Social Media Fad or Fact of Life?: Blog

Social Media Fad or Fact of Life?

{By John Smith Vice President and Partner Kellen James}

All throughout 2008 Social Networking and Social Media was the buzz. Each day colleagues, friends and family were requesting to connect with us on various Social sites, Linked In, Plaxo, Twitter, Jigsaw, Facebook, to name a few. Many of these sites have been around for some time, but had not drawn much media attention. That all changed when the users of these sites began to introduce them into the workplace. Suddenly the media was a-buzz with articles regarding the Social Media craze. Some claimed it was simply a fad, some proclaimed it to be the wave of the future and others shouted warnings that it was pure evil and should be avoided at all costs. It was strangely reminiscent of the comments regarding this new thing called the Internet.

As our personal universe begins to grow, it only makes sense that our “Social Networks” expand. The internet is the logical conduit. Networking is a valuable endeavor. However, if you are not careful you can spend all of your time joining Social Networks, updating your profiles, searching for old friends and colleagues and reading/responding to their profiles. Meanwhile your productivity rapidly declines.

So, which networks do you join and how many, that all depends on your individual needs and goals. Some networking sites are strictly aimed at Business Professionals, some are for more personal communications and some are merely extensions of your electronic address book. People network for many different reasons, to gain valuable business contacts, to find new career opportunities, to discuss business topics/trends, to keep in touch with friends and family or to simply congregate with others who share common interests. The Internet allows us to extend our “Networks” to a Global level. There is a common temptation to join every new Network you run across. I would strongly advise you to join one or two to begin with. I belong to a select few Social Networking and Social Media sites. I explore new sites as Social Media continues to evolve. However, I only actively utilize a few as they seem to provide some real value from both a business and personal perspective. As you become more familiar with the benefits/deficits of each site, you may choose to stick with one and abandon another.

Linked In, Facebook and Twitter are sites that I would highly recommend. They allow users to connect with each other on a Global level for both personal and professional issues. These sites allow the user to build a profile and market their background, skills and interests. Additionally, they allow you to create and build Networks, freely exchange information and ideas and create and join Groups which have a specific focus. Groups can be formed to discuss industry specific topics, political or social issues. You don’t have to be connected to each group member in order to participate.

Linked In provides a comprehensive site for Business Professionals to share and discuss a myriad of business ideas and topics. Its main drawback is that it is highly structured. Consequently it can be difficult to meet and “Link” with people you do not personally know, even if you are in the same industry. Since many companies endorse its use, participants may feel uncomfortable utilizing it for purposes that do not directly benefit their current employer.

Facebook complements Linked In nicely as it provides a venue for many of the same participants to discuss business and personal issues. It is much easier to “Friend” someone on Facebook and it is a less structured environment therefore allowing more creativity and freedom of use. The amount (and type) of data you can display is not as limiting. Think of it as building your own mini-website within Face Book.

Twitter is unique in that it allows you to give real time updates on what you are doing as well as sharing interesting and useful information with others. Like Facebook, Twitter makes it fairly easy to “Follow” someone. Since its inception Twitter has evolved from an “Instant Messaging” type tool to a real-time “Fact” sharing tool. It continues to gain users at an astronomical rate each month. As it grows it continues to evolve. It does not appear that users have scratched the surface of its true potential.

If joining, participating in and managing all these Social Networking sites seems overwhelming, don’t let it stress you out. There are a number of tools which have been created to help you manage all of the “Social Media” information that you generate and receive. My favorite so far is “TweetDeck” as it allows me to quickly scan the information that comes into my Twitter and Facebook accounts. It also allows me to update both my Twitter and Facebook accounts simultaneously with the click of a button.

The bottom line is that Social Media Networking is here to stay. In order to network successfully you need to go where your clients, colleagues and competitors are. Most of them are already utilizing Social Networking sites. As Social Media evolves, the lines between Personal and Professional sites are being blurred.If you have not already joined a Social Media site I would strongly advise you to do so. If you have joined I urge you to actively participate and explore their many uses.