The Tenets of Social Media
Whenever I work with a company on social media inevitably someone asks ”So, what makes all this work? Is it blogging? Wikis? podcasting?” My answer to this question is almost always…it’s all those things, but what really drives social media is people like you and me. As I have said before most “technology revolutions” aren’t about technology at all, but rather these revolutions are the result of changes in human behavior or changes in technology that allow natural human tendencies to flourish. Social media is flourishing because of the natural human desire for “connection” and “participation”. Here are the 4 human activities that are driving social media.
Two way conversations
In the past the conversations that companies had with their customers were one way broadcasts, with the company completely in control of what was said. Today, smart companies realize that social media is allowing people to easily connect, get smarter collectively and create their own conversations, effectively making those who were traditionally the receivers active participants and creators.
Participating in the conversation
Today crucial conversations will happen with or without you. Sure you could ignore them –but you can’t influence conversations you’re not a part of. Blogging, Wikis and social networks make it possible for all interested parties to make contributions and give feedback, so being involved in conversations that are important to your business is absolutely critical. The line between audience and media has been blurred. Sites like Wikipedia, YouTube and Imeem have turned everyday people into media providers.
Being part of a community
Whether it’s technology, photography, the love of music, or your company, social media allows communities to form around common interests. These communities can create their own content, rules and conversations.
It’s about being connected
Social network like Twitter, Pownce and Facebook thrive on their connectedness, via links, text, SMS, IM and e-mail. These systems connect people to people, people to machines and machines to machines. As a result, markets the user are smarter, more informed, more organized than ever before
Blogs, podcasts, wikis, forums and social networks are fulfilling the promises of the cluetrain manifesto by allowing people to be do what they would do naturally.
On August 5, 2007 @ 2:42 pm Sharron Rush said
Great observations Kelsey, and while I don’t disagree, I think that what comes next has to be a way to manage all of these connections. I haven’t jumped into the blogspace despite the fact that I know, both professionally and personally, it would be extremely rewarding. I had to quit Twittering and still struggle with all of the IMs, lists, blogs that I love, and other demands of social networking. As a customer, I can’t imagine that I would ever want all of my business connections to start hammering me with their “two-way conversations”
As for “allowing people to do what they would naturally,” there is an undeniable degree of artifice, or at least difference, in online relationships. Identity is more fluid. Look at the recently revealed online behavior of John Mackey, Whole Foods’ CEO. He may have been acting naturally, but the SEC thinks his comments may have pushed the bounds of legality by trying to influence stock prices through a falsely assumed persona….besides looking extremely foolish when his identity was revealed after several YEARS.
I’d be very interested in your thoughts about keeping track of who we are online and managing all these communications.
On August 6, 2007 @ 7:31 am Kelsey Ruger said
Thanks, Sharron. Choosing your conversations wisely is obviously a key part of adopting a social media campaign. You can’t be a part of or track every online conversation. I think it’s important to carefully consider which networks and places you need to be in or work with someone who can help you manage it, and give you some tools for managing all the information you will be getting. The point is to be there.
On the John Mackey issue, clearly what he did wasn’t honest, transparent or authentic. He may have written those posts and comments in a human voice but he clearly wasn’t following some basic rules of communication. People don’t react well to be deceived no matter what medium it is.
On August 6, 2007 @ 9:15 am Michael Rubin, Arment Dietrich said
Great post, Kelsey. I completely agree with your premise and actually repeat something similar so often, it’s practically a mantra. Social media is not about technology. It’s about the authentic connections that people create that technology can enable and make simpler to form.
eMarketer published research recently that supports this notion (”it’s the people, stupid”). Their data showed:
* 93% of respondents took an action after receiving a recommendation via word of mouth.
* 43.7% of US adults relied on word of mouth from family and friends and 23.2% from co-workers. In contrast, blogs were the key influencer for 13.4% of adults and social networking sites for 17.1%.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005225&src=article2_newsltr
Cheers,
Michael
—-
Michael E. Rubin
Manager of Emerging Media
Arment Dietrich, Inc.
Call me — 312-787-7249 x212
Tell a friend — fight destructive spin! http:///www.spinsucks.com
See what I’m up to — http://twitter.com/merubin
See a picture of an orangutan — http://tinyurl.com/yosceb