| Social Media and the Development of the Web 2.0 | | | | t-shirt with their brand name printed across the front, |
| Designed to be spread through social interaction, | | | | businesses can use their customers as their own |
| Social Media relies on accessibility and consumer | | | | advertising tools. For example, if a business creates a |
| usability. Taking full advantage of the wide spread | | | | Facebook fan page that they invite their customers |
| use of the Internet, social media uses web-based | | | | to join by offering a simple incentive such as a |
| technologies to engage singular media sources in | | | | coupon or access to "insider information", their |
| dialogue with one another. Social media has brought | | | | business name will be displayed on all of their fan's |
| democracy to the dissemination of information and | | | | profiles in the live newsfeed of all of their fans' |
| knowledge, giving a voice to the general public, | | | | friends. By increasing exposure, they will expand their |
| transforming the masses from content consumers to | | | | following, thereby gaining more customers. |
| content producers. Social media has been defined by | | | | Social vs Industrial Media |
| Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein as "a group of | | | | Media can be loosely defined as "a source in which |
| Internet bases application that build on the ideological | | | | people gain information, education, news, etc." Online |
| and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and that | | | | media is distinct from industrial media in that it is |
| allow the creation and exchange of user-generated | | | | generally far less expensive and more accessible. |
| content." Many business have started to take | | | | Anyone can publish social media, whereas industrial |
| advantage of this "user-generated content", also | | | | media usually requires significant financial backing. |
| known as "consumer generated media". The wide | | | | While both social and industrial media have extensive |
| spread use of social media has taken the information | | | | reach, the ability to produce social media is available |
| age one step further into what is becoming known | | | | to anyone. Social media is also far more user friendly. |
| as "The Attention Age" | | | | Anyone with access to the Internet can create a |
| With so much content available on the web and so | | | | Facebook profile or sign up for Twitter with no |
| many voices contributing to web-based | | | | special training. Industrial media creators, on the other |
| conversations, the question in play now becomes | | | | hand, have almost always received some sort of |
| how to capture the attention of the masses and rise | | | | higher education specializing in the field. Perhaps |
| above the noise that has been created by the | | | | where the two forms differ most is in the fact that |
| constant online media "buzz". Distinguishing any one | | | | social media has the ability to be published in real time. |
| particular site, person or idea on the web takes a | | | | Whereas there is a time lag between an occurred |
| great deal of creativity and innovation. This need has | | | | event and the information being published in a |
| created a whole new pool of professionals who | | | | newspaper, social media is broadcast instantaneously. |
| specialize in driving traffic or attention to a specific | | | | It is true that news-reporters can broadcast live to |
| Internet "site" or place. Now that everyone has a | | | | television, but they can only be in one place at one |
| voice, the goal is to become an "authority" in a | | | | time whereas social media users can send out |
| certain field or on a specific subject. Much of | | | | information from thousands of different sources. |
| becoming an authority is developing a following. | | | | Take the recent earthquake in Chile, for example. |
| Businesses large and small have begun to take | | | | While a few reporters and camera crews could show |
| advantage of this idea and the facility of user | | | | live footage from a specific point of interest, anyone |
| generated content and consumer generated media in | | | | with a computer or cellphone could instantly send |
| order to use their customers as marketing tools. With | | | | updates on what was happening from wherever |
| a few simple incentives, business have to power to | | | | they were, thus providing thousands of live |
| use their customers as promoters, increasing brand | | | | information sources on what was happening in real |
| exposure and positive consumer feedback. With the | | | | time. Because of the nature of the Internet, social |
| extensive reach of social media sites such as Twitter, | | | | media is permanent whereas industrial media is |
| messages and information can be spread instantly to | | | | destructible. Conversely, however, once industrial |
| thousands of individuals across the globe. | | | | media is published, it cannot be edited or altered. On |
| Other forms of social media include networking sites | | | | the other hand, social media can be changed almost |
| such as Facebook and LinkedIn, online forums such | | | | instantly. |
| as Wikipedia, media sharing tools such as YouTube | | | | Web 2.0 |
| and MySpace (also a social networking site) podcasts, | | | | The term "Web 2.0" first came into play just before |
| social bookmarking, blogs, vlogs and social network | | | | the new millennium when Darcy DiNucci used it in an |
| aggregation platforms. | | | | article she wrote about the future of the Internet. |
| With the widespread use of online media and the | | | | Whereas the web was once a static place for |
| prevalence of the Internet, it is in every business' | | | | gathering information, it has now become an active |
| best interest to take full advantage of social media | | | | forum for information sharing and development. The |
| as a marketing and sales tool. In the United States, | | | | term started to become more widely used in 2004 |
| social networking accounts for 11 percent of all time | | | | when O'Reilley Media and MediaLive hosted the first |
| spent on the Internet. Over a quarter of Internet | | | | Web 2.0 conference. Web 2.0 does not necessarily |
| page visits in the US were to top social networking | | | | refer to complicated technology upgrades, but rather |
| sites. Twitter processes more than one billion tweets | | | | to how the web is used, and the modern ability to |
| each month and averages about 40 million tweets | | | | interact with it. |
| per day. While these numbers may seem staggering, | | | | The idea of Web 2.0 centers around the idea of |
| they are increasing every day. | | | | using the Internet as a platform. Users are able to do |
| There are many ways businesses can use social | | | | far more than just retrieve data. Users now have the |
| media and Internet marketing to their advantage. By | | | | ability to interact with site features (post comments, |
| creating their own online profiles, they can develop | | | | live chat, upload images, music and video, etc) as well |
| following online through sites such as Twitter, | | | | as store, manage and own data that they post. |
| Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as distributing content | | | | Social Media is a large part of the nature of Web 2.0. |
| through Wikipedia, a business blog and their website. | | | | Being able to have live conversations, instantly |
| Since the goal of social media is to start and spread | | | | broadcast information to thousands of users at the |
| conversation, businesses have to offer a point of | | | | same time as well as interact with other sources (live |
| intrigue, be it through interesting content or an | | | | or computerized) has transformed the Internet from |
| incentive in exchange for participating in an | | | | a library into a playground. |
| information exchange. | | | | So where are we headed next? Have we already |
| Businesses can also use the information that sites | | | | crossed the line into a new iteration of the Internet? |
| such as Facebook offer about their users to target | | | | Have we entered into the realm of Web 3.0? The |
| Internet advertising at a specific market. Since | | | | expansion of social media platforms and the web's |
| Facebook publicly shares information such as | | | | ability to track and connect user preferences |
| occupation, location, martial status, educational | | | | suggests that we are indeed entering into yet |
| background and interests, it is easy to design and | | | | another stage of how the Internet is used. |
| target advertising campaigns at a specific group of | | | | Companies have a responsibility to keep up to date |
| users. | | | | with these emerging trends as it is sure to effect |
| If done right, online media can be used to have the | | | | the way we conduct business. |
| consumer do the marketing. Similar to a store selling a | | | | |