PR Tips: Social Media Defined

Social Media a.k.a. Cyber Affairs

It isn't defined by Webster yet, but other sources define it as:

• A form of Internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media;
• Writing content that is remarkable, unique, and newsworthy. This content can then be marketed by popularizing it; and
• Utilizing social networking and user-generated content platforms promote a product, service or content.

An easy way to picture it is how people use online communication to:

• Discover;
• Learn;
• Read;
• Share;
• Inform; and
• Connect.

It is a communication tool.

In the last 10 years, it has become a way for Homo sapiens — Latin for "wise human" or "knowing human" to share information across a distance. We certainly have come a long way from using smoke signals, drum beats and homing pigeons! Social media fuses the human desire to connect to each other using the technology of the world-wide web to:

• Transform a monologue (from one person to many people);
• Pushes the monologues out through dialog (many people take it to many other people); and
• Through information sharing, turns people from content users into publishers.

Social media applications allow people all over the world to connect online for personal or business uses. Depending on the application, how it is used, how often it is used and the person or people using it, social media use can create both loose and tight relationships. It may incorporate one or many forms of communication such as the written word, spoken word, music, live video, recorded video, slideshows, photos and more.

So how expansive or narrow is your communication around the world, in your community, with co-workers, to clients, within professional organizations, to neighbors, friends and even your family?

Want to grow it or control it? Contact me today by snail mail, email, phone or if you see me surfing, leave me a note in the sand.