You may have been using social media for years and just haven’t known it. The term social media is a new buzzword to explain the technologies of the past few years that allow users to interact with their webpages. Buzzwords you’ve probably heard are Web 2.0, social networking, microblogging, social bookmarking, photo sharing, and collaborative works.

So what is social media? You can read a definition on Wikipedia, but then you’d already be using a social media website. That’s right, Wikipedia is a social media site. Any website that involves an exchange of information among users is a social media website. Websites such as Flickr, DeviantArt, Facebook, and MySpace has been around for years before the term social media was coined. And instant messengers such as AIM, Yahoo! And MSN have been around even longer. Even this blog is an example of social media.

Until recently social media existed in the personal realm. That is, they were sites you visited and interacted with in your personal time, not at work. Somewhere along the way someone broke the barrier to mesh the personal and professional realms for social media. It was a success. Users liked showing off their interests and getting updates send straight to them. Quickly a marketing and public relations opportunity was born and grew up fast. It is only in its adolescent stage, plenty of paths to take from here and a long life ahead of it.

In the coming weeks I’m going to delve into social media explaining various technologies and how they can help you in your business. The important thing to remember about social media is to have goals and objectives for the social media interactions. Don’t spread yourself thin by signing up for every social media site you hear about. Using a social media site should be a tactic to fulfill a marketing plan, chosen for a specific reason, not because it’s popular. Start by picking one or two sites to build a following of people who are interested in what you have to say. Remember to update often to keep people interested and give people content they want – not a play by play of the mundane details in your day. You can always add another social media site in the future.

Lastly, remember that once something is on the internet, it’s nearly impossible to ever fully eradicate what you post. People copy and paste information and send it to someone else. So keep that in the back of your mind when you post an update or photos. Decide on a tone and a personality of what you want to post prior to opening an account to ensure your company voice stays true.

If there is any technology you want to hear more about, leave a comment and I’ll post an entry about it. NuVisions can assist you with creating a presence on any site presented on this blog, just send me an email, kat@nuvisionscg.com.

Share This

Tweet This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Reddit Stumble This Post