You're sitting in front of your laptop. What does social media have to do with relationships?
At a glance, we're talking a series of interactive menus that can be manipulated by multiple people. That doesn't sound that fascinating. Then you ask a Facebook follower how many times she logs in a day just to check and see if she has any new notifications, and you'll see that social media is much more than what's on the screen at any one given time.
Social media, at it's core, is a new way for people to form relationships with other people through authentic, web based interactions. The use of social media has been on a steady climb for years, starting as early as the mid-90's (think bulletin boards) with early, fanatical adopters and slowly spreading through the collective conscious.
Check out this recent, cool example of social media in action>>>
___________________________________________________________________
Fish Out Of Water Finds More Fish
So we have the technology, but why the fanatic interest?
Let's face it, life is faster paced, busier than it was 50 years ago. When you're forever on the go, you don't often get the chance to form those deep social communities that our grandparents had. And when we actually have down time we do different things - like log onto the computer to check the game score, headlines, weather forecast for the weekend. Yet despite the increased demand on our time, human nature is still the same - we need to interact with other people. We're social creatures. It only makes sense to fill that need for relationships on the web.
Fact is, you often have a greater chance of meeting people with similar interests online than you do in your own community, and those people are more accessible through Facebook or Twitter (or even your favorite online game {aka MMORPG}) with a few mouseclicks than anywhere else. The people that you "meet" while Farking (I did NOT make that name up!) become part of your social circle.
When's the last time you could reach out to your closest circle and get instant feedback on a question? When they're online, it's possible>>>
___________________________________________________________________
I Don't Know and Google Can't Tell Me
____________________________________________________________________
Relationships Take Committment - and Rules.
Social media zealots get that connection. They may not always share their first and last name, but they have certainly shared a piece of themselves and expect the same in return. Many of these true social media believers have blogs or online businesses that benefit from the web of contacts in their owners' social circles. The rub is that when you have a condensed group of people interacting in one space on the web, you also have a ton of people not as committed to the relationship looking for free buzz.
And there is no bigger turn-off in a circle that values relationships than inauthentic users. If you want social media to further your (insert here: brand, blog, product, agenda), tread carefully. You can't say hello then ask for a Digg. Just like in any new friendship, you won't get far if you take before giving. Pay it forward. Becoming a part of the fabric of the social web takes some time, some committment, and authentic interests in the people involved. And if you can commit to that, you'll reap the benefit of a tight community not just in the ad revenue and blog support but in the people you'll get to know along the way and the ideas you'll get exposed to. In case you haven't heard, social media is all about the relationships.
************************************************************************************
Want to Know More?
Related Posts:
I Am Obsessed With Web 2.0 (my first-ever blog post!)
Is the Traditional Resume Dead?
At Our Fingertips: 3 New Ways To Search
Google's Zeitgeist 08' - Trends in Social Media and Business
Series: Giants of Social Media: LinkedIn
Around The Web:
Making the Most of Web Community Building
Is It Possible To Have Intimacy Online? (Socialdesire.com)
At a glance, we're talking a series of interactive menus that can be manipulated by multiple people. That doesn't sound that fascinating. Then you ask a Facebook follower how many times she logs in a day just to check and see if she has any new notifications, and you'll see that social media is much more than what's on the screen at any one given time.
Social media, at it's core, is a new way for people to form relationships with other people through authentic, web based interactions. The use of social media has been on a steady climb for years, starting as early as the mid-90's (think bulletin boards) with early, fanatical adopters and slowly spreading through the collective conscious.
Check out this recent, cool example of social media in action>>>
___________________________________________________________________
Fish Out Of Water Finds More Fish
--A Louisville Cardinals football fan moved to Minnesota several years ago___________________________________________________________________
from Louisville. He got tired of being the only Louisville
Cardinals fan in the room when the big games were on TV. Using his
online social network, he reached out to a few people in Facebook that were also
Louisville natives who had moved to the area. Now we're setting up a time to
meet at a local sports bar to watch Cardinals football games this
season!
So we have the technology, but why the fanatic interest?
Let's face it, life is faster paced, busier than it was 50 years ago. When you're forever on the go, you don't often get the chance to form those deep social communities that our grandparents had. And when we actually have down time we do different things - like log onto the computer to check the game score, headlines, weather forecast for the weekend. Yet despite the increased demand on our time, human nature is still the same - we need to interact with other people. We're social creatures. It only makes sense to fill that need for relationships on the web.
Fact is, you often have a greater chance of meeting people with similar interests online than you do in your own community, and those people are more accessible through Facebook or Twitter (or even your favorite online game {aka MMORPG}) with a few mouseclicks than anywhere else. The people that you "meet" while Farking (I did NOT make that name up!) become part of your social circle.
When's the last time you could reach out to your closest circle and get instant feedback on a question? When they're online, it's possible>>>
___________________________________________________________________
I Don't Know and Google Can't Tell Me
--Believe it or not, Google can't tell you everything. When in doubt, you can always reach out to your network. I had an online friend ask for advice on resume etiquette as she was getting her application ready to apply for a new job. Several people on Plurk gave advice to that friend and cheered her on as she went for an interview.
____________________________________________________________________
Relationships Take Committment - and Rules.
Social media zealots get that connection. They may not always share their first and last name, but they have certainly shared a piece of themselves and expect the same in return. Many of these true social media believers have blogs or online businesses that benefit from the web of contacts in their owners' social circles. The rub is that when you have a condensed group of people interacting in one space on the web, you also have a ton of people not as committed to the relationship looking for free buzz.
And there is no bigger turn-off in a circle that values relationships than inauthentic users. If you want social media to further your (insert here: brand, blog, product, agenda), tread carefully. You can't say hello then ask for a Digg. Just like in any new friendship, you won't get far if you take before giving. Pay it forward. Becoming a part of the fabric of the social web takes some time, some committment, and authentic interests in the people involved. And if you can commit to that, you'll reap the benefit of a tight community not just in the ad revenue and blog support but in the people you'll get to know along the way and the ideas you'll get exposed to. In case you haven't heard, social media is all about the relationships.
************************************************************************************
Want to Know More?
Related Posts:
I Am Obsessed With Web 2.0 (my first-ever blog post!)
Is the Traditional Resume Dead?
At Our Fingertips: 3 New Ways To Search
Google's Zeitgeist 08' - Trends in Social Media and Business
Series: Giants of Social Media: LinkedIn
Around The Web:
Making the Most of Web Community Building
Is It Possible To Have Intimacy Online? (Socialdesire.com)
