• The Social Media Universe

    Posted on January 6th, 2009 by and currently 8 commenting.

    Did you know that astronomers just discovered that the Milky Way is 50% larger than they originally thought? Just think about it for a second ” all those new planets floating out there just waiting to be discovered and explored. Remember when we thought that the Earth was the center of the universe? Or that the world was flat? And now look ” whole new galaxies are being found.

    So how does this possibly relate to what we all do on a daily basis? Well, for me it’s a great reminder that while social media is great, there is still a lot out there to be discovered. There’s no doubt that ‘social media’ is the latest buzz phrase and Twitter and Facebook are the belles of the ball right now. And they are great tools. But as they become mainstream, they are becoming just another channel to push messages through…and the noise is increasing. Yes, there are some shining stars (no pun intended) when it comes to companies using these tools to have a conversation, but the vast majority of the companies using the social media platforms are still just pushing information. Not conversing.

    My point is that there’s a big ‘ol universe out there when it comes to marketing. A lot of it hasn’t been discovered yet. And it’s a reminder that Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and all the rest of it, well, it isn’t the center of the universe. These are great online tools. But that’s all they are: tools. How are you using these tools to support real-world conversations? Real-world face-to-face interactions? Because that’s where the real traction happens. And that’s where those new universes will be discovered.

  • http://orangejack.com Rob Williams

    Social Media is called that for a reason – it’s social. It leads to relationships. One of the big reminders for me at BlogOrlando was that social media helps to drive us to face-to-face when possible. Geography frustrates that goal, but it’s still about the relationships.

    Though I will say some web applications (social media sites) are better for conversations than others. Each has it’s role.

  • http://hyku.com/blog/ Josh Hallett

    Good point Spike, like you said they are just tools….after all what you’re really after is the interactions with users/friends/clients, etc. What attracted you to Twitter and kept you there? Was it your friends? What makes these tools so attractive is the critical mass of people that are there.

    As we discover new galaxies we always have to ask, are the people we want to communicate with here? Then of course there is the Prime Directive :-)

  • http://rerevealed.com Lani Rosales

    Spike, somehow the value of face-to-face interaction is missed on many social media users but you do a great job of boiling it down to common sense terms.

    I *love* imagining how large the universe is and how big the web is, it leaves us with a great big fat exciting challenge!

  • Pingback: More thoughts on 2009 social media | Orangejack LLC

  • Pingback: Brains On Fire Blog » Blog Archive » The Social Media Universe | thesocialmediasecrets

  • http://brainsonfire.com Geno

    Reminds me of one of the main reasons I love the original Star Trek series. I loved the Captain’s log recording’s. They were reflective and hopeful. And set the stage for what it was all about. Space is the final frontier. And there is a lot to be discovered.

  • http://www.themurr.com DaveMurr

    Being an insignificant spec in the universe certainly can be more empowering huh?

  • http://www.worthwhile.com Chris Rackley

    Thanks, Spike. Glad to hear someone say it.

    It’s getting old to see people exploit great connectivity tools by hijacking them for their own personal gain, rather than truly seeking to build relationships. So it’s a great reminder that there’s more out there. And so if SPAMmers or others have rendered a certain tool useless, there’s always another, probably better way to connect with people. There’s always the next thing. There’s always something new.

    Unfortunately, some twitter users are whoring themselves on the service so badly that it’s making me want to find the “next thing” all the faster.