Chapter 1
Safko, The Social Media Bible
Lon Safko says it takes more than a whole book to provide a definition of social media – a fair assertion, given the wide range and constantly changing nature of the technology. Still, the author provides some general descriptions and parameters. “Social media is the media we use to be social. That’s it. Social refers to the human need to connect with other humans, and media refers to the means we use."
As a professional communicator, I approach the idea of using social media with two questions for starters:
1. Should I use it, and
2. how?
Safko answers the first of these questions in no uncertain terms by suggesting removing the words social media and asking the question again. In the networked information age, communication – any kind of effective communication, anyway – MUST involve social media. Has there ever been an example of a new technology changing the way people interact with each other, so quickly and so profoundly?
Quantifying the effect of social media on society at large may be too large a task for one study or article. But social media and online marketing blogger Jeff Bullas (jeffbullas.com) says social media, especially Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, have certainly changed how CEOs and mangers do business and make decisions. Bullas says: "The convergence of the Internet, Web 2.0, and mobile technologies has created a disruptive shift in business. The era of Business-to-Person (B2P) communications driven by all things social (social media, social networks, and social influence) has emerged as a new model for engagement."
Not only do companies need to engage in this fashion, they will find that the balance of power has shifted from the sellers to the customers, because of everyone's ability to find and share information instantaneously with many others: We now work in an environment where companies have diminished control over the reputation of their brands, products, and services as the wisdom of crowds increasingly dictate the rules of reputation management and selling. Through the use of social media, customers and prospects now have an almost instantaneous platform for discussion of their ideas, experiences, and knowledge. Increasingly, the use of social media is playing an important role in the professional lives of decision-makers as they utilize the tools and mediums before them to engage their decision-making processes.
Read the article here.
The second question (how) will take more time, knowledge and experience to answer, and the answer will undoubtedly change as time passes. Safkos’s list of 15 social media categories makes this prospect more daunting, but on the other hand it’s already clear that each communications need might only require one of these tools. Not every campaign will use a full arsenal. In my field (Extension), some of them may never come into play. Then again, all or almost all of them might at one time or another.
1. Should I use it, and
2. how?
Safko answers the first of these questions in no uncertain terms by suggesting removing the words social media and asking the question again. In the networked information age, communication – any kind of effective communication, anyway – MUST involve social media. Has there ever been an example of a new technology changing the way people interact with each other, so quickly and so profoundly?
Quantifying the effect of social media on society at large may be too large a task for one study or article. But social media and online marketing blogger Jeff Bullas (jeffbullas.com) says social media, especially Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, have certainly changed how CEOs and mangers do business and make decisions. Bullas says: "The convergence of the Internet, Web 2.0, and mobile technologies has created a disruptive shift in business. The era of Business-to-Person (B2P) communications driven by all things social (social media, social networks, and social influence) has emerged as a new model for engagement."
Not only do companies need to engage in this fashion, they will find that the balance of power has shifted from the sellers to the customers, because of everyone's ability to find and share information instantaneously with many others: We now work in an environment where companies have diminished control over the reputation of their brands, products, and services as the wisdom of crowds increasingly dictate the rules of reputation management and selling. Through the use of social media, customers and prospects now have an almost instantaneous platform for discussion of their ideas, experiences, and knowledge. Increasingly, the use of social media is playing an important role in the professional lives of decision-makers as they utilize the tools and mediums before them to engage their decision-making processes.
Read the article here.
The second question (how) will take more time, knowledge and experience to answer, and the answer will undoubtedly change as time passes. Safkos’s list of 15 social media categories makes this prospect more daunting, but on the other hand it’s already clear that each communications need might only require one of these tools. Not every campaign will use a full arsenal. In my field (Extension), some of them may never come into play. Then again, all or almost all of them might at one time or another.
The ROI and Expert Insight features were helpful. As the book progresses, I can see these contributing to my understanding of the possibilities of social media much more quickly than my own limited experiences and imagination.
Good observations. I also found the 15 categories pretty daunting. Some, I still don't quite agree with, like "online gaming," and I still don't understand how and why to use virtual worlds. I think you will like the rest of the book.
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