Ask any group of people to define social media and there will be as many answers as there are people in the group. That is not a bad thing. It is different things to different people. There are arguments and agreements, problems and solutions, challenges and responses… that sounds just like real life, doesn’t it? It is actually an artificial reality that mimics real life and the value of the exchange will always depend on the participants. This week several approaches were addressed from the personal, professional, and a little crystal balling about where all this will lead. Any discussions of this type have a shelf life of about a month or so before the next greatest social media platform of all times is invented… again. If there are any lessons to be learned from studying social media is that being social in communications is a dynamic and constantly changing environment. This needs to be addressed from time to time, even with the short life span, because we always need to value where we have been, know where we are now, and plan for the future.
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Feb 18 - Social Medium at Large – Again we are having a week that has been designated as Social Media Week. The first one was held in New York City in February 2009 and in September 2010 it was expanded to a twice-yearly event and expanded to more cities. The sponsor, SocialMediaWeek.org, has announced that the February 2013 event will include over 100,000 members in 26 cities around the globe. – more –
Feb 19 - Individual Use of Social Media – The unique ability of social media to provide a channel for two-way communication makes it different from all other media. That one factor has done more to change our world than any other medium in history. We have evolved from consumers of information into a participative culture that gives everyone equal footing as transmitter of data as well as a receiver. Taking advantage of this gift of equality requires understanding what it is and how it works. – more –
 Feb 20 - Company Based Social Media Programs - Many legally conservative or highly regulated companies are not only reluctant to enter into the realm of social media they are also extremely suspicious of employee use as well. Without seeing the advantages of participating in a global knowledge network, management sees it as a time waster that is to be blocked or severely restricted. This creates a conflict between those who join the company already involved individually with social media and see it as important as telephones, ballpoint pens and copy machines. – more –
Feb 21 – Social Media in Recruiting and Job Search - One of the first uses of social media ties between a company and an individual is sales and marketing communications. Many miss this legitimate point: there is nothing different about the message if it is just warmed over crap on a different medium. The use of social media for recruiting is the probably the most significant use in that it contributes to both the lifeblood of a company and the livelihood of prospective employees. There is probably no other interaction that offers more rewards to the winners and dire consequences to the losers. – more –
Feb 22 - What Is Next in Social Media? - The only thing that limits the expansion of social media is the human brain and expanding technology to meet the needs of communication and curiosity. Today’s social media usage has gone far beyond science fiction of a few years ago, so perhaps there is a clue into how future needs will be met in the fiction writer’s brain… or the technology geek. There are also dark clouds on the horizon if we allow technology to become an addiction that lulls us into a malaise of letting machines do the work for us. – more –
