On Social Media

I've been thinking a lot about social media lately. As a B2B marketer, I try to stay tuned to the goings-on of the industry, and social media has been the buzzword for the last six months or so. I think Twitter takes most of the credit for grabbing the attention of the corporate world...it's like a whole new opportunity has magically presented itself.

That is, if you are in the business of talking directly to Joe Schmoe. Consumers. If you're in the business of talking to other businesses, or consultants, social media isn't the magic pill you'd think at first. People blog and tweet and Facebook -- businesses, not so much. I'm sure it won't be long before somebody figures out how to effectively communicate B2B through social media -- maybe that someone will be me! Although businesses still have a lot of learning to do in this area...I'll be following it!

This is the conclusion I've drawn in my recent research, but I still remain fascinated with the possibilities -- and related stresses -- of social media. After bemoaning the value (or lack thereof) of self-branding online, I went ahead and started just that sort of initiative. I can be personally googled. I have this blog, although I'm not sure anyone's reading it yet. I can be found on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and FriendFeed. Right now my social media network is being used for both personal and professional purposes, and I'm waiting to see how that evolves. Works for me at the moment.