Social Media A Fad? I Don’t Think So.
Tweet
Recently I’ve read a number of articles containing surveys, the results of which indicate there are still a lot of people out there who hold the opinion that it’s best not to get involved in social media on the web because it might be a fad. They hesitate to invest time and money into something which they feel might not be around for too long. The logic is sound; after all, who wants to waste money and effort into something which doesn’t have a good return potential.
The facts, however, contradict this reasoning. If you hold the opinion social media is a fad, please indulge me for a bit while I explain why it’s not a fad like the Hula-Hoop or swallowing gold fish, and why you need to get involved in social media NOW.
A Little History
A long time ago in a computer lab far, far away, a bunch of scientists came up with the idea of linking a bunch of computers together to share research information. Thus, the Internet was born. From the beginning it was designed as a way to share information. It’s still that way, today, only much more so than its founders envisioned.
I remember using a system called Plato in 1985. Although its main function was education, there were some games which could be played on it as well, and those games included a chat function. There was a bit of social built in.
A few years later people were dialing in to CompuServe and other services geared towards particular computer platforms of the day. Those services included bulletin boards and rudimentary forms of email. People talked about all kinds of things and not just their computers. In other words, there was social media.
America On Line (AOL) really got social media moving. There was quite a bit of conversation going on in AOL. Bulletin boards gave way to news groups and Usenet as direct access to the World Wide Web outstripped services like AOL and CompuServe. Social media was growing. People were talking about technical things, for sure, but they were also talking about everything else under the sun.
I remember doing product research on the web as far back as 1996. People were talking about brands and products on the web.
In 1999 Christopher Locke, Rick Levine and Doc Searls and David Weinberger wrote “The Cluetrain Manifesto” which I reviewed on it’s tenth anniversary in my post “Climb Aboard The Clue Train“. In this groundbreaking piece, the authors talked about The Conversation which was already happening.
You can see just from the few examples I refer to here, “The Conversation” about brands and products has been going on long before now.
And More Recently
In 2006 I attended Search Engine Strategies in San Jose, California. One of the sessions I sat in was entitled “Reputation Monitoring & Management.” The Conversation was going on then, though it was mostly in blogs and on Usenet. “Consumer Generated Content” or “User Generated Content” was just coming into popular knowledge with YouTube and MySpace leading the charge. The Conversation was getting bigger and the warning went out again: Ignore The Conversation at the peril of your business.
Too Long To Be A Fad
The Conversation has been going on for a long time. Do I need to point out that before the web people would talk to their friends in person or over the phone about brands and product? The web did not foster The Conversation, the Conversation merely moved from place to place off and on line over time. It has greatly expanded one’s potential influencers and influence over others. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube may be where The Conversation is now, but it won’t necessarily be on those sites forever. Over time it will likely move to new web sites or applications, but it will not go away.
Here’s the biggest issue at hand: Your customers want you to be part of ”The Conversation.” They want to converse, not just be talked at. “The Conversation” is your opportunity to seize the day and be an influencer. People are looking for you to join in. If you disappoint them, they will likely go elsewhere.
If you haven’t read “The Cluetrain Manifesto” and/or “Groundswell” by Bernoff and Li, I highly recommend you get them today. (disclaimer: Amazon Affiliate links). They will help you better understand what’s going on and that this social media phenomenon is not new – nor is it going to go away.
photo credit: jessicareeder
