The term social media is used to describe the use of today's technology to distribute information and encourage people to connect with others who share a common interest. The use of electronic and internet tools allow users to actively participate in sharing information through comments, discussions, reviews and networking via text, graphics, audio and video. While the world once relied on traditional media such as newspapers, television, books and radio, social media has changed the way in which the world receives and views information.
Photo and Video Sharing sites continue to gain popularity because they are user-friendly. A registered user uploads the digital photos they want to share and share them with who they will.
Web Logs, better known as blogging, are interactive websites where individuals or businesses regularly make posts and allow readers to comment. They are often used to connect people of like interests as well as generating income for the writer.
News sites on everywhere on the web. A person can find all of the top names in news such as CNN, Fox News, and USA Today as well as specific news categories such as top stories, entertainment, sports or fashion.
Social bookmarking sites allow internet users to store their favorite sites and share them with others. Some of the most popular sites include del.icio.us, Digg and Stumble Upon.
Social reviews are used to provide user feedback on everything from products to movies. Many companies pay for reviews and, of course, there are always those freebies floating around. Many experts say that a bad review can literally destroy a company.
Traditional media has long been respected for providing reliable, professional reports on the happenings around the world. These reports usually include the facts of the story from the view of the reporter. Offering no option for feedback this media is very restrictive. In attempts to stay in the game traditional media has began to embrace a more interactive approach into their programming by developing websites that encourage their audience to respond to questions and polls as well as to post comments, photos and videos.