DISCUSSING SOCIAL MEDIA

I think that social media is one part of the realization of the original vision that Tim Berners-Lee had for the World Wide Web when he created it. Social media is worldwide network of human beings sharing information with one another.

It’s people connecting, creating real relationships and opportunities out of those relationships for personal and professional growth.

Reason for using social media?

What we were doing back then, in the 80’s and 90’s, was not unlike what’s going on in social media today. People giving of their own time to create great content. People reaching out and building communities and audiences around their creations.

My first taste of social media was in 2006, If you think about how far we’ve come with social media in the past couple of years, we are definitely on the right track. There are still a lot of kinks to work out but I think that this community is by and far very solution oriented, and we’re working through the bugs and continuously moving forward.

As far as whether it’s being used to its maximum effect, I think that we are still living in a bubble when it comes to social media. Getting over the insider terminology is a first step to bursting the bubble.

The next step is training and awareness, particularly at the community college level. The web designers and developers and PR and marketing people of tomorrow need to know what’s going on in here. And those of us inside the bubble have a responsibility to make sure they understand it.

What social media tools or applications are being used?

All of them! Seriously, being a power user of Twitter. monitor your Twitter feed often and you meet some of the most amazing people using that tool. I’ve gotten at least 3 new clients through Twitter and my followers have helped me out of a jam on more than one occasion. I also try to make a valuable contribution to the Twitter verse too, and I hope that I’m succeeding in that.

I am a moderate user of Facebook. I am one of the few who actually likes their interface. I like that people can comment on status and other things right in the timeline. Makes it more conversational (and isn’t that what it’s all about?)

I am also on LinkedIn, though I don’t visit frequently enough and certainly don’t use the recommendation tools to their potential.

I use Google Reader and StumbleUpon extensively, and often share interesting blog posts that I come across through those tools.

My newest and most fascinating tool is BrightKite, which is a tool that allows you to poke in your current location then write notes or add photos. What I like about it is, it’s a step towards annotating the Web, which is a step towards the Semantic Web. It’s the next realization of what my hero, Tim Berners-Lee, was thinking when he created this whole WWW thing.

The future of social media?

As mentioned above, I see two things. First, I see the young people of today embracing this social Web and doing things with it that us 30 and 40-somethings would never dream of. I see that every day when I am in the classroom teaching these up and coming new media professionals.

Second, I see on the horizon the realization of the rest of Tim Berners-Lee’s vision of the Semantic Web – a Web that is not just text on a screen, but a Web that is truly informed, that has the potential to impact every aspect of our lives. Imagine being able to bring enough people together and make enough real, human connections to end poverty. I think the Web of the future will be able to help us do that.

Are businesses effectively using social media?

In our idealistic and bubble-sighted view, it would be great to say that businesses are effectively using social media. I think some businesses are being guided in the right direction, yes. But I think that in general, there are a lot of misconceptions about what social media is and how it really works. It’s a fundamental shift for businesses from the way they have traditionally done marketing and PR. It’s no longer about pushing ad copy down people’s throats. It’s about making real life, human-to-human connections. That scares a lot of people, because they think it will be a lot of work to reach out to every single one of their customers.

But that’s the beauty of social media. With one feeler in the right direction, you can touch many people at once. Businesses just need help and guidance to figure out how to overcome their apprehensions and take that step.

Best and worst features/uses of social media?

The best feature is absolutely the ability to connect with so many people. Not only have I met and become friends with and done business with people all over the world, I’ve met an outstanding community of people right here in my own city that I never would have otherwise gotten to know. It’s been life and career altering for me.

The worst feature is a tough one. I think, like any new medium, it causes panic. People start scrambling to the top, to try and make a fast buck, and end up stepping on a lot of toes on the way. As much as social media brings out the best in people, it sometimes brings out the worst in people too. It’s the nature of having such a wide-open place with so few restrictions.

However, what I’ve learned about this community is, the naysayers and jerks don’t last too long – or at the very least they get put in their place.

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