Social Media Website Descriptions
Social media is hot. Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), a social encyclopedia where users generate every bit of the content, defines social media in this way: “Social media describes the online tools and platforms that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other.
Social media can take many different forms, including text, images, audio and video. Popular social mediums include blogs, message boards, podcasts, wikis and vlogs.” Of course, that definition could change any day. It may have already changed. Thus is the nature of user-generated content.
It’s near impossible to read anything about the Internet today without hearing about social media. While NewsCorp.’s purchase of MySpace in 2005 — at what looks today like an incredible discount — signaled the official recognition of social media’s power for many, it was when Google bought YouTube for a staggering $1.65 billion that the public as a whole took notice. Undoubtedly, as the Web-savvy person that you are, social media is nothing new. But some mysteries remain. Everyone is still waiting to see how Google will capitalize on its investment, while many are debating the exact value of social media for advertisers, business owners and website owners. Others are already taking advantage of these Web hotspots by driving traffic to their websites, gaining notoriety, market share and, inevitably, making money.
YouTube and Other Video Sites
In order to reap the potential rewards of increased exposure from YouTube and others such as MetaCafe, Revver and iFilm, you must first record some video. There are a variety of ways to capture what you need. Webcams, digital video cameras, even mobile phones can record adequate video clips. While it’s not necessary to provide a highend video replete with special effects and snappy camera angles that could cost a small fortune, presenting a quality effort will result in far greater rewards.
MySpace and Social Networking
When it comes to social networking, there are literally hundreds of services, but none compare to the phenomenon that is MySpace. With millions of users and billions of monthly page views it is clearly the leader in social networking.
You might have heard that it is only a hangout for teens and that the MySpace generation is a young, anti-establishment group. That fear may be keeping many businesses from joining. While there is certainly a large contingency of MySpace users that fit the commonly-believed mold, that theory is becoming outdated. More businesses are joining the fray every day and the MySpace crowd is not as young as you may think. A 2006 comScore study revealed half of MySpace users are 35
or older.
Increasingly, businesses are stepping up and establishing their own profiles and promoting them within the MySpace community. There are certainly more credibility challenges in MySpace promotion than elsewhere on the Web, but the benefits are evident and abundant.
Digg and Social Bookmarking
Digg.com is one of the most popular ways many professional marketers engage in social media. But the site has also become a lightning rod for criticism. Of late, there has been no more apparent scapegoat for the ills of social media than Digg — thanks to every website owner from San Francisco to San Juan gaming the system for a front page story. A round of bans took effect in late December 2006, preventing several sites from participating in the network and sending a stern warning to potential abusers. While it would be helpful to take a peek behind the Digg algorithm curtain to learn exactly why these sites were banned, if you play by the rules you shouldn’t have many problems. Those participating fully in the network can expect big rewards of increased exposure and big branding opportunities — plain and simple.
Going Social on Your Site
The objective of most Web marketers in the age of social media is to turn website visitors into product and service evangelists. There are hundreds, if not thousands of tools, services and methods to add interactivity to your pages. It’s an effective way to enable those that have taken the time to visit your site to spread the word to others. For example, Yahoo! Action buttons from the Yahoo! Publisher network allow website owners to easily include access to bookmarking service del.icio.us, send updates by email and blog via Yahoo! 360.
To begin harnessing the power of social media and reach beyond elementary solutions such as blogging, discussion forums and user chat, consider taking “going social” a step further. It’s becoming increasingly easier and more cost-effective to mimic or clone popular sites and engage in consumer-generated media. Below are some of the ways website owners are “socializing” their sites or setting up new pages related to their original websites.
Putting it all together
It should be obvious by now that the new media is all about socialization and participation. Getting involved in the discussion — and staying involved — can make a big difference for any business, small or large. The benefits are real and the effort is minimal. MySpace profiles can be created in minutes, signing on to Digg takes less than one minute, and creating videos for the Web has never been easier. Keeping active in these communities does require some time and dedication, but it’s worth it. Reaching out to prospects has suddenly become faster and more efficient through these channels and they should be taken advantage of. Chances are, your competitors are doing the same.
There is no shortage of other social sites that have not been mentioned and would require another entire issue to cover. However, listed below are a few more popular sites worth checking out. So sit down, fix yourself a cocktail and start socializing. www.del.icio.us: This social bookmarking website lets users discover, store and share popular information.
www.Flickr.com: The leading online photo management and sharing application with a robust online community.
www.reddit.com: Up and coming Digg competitor. Read, vote and explore submitted content or share your own.
www.Facebook.com: Akin to MySpace but infinitely more organized. Popular mainly with the college-age demographic.
www.newsvine.com: Increasingly popular site where users write the news, read, discuss and interact with others in the community.
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