What are you doing right now? …How do you feel? …What’s on your mind?
These probes are just a few of the vast array of thought provokers amidst the ever-popular and growing group of social media “status” prompts.
As defined by Joseph Thornley, social media is:
“…online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly between the role of audience and author. To do this, they use social software that enables anyone without knowledge of coding, to post, comment on, share or mash up content and to form communities around shared interests”.
The leading examples of Social Media nowadays are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Other Social Media web sites that are often used, yet have not created as much of an impact as these top three are: linkedin.com, livejournal.com, blackplanet.com, hi5.com and xanga.com.
As stated in the above definition, Social Media web sites offer a wide array of possible “things-to-do”. Upon having created an account, these web sites allow a user to create a personal profile, find and add “friends”, upload pictures, comment on friend’s pictures, send an e-mail type message or instant message…and the list just keeps going! Basically, Social Media web sites allow users to communicate (!). Whether it be positive or negative communication is an entire different article to be written…and featured… on the front page of The New York Times.
For public relations, these Social Media have opened up countless doors for the PR practitioner and her world. Allowing her to keep in contact with several different persons, she can observe her clients target public through their own personal Social Media web site profile, or develop and maintain a profile for her client.
Benefits received by a public relations practitioner from using these web sites are as follows:
- Easily and readily accessible in the case that any edits and/or updates need to be administered
- Highly interactive, thus allowing her to involve her clients target public and be able to quickly respond to whatever input they give
- Option to mix one certain media with another - say mixing your clients web site with videos of their accomplishments, pictures of their employees and audio of a speech given by the CEO at an awards ceremony
- The ease with which a public relations practitioner can publish a piece of collateral for her client…without having to plead with a reporter for just bare-minimal coverage
- Ability to provide as much information as desired…since there is no space or surface area capacities, the sky really is the limit when it comes to Social Media web site design and layout.
From a personal standpoint, I too use these Social Media web sites. Although I only have two main accounts (Facebook and MySpace) within the realm of thousands of web site profile possibilities, I spend enough time just maintaining these two. In a sense, I do use my profiles for personal “public relations” matters; however, I keep all exported information balanced, appropriate, beneficial and positive upon my personal image…err…brand!
http://propr.ca/2008/what-is-social-media/
http://blog.compete.com/2009/02/09/facebook-myspace-twitter-social-network/
haha. I love the picture. So true.
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