Before I give you my take on Social Media, let me attempt to de-mystify it a little.
Social Media is all about communication and all about conversation. That’s basically it.
Social Media is nothing more than an avenue people use to communicate and have conversations with each other.
So really, Social Media has been around a very long time. Before Facebook, before Twitter, even before computers.
The human need to communicate facilitated communication between computers. The first ever computer networks were designed and used for communication—maybe not quite for status updates, but for communication nonetheless.
This communication and conversation has always been the central idea.
From the first networks, to Usenet groups, to online bulletin boards, and eventually, to where we are today, with computers and smart phones, that same idea lives on.
The difference today is that our computers, tablets, and phones have just made the technology more available, faster, and easier to use.
The current face of Social Media may be new, but the underlying principle is not.
Even before computers, the need and want to communicate has always been there.
You could argue that the postal system was one of the original social media platforms—allowing users to communicate and carry on conversations with each other from far-away locations.
That’s what we have now, only faster, more interactive, and more immediate.
When dealing with Social Media, it helps to understand where it came from, and to remember the key ideas: communication, conversation, sharing, and engagement.
I believe that people who treat Social Media as just another marketing channel, and just another way to output the company message, are making a grave error, and ignoring a great potential.
Make no mistake—Social Media marketing works, but it’s critical to understand how it works, and why it works. Remembering where it came from and why it’s here, makes that understanding easier.
If you’d like to get started with Social Media, or want to discuss your use of it, please contact me here.
