What is Social Media?

Social media is the combination of people participating in a media related process. Make sense? Probably not. So let me break it down.

People have largely been immune to being spoon fed information. We turn on the radio and the news is being fed to us. Though we have a choice in what station we listen to, we are still be handed information. This is also true when we turn on the television. Yes, we have channels to choose from, however, we are still being fed a the end of the day by large conglomerates with an agenda.

Over the last few years social networking sites have popped up everywhere. You have probably heard of MY SPACE or YOU TUBE or FACEBOOK by now? These are good examples of social media platforms. These portals give the average citizen a place to carve out an opinion, steer a rating and toss a vote.

What does this mean? This means that we (you, me and the guy on the corner) have a voice. We are writing the reviews. We, yes, you and I, are leading word-of-mouth marketing campaigns, sometimes without even knowing it. Ever tell someone they must go and see the latest movie you just saw or visit the latest and greatest watering hole? Yup, this is what I am talking about!

It use to be that we turned to "experts" to find out what to buy, where to eat, what movies to see, where to travel and you get the idea. Now, we rely on our community. The communities that we in essence design. With tools like MY SPACE, we are able to communicate en mass, speak up, speak out and even communicate with people without even knowing them, often, meaningfully.

I get the question all the time "Isn't MY SPACE for the teenagers?" This makes me chuckle. The answer is, why, it is for everyone! The beauty of these platforms is we can utilize them exactly how we choose. We can use them for business, networking, dating, making friends, politics, fundraising, educating, the list goes on. The possibilities are really endless.

I have run some of my most successful marketing campaigns via MY SPACE and FACEBOOK. The early adopters understand the power of citizen marketing. People who are savvy enough to plug in to these alternatives are the ones gaining the most from what they have to offer. Did you happen to notice who the 'Person of the Year' on Time Magazine was in 2006? YOU!

We can research information at the speed of light. No longer do we need to digg throug card catalogs and search for ISBN's to find our answers. This is archaic. We can look for what we want and we can apply our findings, our knowledge and our expertise in so many ways! It is very exciting and gives the expert and the novice all a place to play co-exist equally. How cool is that?

Wiki Definition of Social Media:

If you really want to delve deep check out some of these reading options:

Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message
Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
ASK DAVE TAYLOR: This is an endless site for information that goes well beyond the Social Media frame.

Don't be afraid to surf around on some of these websites. Look at what people have created. Spend some time envisioning how you can create a campaign that can transcend any other campaign you have ever done using only social media. The possibilities will keep you awake all night with excitement. Oh, wait. That is why you HIRE ME! This is what I do for my clients! I would love nothing more than to take your campaign onto the social media road to show you and your target audience the endless possibilities!