Questions About Social Media?

Katherine Bennett - July 30, 2009

What is social media? It’s a simple question, but many people don’t know the answer. According to Wikipedia, social media: is online content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies; it’s a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers.  Basically, it’s a communication tool via the internet.

When some people think of social media they think of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. However, social media is much bigger and wider than the main social media sites. The beauty of social media is that you can create niche social communities online about whatever topics or industries you choose. There’s a wide range of social media sites out there from healthcare and real estate to fashion and shopping. Simply put, if you’ve thought about it, there’s probably a social media community that you could join. Even better, if no one has started a social media site about your hobby or passion, you can start one and find other people who share your enthusiasm. For example, there’s a site called “Care 2”, which encourages people to make a difference on the issues they care about, whether it’s helping the poor or animal welfare. They encourage the people in their social community to make the difference and connect with other people who want to make a difference.

Social media includes many different topics and issues. In fact, it seems to have no limits. It’s like space; there are always new frontiers to explore. The next time you think of social media, don’t just limit yourself to thinking of teenage friends socializing online. Remember that social media spans many ages and covers many topics. Get out there and socialize, you may be surprised at what you find.