Life With Social Media

As I explained in my previous post on an introduction to Social Media, I think of social media primarily as a tool for communication – communication between a customer and a company, between individuals located across the world, between experts and beginners, between people like you and me. It allows for engagement, collaboration, sharing, community-building and much more and can also lead to surprisingly fast results.

Yet as a start to our conversation about how we can use social media to improve our lives, productivity, business, ideas, I think it is appropriate to spend a bit of time thinking about what social media actually is and what it means.

There is no widely accepted definition of social media. And that may be both a blessing and a curse. To overcome this definitional abyss, Adam Vincenzini over at the comms corner asked 140 communicators to define Social Media in 140 characters, and the results were great!

I have taken the most interesting of the project’s contributions and edited them into thematic chunks.

The results:

• SOCIAL MEDIA AS COMMUNICATION/CONVERSATION
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS REVOLUTION/CHANGE
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS RELATIONSHIPS
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS DEMOCRATISATION
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS LEARNING
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS CONNECTIONS
• SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABOUT SHARING
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS COMMUNITY
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS MARKETING DEVICE

@JoanneJacobs Social Media are tools & services which facilitate communication between individuals for decision making, cultural exchange & conversation

@katiemoffat Social media is like offline, traditional word of mouth but on steroids

@NadiaSaint Social media is communicating with – rather than talking to – a target audience. It’s about respect, context and (above all) common sense.

@HowellMarketing SM doesnt replace traditional communications; it is multi-channels to leverage and distribute mass data to unlimited, global audience

@anna8988 Allows you to socially and professionally communicate online with those otherwise out of your reach in the real world

@lindsaydavies Social media is 21st century communication. It’s open, collaborative, shared, barrierless, informative, entertaining, rapid and evolving

@GemmaWent Social media is a comms tool that cuts through barriers, offers opportunities that were previsously out of reach and levels the playing field

@Sean Cartell An innovative method of strategic communication, allowing participants to brand their product through instant two-way communication.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS REVOLUTION/CHANGE

@trevoryoung Social media is a catalyst for change – change in the way we connect with each other, change in the way businesses communicate with the world

@SimonMainwaring Social media is our collective consciousness made visible through synaptic technology that our gives shared needs, fears and hopes a voice enabling massive change

@swonderlin Social media is a revolutionary tool – bringing thoughts & ideas together from every corner of the world and in all facets

@Maxicom Social media is an evolutionary form of content production/distribution where the highest quality examples flourish on peer-approved merit alone

@Monsty a revolution, a shift, the changing of the guard, the return of communication to it’s native form -> conversation <- the beginning

SOCIAL MEDIA AS RELATIONSHIPS

@dbreakenridge Social media means listening carefully and learning to share valuable information that bonds people and builds strong relationships

@Beth_Carroll Social media is about building relationships and harnessing those relationships to build networks and interact

@SuzieLin SM is all about interacting & engaging to build relationships. It allows the world to connect & facilitates the exchange of info & ideas.

@irinaskaya Social Media: Builds relationships between brands and customers and empowers the latter to create customers

@RichQuigley SM is an opportunity 2 partcip8 in the evolution of communications & 2 disregard everything u have ever learned about spelling & punk2ation

SOCIAL MEDIA AS DEMOCRATISATION

@DannyBrown Social media is the human engine oil. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mini or Mercedes, you get an equal shot to compete in the race

@ChiaraCosenza SM is a set of online tools that allowed the democratization of communication worldwide through accessibility, simplicity & entertainment.

@MarisaCorser SM bypasses traditional media gatekeepers, giving you instant access to the most powerful, influential, & informative minds in the world

@steveology The greatest shift of power from the corporation to the consumer since the birth of the industrial revolution

@princess_misia Social media is a democratization of online information. And an amazing way to meet like-minded people!

@geetarchurchy Social media is the consumer’s realisation that they have the power to induce institutional change through online behaviour

@juicyinfo Social media gives power to the individual by enhancing our ability to listen, learn and share opinions & content with each other

@Ideathinker Social media is content created and shared by people over accessable technolgies in an democratic dezentralised manner

@guillaumefoutry Social media upset the balance of power in favor of the end user in any field of activity, from music to politics!

@Aalia Social Media provides a democratic and borderless platform for the exchange of ideas, content, views and information.

@IreneMalin A new type of online media without hierarchy that enable people to talk, participate, interact, share and bookmark.

@PRNicoleV Social media is about engagement. It’s breaking traditional barriers b/w companies & people and allowing everyone to go right to the source.

@rudolfe Instant, ubiquitous and dispersive, Social Media empowers consumers. It’s a new medium, based on tools of multi-directional communication.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS LEARNING

@katehughes For me social media is about two things: friendship and learning. Frequently (and fortuitously) the two overlap

@andydrinks a source of knowledge, entertainment, opportunity and possibilities. Challenging and rewarding, it proves again that content is still king

@Dwynwen My own, unique, opt-in world of inspiration, education and conversation.

@Tyronevh It’s the integration of interaction with technology tools allowing one to interact, explore and most importantly learn from one another

SOCIAL MEDIA AS CONNECTIONS

@leeodden Social media is technology that facilitates community & word of mouth. But what makes the social web work are the people

@JasonPeck social media is the platforms, tools and content that enable quicker, deeper and more personal connections, communication and collaboration

@carolinebosher SM lets me traverse the globe and meet amazing people from my living room. Its a constant support network full of opportunity & serendipity

@ThatGirl_Chloe social media is a way to connect with people around the world & use these thoughts, experiences & conversations within real-life situations

Heather White-Laird said…Social Media is a stroll through a garden of internet delight, and an open door to connect with geniuses and jokers, friends and foes.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABOUT SHARING

@mario Social media: get and share information (in the widest sense) in real time from/with the people & institutions that matter to me personally

@beccistalker: SM is bout meeting,sharing knowledge,thoughts, insights&engagement online w/ friends,family,colleagues,networks&customers.

@jgarant A borderless space to consume and share information and opinions – to engage directly with industry minds and develop personally and professionally

@dreamteamroman Sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences with others around the globe in a fast and efficient way. consumer=producer of info

SOCIAL MEDIA AS COMMUNITY

@simonsanders: Social media encourages the free flow of connections, conversations and content and helps ignite communities of interest

@RyanCaliguiri Where movements are created through the spread of ideas with a community of like minded individuals.

SOCIAL MEDIA AS MARKETING

@joedyble For brands, it’s an opportunity to be invited in, rather than knocking down the door.

@SJOgborn Social media epitomizes cyber self-expression for people and brands. It allows us to personalize communication and engage across the globe.

MY OTHER FAVOURITES

@blogtillyoudrop Content, Conversations, Community and Collective Intelligence

@MarketingVeep Social media shrinks time and place’ it imposes a stark brevity; it leads strangers to each other; gives booming voice to a whisper; turns two legs into an army

@AboutLondon: Social media is like a party,every1′s talking,U can join in whenever you want to,but U don’t have to,& U meet cool peeps.

@vampyrse Technological tools that help you to personally discover and relate to the world, and the world to discover and and relate to you personally.

@redspringsmedia Selective audience Outspoken followers Connection Innovative communication Awareness Levelling Message Engagement Division Immediate Alarming growth