Social Media Explained

This article explains how Social Media came about, some of the more popular websites that use this technology and also how it can effect your business whether. Learn SMO today and take advantage of the new social internet that millions of people use every day.

Social Media

It is hard to believe that Social Media only came into existence in 2006, less than 3 years ago. In this short time it has taken the Internet by storm and completely transformed the way many of us use and search the web. In a nutshell, Social Media can be described as online websites, technologies and practises that people use in order to share their opinions, preferences, experiences, likes and dislikes with anyone who cares to listen.

Popular Social Media Websites

There are hundreds of websites devoted to sharing information. Some of the more popular ones are:

Wikipedia – The free Encyclopedia website
Technorati – Collects and distributes online conversations (blogs)
Facebook – Keep in contact and share content with your friends
Squidoo – Create topics of interest called lenses
MySpace – Social networking site for people who want to network
YouTube – Share you favourite videos for all to see
Second Life – For people who are happier in a pretend world
Digg – Discover and share content from anywhere on the web
Flickr – Share your photos and watch the world

Social Tagging & Bookmarking

If there’s something you would like to share, you can probably find a website offering to do it. These websites will grow at an amazing rate as all of their content are user-generated. When someone finds something of interest on the Internet, a particular website, quote, picture, blog, comment, anything, it can be referenced with a tag or bookmark, and then shared with their friends, who may then decide to share it with their friends, and so on it goes. A tag is simply any word you choose to describe something you like. A Tag Cloud is simply a group of Tags together.

Slashdot Effect

The potential of this user community must not be underestimated. It now has amazing power over the online reputation of a company or brand for good or bad. Just as Social Media allows companies to reach their target audience via a whole new channel, it also allows their customers to rank their products and services for all to see. Like a virus multiplying in strength, news like this can travel the world at breathtaking speed. Companies and businesses both large and small are now taking a greater interest in their online reputation, and so they should. The Internet user now has a voice.