There is no shortage of definitions of social media floating throughout the web. Here are just a few…
Wikipedia defines social media as:
Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.
Duct Tape Marketing defines social media as:
Social media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value.
Brian Solis defines social media as:
Social Media is, at its most basic sense, a shift in how people discover, read, and share news and information and content. It’s a fusion of sociology and technology, tranforming monologue (one to many) into dialog (many to many.)
Image Credit: Dion Hinchcliffe
Documenting power users and influencers in social media has been a lot of fun so far, and I am glad to be writing part 3 in this series.
What I am not trying to do is “rank” these people in numbered lists, as that is the antithesis of what I hope you will learn from these posts. Instead, these are people who are using social communications tools in exciting and positive ways - people who you should follow and study to learn how they share ideas and what makes them ultra-successful communicators.
Also, instead of compiling one comprehensive, tremendous list with just a line or two about each person, I am presenting just a few at a time and in greater detail to help introduce them to you in a more useful format.
If you’re new here, please start by reading the first two parts as they provide the full context for this series:
Social Media Power Users And Influencers: Part 1
Social Media Power Users And Influencers: Part 2
Now that you’re caught up, let’s get into part 3: Continue reading...
image credit: today is a good day
Gathering the crowd is only the beginning
Building an audience and creating a following are just the first steps before truly amazing things happen with your ideas and communications on the web. Once you’ve gathered a crowd and built your network, that’s when the real fun starts. That’s when you get the chance to let your creativity shine.
Without creativity and without inspiring people to action, what good is having access to a niche group that has said “yes, I want to hear from you.” Global, multi-directional communication is exciting and empowering, I agree. But, the tools aren’t novel to many of us anymore - the tools themselves have moved into the background (and actually, that’s when they become most interesting). Continue reading...
image credit: confusedvision
The slow shrinking of mainstream, one-size-fits-all; the massive growth of customization and personalization
Millions of people no longer watch TV, and many that do skip the ads with Tivo. Print newspapers and magazines are dying a slow and painful death (although a few smart ones have evolved and are thriving). Even web users use ad-block plus to skip the ads in Firefox.
How does your organization get its messaging out? Yesterday it was done through carefully crafting messages pushed out onto channels others had built - the ones I mentioned above. The ones that are becoming less effective and losing influence daily.
The old way was paying to use someone else’s monolithic channel. The world is obviously moving against this, it is one of the simultaneously most clear yet most ignored trends in communications. People scoff at the notion that the TV to consumer model isn’t forever broken. It is, and the world is not changing back. People who wake up from their mass media slumber don’t fall back asleep. Continue reading...
image credit: matthew fang
What most online marketing lacks…
In the frenzy of marketers drowning the web in their ultra-proofed and overly refined messages, there is something that is severely lacking: passion. And, passion is the largest driver motivating people to produce, share and remix content online.
What motivates someone to share her recipes with the world every day? What motivates a tech blogger to write about the latest gadget? What motivates a web guru to talk about the latest startup or e-commerce site? Simple - it is pure and raw passion for the subject matter.
If your marketing, your product, your blog or your brand lack passion, you will never break through the noise online. It doesn’t matter how slick your communications are, the people using the web with greatest frequency are extremely smart and will see through the fluff, or ignore it altogether. Continue reading...
