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Indianapolis Social Media – Why Facebook is not Important (sort of)

Posted in: Blog, Tech Tips by admin on June 22, 2010

Now that I have your attention, let me explain. When you think of social media keep in mind the end result is a mixture of your social content (photos, comments, video, etc.) with the social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, YouTube) that you select as your online vehicle(s) of choice. What’s important to know about social media sites is that they are driven entirely by users, that is, people like you and me. Facebook provides the framework, flush with  fancy bells and whistles, but the users truly make it come to life.

The reach of these social media sites is almost eye-popping. Consider this – NBC, ABC and CBS combined reach 10 million viewers each month. Facebook, YouTube and MySpace combined reach 250 million users. The impact is equally stunning. Think of the role social media played in the 2008 Presidential Election, how it has proven influential in elections around the globe. Facebookers even mounted a campaign in support of Betty White as host of SNL, and were successful!

In the long run, a particular social platform may have staying power, or it may fade into the sunset. Remember MySpace? It once held the lion’s share of the social media market but has been in decline while Facebook’s fortunes rose (literally). The same can be said with photo sharing sites. Flickr is the current titan, but PhotoBucket is gaining ground every day. As the technology behind social media platforms grows and evolves, many live and die based on their ability to stay ahead of the pack, as well as what the savvy consumer anoints the next big thing. Do you remember how you searched the web prior to Google? Me neither.

So while Facebook may be around a decade from now, you could just as easily find yourself saying, “Remember when we all had Facebook pages?” However, what isn’t going away is the fact that any user, anywhere, at any time, can post something of importance, whether a photo, video, or comment. Content generated by users is growing at an exponential rate. More data (texts, photos, videos) is being transmitted over cell phones than voice. And much of that data is housed on social media sites.

So do you need to get on Facebook? To me, that’s not the first question you ask. The first question is: “Do you need to engage in social media?” That answer is a resounding yes.