Everywhere you look, a new "social media" tool is popping up. In the days of Web 1.0, all you needed was for your business to have a website with basic info about your company.* Then, you needed interactive features, e-commerce and more -- but this was still just on your website. Today, companies are increasingly going beyond the basic website into the world of "social media" -- a term used to describe media content that is created and distributed not just by journalists, but also by regular Joe Sixpacks and Plumbers. Where "website" was once the new-tech word, the vocabulary of Web 2.0 changes almost daily -- there's Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube, and so many more.
Should businesses be aware of these tools? Certainly -- wherever a group of customers flock, there will be an advertising opportunity. But, should businesses actively use these tools other than as a place for banner ads?
Starbucks, WholeFoods, and Zappos seem to think so. These large, business-to-consumer corporations have been aggressive in creating online personas. All three are on Twitter. (see: @zapposCEO, @starbucks and @wholefoods). All three have weblogs. All three have Facebook fan pages (Zappos, Starbucks, Whole Foods).
Seems like social media makes sense for large companies that cater to the general (coffee-drinking, food-buying, shoe-buying) public. Does it make sense for small businesses with a niche market? What about business-to-business companies? Finally, does using social media in the workplace create any headaches or concerns for the IT segment of a company? Come back to the blog each week as we explore these areas. Feel free to write in suggestions or examples of your own!
* (Check out the McDonald's Website circa 1996:http://web.archive.org/web/19961110083459/http://www.mcdonalds.com/) -- then check it out today (www.mcdonalds.com). Surely, the '96 setup was sophisticated for its time, but it's still quite simple compared to today).
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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