What is social media

Social Media! Whether you are new to social media or just looking to close a few knowledge gaps, we are glad you stopped by.By now, we have all heard how valuable even essential social media can be. Whether your current sentiment leans more toward enthusiasm or trepidation, theres no way around the fact that social media is a far more complex field than it first seems.

Diving in without a sense for what its like can be overwhelming, and building a network that provides real value takes both savvy and hard work, but fear not we are here to help! We hope youll find this to be one of the most comprehensive social media resources available, and that no matter what your skill level is, theres plenty in here to help you improve your social presence.

Social media is a way for people to communicate and interact online. While it has been around since the dawn of the World Wide Web, in the last 10 years or so we've seen a surge in both the number and popularity of social media sites. Its called social media because users engage with (and around) it in a social context, which can include conversations, commentary, and other user-generated annotations and engagement interactions.

Publishing content has become exponentially simpler over the last several years, which has helped skyrocket the use of social media. Non technical web users are now able to easily create content on a rapidly growing number of platforms, including those that are owned (hosted communities, blogs, etc.), rented (social networks or third party communities), and occupied (commenting, contributing, etc.). Today's web has shifted from a one to many to a many to many method of engagement, and we're loving it.

For businesses, the shift in web consumerism and accompanying rise in social media brings both opportunity and responsibility. The sheer amount of data that customers make available through social media alone has web marketers jumping for joy. The real magic, however, lies in the opportunity to grow lasting and scalable relationships with your organization's customer base through social media. This is also where your online responsibility to your customers begins to take shape. Just as your customers' behavior has shifted, so have their expectations for yours. Whether your business is listening and engaging or not, customers are having conversations relevant to your operations. Its better to be part of the conversation, right? We sure think so!