From Social Media to Social Networking

Last week I asked if you knew what Social Media was.  In these small rural communities I have been met with much skepticism over this subject.  However, in this mobile society people will continue to use the computer and internet as a place to not only gather information, but to connect with other people.  According to recent data 1 out of 8 couples married last year met online, 24 out of 25 of the largest newspapers are struggling, 78% of people trust peer recommendations while only 14% believe advertisements and wonder of wonders social media has overtaken pornography on the internet.  The various social medias have grown by 8% in the last year with each one reaching different target markets.  But the point is that these tools/networks are reaching these various target markets.

Who is embracing Social Media/Networking?  Corporations, the military, non-profits, schools, businesses as well as politicians.  Whether we agree or not with his politics our current President used and harnessed the power of the Social Networks to reach his “Fan/Support” Base quickly and often through Facebook & Twitter.  According to Wikipedia Facebook has over 300 million users worldwide and according to another site it is the 4^th most trafficked site per day in the world.

According to Sean Parker one of the developers of Facebook, there are two types of services on the Internet today.  Informational services such as Google, Yahoo, MSN Bing, and YouTube.  Their main purpose is to gather and disperse information and data.  The other type is Network Services such as Facebook, Twitter, Ebay and Paypal, whose core values are to facilitate relationships between people and groups.  Both of these venues are important in this day and age.  There are numerous reasons why you should look at using and or becoming involved with Social Media/Networking. The fact is that people are spending time on these sites and that is where we can reach them and it isn’t just young people, it is people of all ages.  Another reason is that in this day and age of mobile society connecting with people in this way gives people a sense of community.  People are connecting with colleagues, relatives, classmates, and local friends as well as reconnecting with long lost friends that in most cases you would never have known where they were, much less communicate with them.  These connections are with people you know and hopefully trust and when they talk about things you are more likely to listen.  So when they recommend a particular product or site the odds of you responding goes up exponentially which is why Social Media/Networking works.  This is the reason why all the various entities are embracing these tools.  Landing high on a search on Google is critical to a website but being recommended by friends and having them recommend your site, services or information is even more critical because people trust their friends more than anyone else.  Some entities are creating closed networks for employees to increase collaboration.  They know that somewhere within the organization someone has the answer to the problem if everyone will just talk to each other.

So are you embracing Social Media/Networking?  Are you dismissing it as a fad?  Just remember the cycle of new technology and information is increasing exponentially every year, we either adapt or get left behind.  Next I will touch on Blogging, Podcasts, and YouTube.  I’m not an expert on these tools, but I realize that if we want to reach different audiences we have to be willing to learn different ways of doing it.

Become a fan of the Furnas/Harlan Partnership on Facebook or check out the blog on the home page of their website. For more information contact Rosie Stockton Furnas/Harlan Partnership, 308-962-7894, email: director@furnas-harlan-partnership.org. www.furnas-harlan-partnership.org

Social Media

I recently asked the question, “do you know what social media is?” The response was “teenagers”. If that is your answer, you would be wrong. Generation Y are the children of the Baby boomers also called Echo Boomers. This is the generation born in the late 70s and 80s through 2000. According to some, this group will outnumber the “Baby Boomers” starting next year. One significant finding is that 96% of this generation uses some form of Social Media. This generation grew up with technology around them and they are comfortable with it.

So we need to use these tools in the Social Media bag, to reach not only this generation but the others that are joining in this activity. Less than a year ago the average age on Facebook was 26 it is currently 33. This shift was caused because as more and more parents, in particularly Moms joined Facebook to communicate with their children as they left for college, they realized that a large number of their own friends and family were participating in this form of social networking and jumped in.

Communities and organizations are using this medium to connect with interested people quickly and often about what is happening within a community or organization. It is a form of news and entertainment. The news and information comes in short bursts as little or as often as wanted, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, flicker, or even You Tube. There are organizations with employees that work full time updating their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to keep people aware of what is happening and to draw customers to their website, where these people can find out more about the organization, an event, read more news, or increase the number of viewers that are exposed to advertisers that pay to be on particular websites.
Another way to reach people is with a blog. What is a blog you say? A blog is a website that can be anything from a personal diary, to a pulpit, to a political soapbox, to a breaking news outlet. What you write on a blog can be about anything you want it to be. There are millions of them. People can read what is new and comment. Blogging has shaken up and reshaped the world of politics, as well as journalism, by giving people a voice and the ability to connect with others.

The title of a recent books says it all, “The Facebook Era, Tapping Online Social Networks to Build Better Products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell more Stuff.” If we are not able to reach a particular demographic by using a particular means, then a shift has to be made to reach them where they are, rather than trying to force them to come to us. These social mediums are free to use other than the labor and it is a great way to get feedback. You can create interaction with your consumer without being in their face or using hard sell tactics.

Become a fan of the Furnas/Harlan Partnership on Facebook or check out the blog on the home page of their website. For more information contact Rosie Stockton Furnas/Harlan Partnership, 308-962-7894, email: director@furnas-harlan-partnership.org. www.furnas-harlan-partnership.org