Entries Tagged 'Connections' ↓

social media and the new normal: connected

February 1st, 2008 — Blogging, Connections, Networking

The December comScore data for the United States was released recently and has set bloggers all a buzz. Most seem to crying out about how online social networks are slowing down, because growth on several of the largest networking sites has slowed and MySpace’s numbers have dropped a bit. I’d like to offer a different perspective.

The slow down in growth on the largest social networking sites is not the death knoll of the whole concept of social networking sites. It is, however, a wake up call to reality. The issue isn’t really that these sites are slowing down, it’s that more targeted niche sites are heating up. MySpace’s numbers boomed when the press discovered it and everyone, including your mother, decided to check it out. The level of growth that site saw could never be supported. As the media is fickle and always looking for the next big thing to write about, it quickly moved on to Facebook. Once again many people, including your mother, moved on to Facebook.

But what the press doesn’t really talk about, and the comScore numbers don’t reflect, is all of the other niche social networking sites that are out there. These affinity-based social networking sites provide users with a group that has common ground. MySpace and Facebook don’t really do that, unless you are actually friends in the real-world definition of the word. People who may have spent time on MySpace may now be found instead on BakeSpace, Ravelry, Mashable, LinkedIn, Gather, or any of thousands of other options. Why spend time turning down “friend” requests from spammers when you can talk about what you are really interested in on these other sites? And you can’t leave out the fact that many retail sites that at first glance don’t seem like social networking sites, like Amazon and Etsy, actually have very strong community features to keep users engaged longer and more often.

The situation is simply akin to the development of cable networks and the proliferation of niche broadcast channels. Marketers have had to deal with a constantly fragmented television viewership over the years — why would they think it would be any different online? As the hype wears down, MySpace and Facebook’s numbers will level off and probably see ups and downs. Some new huge player we can’t even imagine will come onto the scene and we’ll all be talking about it. And at the same time, all of these smaller little sites with strong niche affinity groups will continue to flourish.

Welcome to the new normal of the social Web.

Technorati Tags: comscore, data, social networking, media bias, myspace, facebook fatigue

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Heroes: Connecting through Quality Television

September 26th, 2007 — Buzz, Connections, Social Media Optimization

Everyone is talking about about social media and word-of-mouth marketing these days and acting like it’s a new phenomenon. When, in reality, it’s the same thing that’s been happening for centuries (if not longer) just now we use fancy technology to do it. Word-of-mouth referrals are the holy grail of marketing. Just how do you convince someone to tell someone else about your product? How do you convince someone to share their opinion on their blog, on your website or in a cafe? Really, it’s quite simple — do something that is actually worth talking about.

Continued at the RTCRM Blog

Technorati Tags: heroes, social media, social networking, community, comic books

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shared music: connecting through itunes

August 27th, 2007 — Connections, Fun, Music

I’ve just finished my first day at my new company, and beyond the extraordinarily organized orientation process, I found something interesting very comforting — they had iTunes pre-installed on my computer. Like many companies, this one does not let all users install software on their computers, so having iTunes meant that I didn’t have to ask an IT person for it and feel like I was being frivolous and wasting their time.

But, that’s not really the “connecting” part. I didn’t exactly arrive with my CD collection in tow. Yes, I still buy CDs. I could have used the radio feature or just listed to music on mySpace — but instead I was able to listen to the iTunes collections of other staff members. And I must say my new co-workers have great, and eclectic, taste in music!

The shared music feature isn’t one everyone knows about, because you have to on a network to really see the point. Since, like so many social media tools, it only tells me the screen name the person entered I don’t know who the music aficionados are, but I can’t wait to find out and compliment them on their taste and thank them for sharing their music.

Not everyone opts to do this, iTunes has privacy settings so you can decide what you feel like sharing with those around you. There is no way to copy or save other people’s music, as that would violate the myriad of DRM and copyrights that are in place — but as long as their computers are on and they have iTunes open I have access to a great collection of music that ranges from Glen Miller (what I’m currently listening to) to Crystal Method!

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get hooked back in on Last.fm, another great way to get connected through music, so you can follow along with me in the future!

[Update: 8/29/07] Apple is making a “big announcement” on Sept. 5, 2007. Look for new iPods, possibly with fancy iPhone style touch screens.[/update]

Technorati Tags: music, itunes, first day, last.fm, apple

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Come Hang out at Tech Cocktail

May 16th, 2007 — Cocktails, Connections, Networking

Come hang out with me (’cause I know that’s just irresistible ) at the Tech Cocktail event. It’s a veritable who’s who of DC technorati and super geekdom.