Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The penny drops

Yesterday I participated in a webinar presented by Ovrdrv.com. and, thanks to the clear explanations and examples finally grasped what social media is all about.

Now, I knew it was about connecting with old friends etc, but I had my doubts about how corporations and institutions could work in social media because of its people-to-people focus. My assumptions were wrong. The presenter, Harry Gold kept using phrases like “making lasting connections,” “making friends,” and “opening dialogue.”

The process of using social media is based on the notion of “weaving” the network using the various applications and online venues available. For example a YouTube video points people to Facebook or MySpace which points people to a corporate website which features links to YouTube, Facebook ….and so on. To see all the potential threads, check out this Social Media map.

The cool thing is that there is no immediate need for capital investment because the sites are free. However, like every website, there has to be ongoing maintenance. I’ve heard this called “seeding and feeding.”

I’m still digesting and working through how this can all work but I’m excited about the possibilities on a lot of different levels. I’ve recommended the webinar to some other people with whom I have contact and am looking forward to some productive discussion.

1 comment:

The Layman said...

I have been posting at Quadsville dot.com since last June It is part of the opinion page of QCTIMES.com. We have a community now of people who will share thoughts for the good of the community...but sometimes we also express the downside of the community that must be worked on. Each community that belives that Jesus Christ is our Savior also has two sides, and we will try to share mostly in the good side.