Social Me-Me Media

I can't say why, but I’m always surprised by the hype around the newest buzz words. Remember when every employee worked for a company who had a ‘solution’? Or better yet, an ‘integrated solution’? What happened to ‘next generation’ – and - ‘the paradigm shift’?

Online trusted networks and social media are becoming equally as hyped. As PR consultants, we’re asked regularly to create social media campaigns. Unfortunately, many companies are feeling pressured to come up with a social media strategy in an arena that's still new, undocumented and undefined. Many of the people interested in these campaigns have no clue what to expect from them.

Don’t get me wrong -- I love the concept of social media. It’s so grass roots. I remember utilizing social media tools (forums, message boards, etc.) when tech start-ups were prevalent and marketing dollars were non-existent. Of course, the tools are much more sophisticated now, but the idea is the same. Go online, find the common thread and connect. It’s online interaction with meaning.

With today’s push and shove to get on the social media bandwagon, the meaning is quickly becoming convoluted and there’s a serious breakdown in trust.

Think about it. How many LinkedIn invitations do you receive from people you do not know? Come on – how many?  OK – better question:  how many LinkedIn invitations do you receive from people you don’t know, but accept them anyway? I’m not picking on LinkedIn. I use it – enjoy it – work it. But, people, come on! Where is the trust?

Now there are rules and techniques surrounding the buzz. Try on Social Media Optimization. Does that mean anything to you? I remember joining a forum on higher education in the early 1990s and the post somehow made it very high in search engine rankings for years. Rather than trying desperately to increase linkability, encourage tagging or what ever other me-me rewards on the corporate agenda, why not concentrate on contribution?

Comments

[Moola Champion - Ultimate Strategy Guides]

its really very inspirational thought,I ma impressed with your thinking about social media.