When the term social media is mentioned, many now instantly think this just means "Facebook and Twitter" with little regard for the other major players in the field. This could mean huge missed opportunities for small businesses, who might not realize the big opportunities in places like Yelp, Foursquare and more.

WebProNews published a recent article about Facebook and Twitter Tunnel Vision and I couldn't agree more.

So I starting thinking through the main reasons this is happening and it's definitely driven a great deal by the fact that Facebook, and Twitter to a certain degree (but not as stongly as Facebook), are able to apply to so many broad 'categories' of brands, businesses, and entertainment entities. However, for example, a major CPG brand (i.e. Tide laundry detergent) that is only available on store shelves can't benefit as quickly/obviously using location-based social media like Foursquare. Yes, it can be done with the right promotion/clever thinking, but it isn't as easily developed and executed as say, a Facebook fan page. But, a small business with a brick and mortar store location might benefit greatly by leveraging Foursquare to offer specials and generate buzz.

The social media sphere is staggering and growing everyday - so it seems that for the time being many grasp to the leaders in the category because of the wide applications they have for all brands, small businesses and more. But clearly, the proportional attention Facebook and Twitter receive can often drown out some of the other great social media communities that are also extremely important and useful.

The lesson? Don't equate social media with just Facebook and Twitter - you may as well call yourself a 'social media expert' which always gets a laugh at any social media conference I have been to - there is just too much going on to call yourself a 'social media expert' - wait 20 minutes, and something will change (platform technology, promotions guidelines, etc). (Hint: try specialist or strategist) I am sure I just opened a can of worms with that, but that's a completely different post...coming soon.