like any good thing, there are those who spoil the fun for the rest of us. If you're not careful while using social media, you can quickly create a bad name for yourself. It is important, for this reason, to remember that social media is user-generated. If you publish a blog post about how you like green eggs, someone else can leave you a comment or post something back that totally refutes your claim. Additionally, you will come across those people who want the advantages that social media has to offer but don't want to do the work required. For example, instead of writing quality content or leaving a good comment on someone's site, traditional linking now involves some people blatantly asking for links and/or paying for links to their sites.
Spamming often occurs when people leave comments on other blog sites and include a link back to their site within the body of the comment. They may also choose a cryptic name such as "lovestodrive" versus their real name "John Doe". In the end, social media can be an extremely valuable tool if you take the time to actually use it.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brenda_Williams/177954
You're Probably Using Social Media Without Knowing it
For those of you who think that you haven't heard of social media before or are not entirely sure what it looks like, chances are that you have seen it and are probably using it without even knowing it! When it comes to social media, there are a plethora of programs and sites available at just the click of a button. The following is simply a smattering of some of the more popular social media sites:
MySpace
Flickr
Digg
StumbleUpon
Today, an increasing number of people have begun to realize the value of social media as it pertains to business and marketing. Over the years, the Internet has taken on a more prominent role in the lives of millions of people and businesses around the world. Other media and marketing strategies, which take shape in the form of television ads, print ads and radio, have had a hard time keeping up with the faster and more cost-effective appeal of the Internet. If you think about how many families have a computer in their home as well as how many people spend time on the Internet, you'll find that boosting marketing in this area makes more sense.
Taking Things One Step at a Time
If you're just beginning to get your feet wet with social media, all of the information out there can seem really overwhelming. Don't worry about it though. Just take things one step at a time. For starters, remember what the three W's of the world wide web are:
1.Who are you trying to target?
2.What is it you are trying to draw readers' attention to? Is it a product or service?
3.Where are the best places or social media areas to focus on building relationships? What is your niche?
The Changing Face of Social Media
As mentioned earlier, social media is constantly changing and evolving. There was a time when MySpace and Facebook were used almost exclusively by a somewhat younger audience for the mere purpose of reuniting with old friends and building unique profiles to show off. Today, businesses have discovered the value of platforms like this for promoting their products and/or services. And while social media is still about connecting with other people, it is more about making the connection with others in order to share (or promote) your own ideas.
Just like any good thing, there are those who spoil the fun for the rest of us. If you're not careful while using social media, you can quickly create a bad name for yourself. It is important, for this reason, to remember that social media is user-generated. If you publish a blog post about how you like green eggs, someone else can leave you a comment or post something back that totally refutes your claim. Additionally, you will come across those people who want the advantages that social media has to offer but don't want to do the work required. For example, instead of writing quality content or leaving a good comment on someone's site, traditional linking now involves some people blatantly asking for links and/or paying for links to their sites.
Spamming often occurs when people leave comments on other blog sites and include a link back to their site within the body of the comment. They may also choose a cryptic name such as "lovestodrive" versus their real name "John Doe". In the end, social media can be an extremely valuable tool if you take the time to actually use it.
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