He raises a set of interesting questions on the bottom of that post: “What would happen if every single high school student had to have a blog? Or every employee in your company? Or every one of your customers?” I don’t know, but I will think about it. What do you guys reckon?

This wee little piece is about some common misconceptions about the various Social Media and will explain the different varieties – networks, blogs, microblogging, …

If you are unclear about what mobile marketing means, have a read here.

Look no further if you need to find out what OpenID is.

Not sure what SEO and SEM means, and what the difference between the two is? This article will shed some light on the issue.

Want to maximise your digital advertising impact? Read here for some tips how to achieve that goal.

This post is about the challenges marketers face when trying to utilize the power of Social Networks. Essential reading for communicators!

And finally: some thoughts on shared and private media experiences. I don’t think that our media experiences will be private only, but that we are still sharing them. However, they will be (and increasingly already are) on our own terms and schedules. The magic of word-of-mouth will still drive people with common interests to contents and media that connect them.

As usual, you can also find all these articles in my del.icio.us bookmarks.

The first of a series of ten workshops, which are being held at the Museumsquartier every month, will be on 9 October 2007. The topic of this first event will be blogs.

The great thing about digitalks, and the underlying motivation, is that the workshops are free. All you need to do is register, but attendance is free. Meral wants to bring the sphere of Social Media to a mainstream audience that  has not yet been in using Social Media. Planned topics for the public workshops are blogs, wikis, podcasts, photo/audio/video sharing, social networks, semantic search, VOIP, virtual worlds. Two experts are invited to host each event; they will be presenting the subjects in regards to their practical use and topicality and facilitate a Q&A session.

So, if you’re in Vienna (or surroundings), subscribe to the digitalks blog and go to the sessions that interest you. If you have friends or colleagues you want to initiate (or if you want to discover new aspects of Social Media you haven’t quite gotten acquainted with yet), these sessions will do the trick.

In the short term, nothing much may change if you don’t participate in Social Media. A popular counterargument is that engaging in Social Media is a time-consuming business. So, you may

Save time (in the short run).

But in the medium to long term you will miss out on a range of opportunities that go hand in hand with this way of connecting. These are the most common negative impacts named by organizations that tried to ignore Social Media:

Lost opportunities
By ignoring Social Media you can miss out on opportunities arising in the ever-growing online communities. Furthermore your competitors get the chance to overtake you by tapping into a growing group of people that you are not paying attention to.

Lost revenue streams
The same reasoning as above: if you fail to tap into an audience of prospective customers, you will not get their business.

Lose touch with stakeholders
It is already hard enough to stay in touch with everyone. You might have an email newsletter, but these do not usually facilitate dialogue. Social Media networks help create an exchange between you and your stakeholders, and also amongst your stakeholders; Not only will you be able to communicate your messages; you will also learn what people think about you! If you’re not there, it’s easy to lose touch with them.

Lost credibility
As the use of Social Media and open communication spreads, those who do not employ them become suspicious. If you don’t communicate openly in Social Media , is it because you have something to hide?

All these issues don’t only sound bad, they are bad, and they are real. For some spine-chilling examples, stay tuned…

The answer to this question is unfortunately not that easy. It depends on a range of factors, as well as their combination and the correlations between them. Different Social Media platforms and applications have different uses. Here is a range of objectives that need to be examined in order to develop the right Social Media strategy. So actually, a more appropriate question is

Which factors determine which Social Media you should use?

Your agenda – what do you want to communicate?
You have to look at the content and topics that you want to communicate: Is it about yourself, your company’s values, your products and services, your vision, your day-to-day operation, a means to improve teambuilding…
Your “audience” – who do you want to communicate with?
Who are the people that you want to interact with? Are they using Social Media already? If not, are they likely to adapt them? Are they your friends or associates, your customers or clients, your investors, your employees, representatives of industry, opinion leaders…
Your goals – what do you want to achieve with your communication?
Your use of Social Media in your communication mix depends on your overall goals as well as on your aims in regards to Social Media themselves. Do you want them to complement or partly replace traditional ways of marketing, advertising and Public Relations? Do you want to boost your credibility? Do you want to improve customer relation management? Do you want to use Social Media for branding? Do you want to improve dialogue with your peers?…
Your time frame – how fast do you want to reach how many people?
Basically, you need to determine how much time you allocate to reach a certain audience. Further questions you’ll want to ask here are: Which impact do you want to have? Which content – text, audio, video, photo – do you want to use for your communication?
Your Corporate Culture – how do you do things “at home”?
Are you open in your communication and processes? Are your employees encouraged to share ideas? Are your executives approachable for employees and customers?
Your individual style – how do you express yourself?
Are your messages best communicated in text, photos, audio or video files? How important is the look and feel of your content to you?

By analyzing these aspects and their correlations it can be determined which Social Media platforms and channels are suitable for your organization. Sorry to disappoint you by not giving you a simple answer on which Social Media are right for you, but as you’ve already noticed: there is no simple formula to Social Media. It requires a lot of research, inside knowledge on Social Media platforms, their use and trends, and a holistic view on your communication to develop the right strategy. But maybe this list of things to consider provides you with some insight on what needs to be looked at in order to find out the appropriate Social Media for you.

Next time in this Mini Series: What happens if you choose to ignore Social Media altogether?

Social Media use does have side effects. Some of them are desired – and the reason why you want to participate in Social Media to begin with; some may seem a disincentive to you at first. Some of them are ongoing; some of them will turn into positive side effects after a while. Today I will introduce you to an incomplete list of side effects:

Frequently mentioned side effects of Social Media – the good and the bad.

Social Media participation is time consuming!
The main reason preventing people from participating in Social Media is the time it seems to take up. Especially new users often state that they can get lost online, spending hours per day browsing from one link to the next, reading up on interesting blogs, trying to create interesting content and dealing with responding to other users comments.

The good news is: this usually passes. It doesn’t take us very long to get the hang of a new medium, and to filter which information is important to us and which information we can discard. We also figure out very quickly the best time for us to engage in these media. The great thing about Social Media is that there is no schedule given to us when to participate. The news are always on, not just for half an hour in the evening. This gives us the freedom to incorporate them into our day as it suits our needs. The only challenge may be for you to decide when to go offline!

Stripped to the bone
Social Media use means transparency for your organization. This may sound scary for some. But in order to achieve credibility your organization will have to strip. Transparency means that you share ideas, processes and thoughts with your peers. It doesn’t mean that you need to reveal all your development and trade secrets, but to fully benefit from the pool of ideas that you can tap into you need to open up more than you might like. It is the best way to get people to submit ideas, and your insurance against embarrassing and damaging reports about your business practices. For example, laying open that you are far from operating sustainable but you are constantly improving your practices to get there will take the wind out of the sails of those accusing you of greenwashing. Even more so if you ask people to contribute to your policies.

Loss of control of the message (NOT!)
This one I hear a lot. Organizations are scared to lose control of the messages they are communicating if they, for example, let employees blog or post videos of their daily job routine or allow people to comment on CEO blogs. Here is an interesting bit of information for you: you were never in control to begin with. On the contrary: you were even less in control than you are in the sphere of Social Media. In traditional media you have gatekeepers: journalists who decide in which light they will write about you. And their audience will not only talk about what they wrote – they will share their opinions about you, and there is no way for you to know what is actually going on in those conversations. In Social Media networks you can participate in the conversations. You can state your point of view and get an idea of how people perceive you. Never before did you have a better opportunity to communicate YOUR message, and get feedback on it!

Self-reflection
Expressing your thoughts in a medium of your choice will help you / your organization to reflect upon them and take them further. The encounter with your peers will further aid this introspection and may just broaden your view on the topic at hand. It is a valuable side effect of any form of communication, and by taking it online your trail of thought becomes archived so you (and anyone else who is interested) can revisit it anytime. See also ->

Online Archive
Social Media networks are archives of communication; and they are open! This is very useful for internal communication – an archive of topics can easily be accessed by new employees or used to refresh the memory on what has already been discussed on a project.

Gain influence
By taking part in Social Networks you will gain influence in your area because you can display your expertise. You can get your stakeholders involved in conversations that will show them that you know and care about what you’re talking about. Furthermore, issues that are being talked about in Social Media are increasingly spilling over to mainstream media and audiences once they have generated enough buzz. They can therefore also reach people who aren’t following your issues in Social Media.

Savings in communication spending
Because you are moving part of your marketing and promotion into Social Networks, you will reach people who are really interested in your products and services.Word-of-mouth and viral marketing are being used more and more, and are in some aspects replacing traditional, more expensive and less effective marketing efforts like for example direct mail. And this has a positive effect on your balance sheet.

Motivated employees
Employees that are encouraged to speak their minds in Social Media forums are not only helping the company in giving it a more personal appearance, they are reportedly actually more motivated in their jobs. Openness and participation are cornerstones of employee motivation, and allowing free speech in internal as well as external communication through Social Media is a great way of achieving that. A great example is Microsoft’s Channel 9 (I can assure you that you’ll be reading more on Channel 9 here in the future).

Dedicated customers
Binding customers to a brand is one of the main goals of every organization. Social Media networks fulfil part of this task with great effectiveness! Your customers can get to know a side of the organization that is more approachable, and they can also interact with the people behind the product or service you offer.

There are many, many more where these came from. Be sure to keep checking back in for more.

Next time on Social Media 101: Which Social Media should you use? Stay tuned!

There are a number of ways you can profit from using Social Media tools and networks – personally and professionally. Here are some of the most common reasons for people to use Social Media in their business communication:

Dialogue with your customers and stakeholders
Yes, you can talk to your customers and stakeholders via other media or channels. But the style of communication used in Social Media is different: it enables you to talk WITH people, not just TO them. The built in feedback mechanisms break down communication barriers, enriching the conversations.

Boost credibility
The exchange that is taking place in Social Media engages a potentially large number of participants. The wisdom of the crowds comes into play, and if someone is making untruthful statements, they will quickly be identified as such. By participating in Social Media you are signalling that you are aware of this, and will therefore not knowingly spread lies. Your reward is the trust and credibility you gain in your community.

Communicate directly with people sharing your interests
By engaging in Social Media relevant to your agenda you can be sure to be talking with people who share your interests. These people care about your issues, they’re not just a timeslot or a demographic that you might reach if you utilise traditional media for your communication. And: they will let you know what they think instead of keeping you guessing the effect of your communication efforts.

Find out what other people think about you or subjects important to you
Participating in Social Media will gain you new insights into ideas that others have on your business, industry, products, anything really that could and does affect your business. It’s like your own inexpensive focus group.

Create communities
As mentioned before, there are people out there who have a strong interest in your ideas, services and products. By utilizing Social Media you can facilitate the creation of communities dedicated to your cause.

Better workplace climate
Social Media are often referred to as virtual water coolers, where employees can meet and share information important to their work and to themselves, open to all. Social Media can improve working in teams, the sharing and processing of new ideas as well as the flow of communication between ranks. Which results in motivated employees.

Word-of-mouth marketing
In a world where only 13 % of people buy a product because of an ad they have seen in the traditional media, and only 6 % believe that advertisements are truthful advertising is in a real dilemma. Word-of-mouth marketing is a way to let your customers spread the word about your services, and Social Media channels are great to amplify these messages.

Market research
I’ve already mentioned the side effect of focus groups that result from Social Media use. Basically, by browsing Social Media forums important to your agenda as well as engaging with your stakeholders you gain vital insight into a certain market segment, for a very small investment. Traditional market research is expensive, time-consuming and intrusive, whereas you can get access to most information for “free”. You just have to know where to look.

Consumer generated advertising
This is word-of-mouth on video. The rapidly growing popularity of YouTube has made this scenario possible: everyday people producing small commercials for products they like. A current example is Heinz’s consumer generated advertising campaign. This can be encouraged and sponsored by corporations or not, but is in any case an effective, entertaining and increasingly important form of advertising. And one that can be used by anyone, regardless of budget.

Crisis management
In a crisis it is important to react swiftly. Damage control is most effective before too much speculation about your point of view can leak into a broader public sphere. Increasingly, claims that can lead to a crisis are being made first in the sphere of Social Media. By engaging in those forums you can reply in almost real time.

Next time on What are Social Media? Another Mini-Series (Part 3): Are there any Side Effects?

So, you’ve never heard of Social Media. But have you heard web 2.0? New Media? Media 2.0? Basically, all these buzzwords are just different terms for one thing: a new use of the Internet as a place where people can interact. This is the reason why I use the term Social Media – though not perfect, it best describes the underlying spirit of the phenomenon: social interaction through and in (online) media.

In Part 1 of this Mini-Series I will introduce you to some of the main characteristics that establish online platforms as Social Media as well as some examples for Social Media applications.

How can you tell it’s a Social Media website? 

If you are on a Social Media website, it will contain one or more of the following characteristics:

You can easily
- Share information or content
- Share and create content
- Share and create knowledge
- Express your opinion
- Create a personal profile
- Become part of a network

Some examples of how these characteristics are used in practice are the following:

- Blogs – a form of online diary on a certain topic (like this one)
- Vlogs – a video blog: a way to share videos you create or find online with others
- Online TV – broadcast your own original TV shows on your website
- Podcasts – broadcasting your own radio show online
- Photoblogs – sharing photos online
- Wikis – a database of knowledge created by users

This not a complete list; there are many other things that can define a site as a Social Media website (like for instance a rating system – see also my posts on Amazon.com). And while you can incorporate any of these into your own website, there are a number of Social Media platforms that provide a space for social networking and sharing of different types of content already.

What are the most prominent Social Media networks?

These are some examples of influential Social Media networks:

MySpace – a place where you can create a profile and add friends online. Especially popular with teenagers and expatriates. It has also helped a lot of bands to gain popularity, success and record label deals.

Facebook – a place to connect and stay in touch with friends online. It started off as a networking platform for College and University students, but rapidly gained popularity in the US and Canada, and subsequently worldwide. Very popular with people in their Twenties.

YouTube – a video share platform that enables users to upload, share and rate videos. YouTube has quickly developed into a very influential platform transforming the way people watch, rate and promote video content. It is not only a platform for obscure home videos, but also an important tool for large TV networks and film studios to promote old and new content, as well as discover trends and fresh talent. People all over the world in a wide range of demographics use YouTube regularly.

Wikipedia – an online encyclopaedia that is created and constantly updated by its users. Anyone can contribute, and a committee works on making sure that the content is verified. It relies on the wisdom of the crowds.

Fickr – a network to upload and share photos.

Twitter – a site where you can send brief messages via sms, the website or an application to people who want to receive them (also via sms, the website, RSS, or an application).

Second Life – a virtual world where users can interact like in the real world once they have created an avatar (a virtual profile). Though often described as a game, it really is just a virtual Social Networking platform.

These forums are just a selection of popular sites – there are many more like these and plenty popping up every day for all sorts of topics. If you can think of something that interests you, you can be certain there is a network either already devoted to it, emerging, or a pool of people waiting to share their ideas on it.

Next time on Social Media 101. Another Mini-Series (Part 2): Why should you use Social Media for business and personal communication. Be sure to tune in.

Why users want to use this:
Because it saves them time and effort. Once they have made the choice to get a specific content delivered to them, they will receive all the updates that are happening without having to check the site all the time.

Why publishers / organizations want to use this:
Because it keeps them in touch with their users. More and more people want to subscribe to updates without the danger of receiving spam in their email. RSS makes that possible. It is also a simple and cheap way to get updates to users.

Tech specs:
More information on RSS can be found on these sites:

Wikipedia
whatisrss.com
xml.com