How do you define social media?

What is social media?

Social media uses web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogues. A common thread running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value.

Traditional vs. Social Media

generally require significant resources to publish information requires specialized skills and training centralized framework for organization, production, and distribution comparatively inexpensive and accessible to enable anyone (even private individuals) to publish or access information anyone with access can operate the means of social media production more decentralized, less hierarchical, multiple points of

Traditional vs. Social Media

the time between can be capable of production and virtually instantaneous distribution can be long publication and (this is evolving) response once created, cannot be can be altered almost altered instantaneously by comments or editing

Distinguishing Social Platforms

So whats the difference between all these different platforms that we group together under the umbrella term Social media?

6 Types of social media functions

1. collaborative projects (for example, Wikipedia) 2. blogs and microblogs (for example, Twitter) 3. content communities (for example, YouTube) 4. social networking sites (for example, Facebook) 5. virtual game worlds (e.g.,World of Warcraft) 6. virtual social worlds (e.g. Second Life)
Source: Kaplan and Haenlein, Business Horizons (2010)

Many different kinds of technology

Remember that technology is always half the equation, its what allows social interaction. These include, among many others: blogs and vlogs picture-sharing wall-postings email and instant-messaging music-sharing podcasting

Social media functions

They may share some of the same technology, but they each favor different kinds of social interactions. They have different functions.

Social media functions

How do we analyze what the function is of a social platform in particular?

Social media functions

All social media share common functional building blocks But they each focus on different blocks

7 Building Blocks of Social Platforms

1) identity 2) conversations 3) sharing 4) presence 5) relationships 6) reputation 7) groups

1: The Honeycomb

2: The Honeycomb

Analyzing social media

But different platforms use different combinations of those building blocks, emphasizing different functionalities. EX: LinkedIn users care mostly about identity, reputation and relationships EX: YouTubes primary building blocks are sharing, conversations, groups and reputation

3: Specific honeycombs

Why social media is transformative

66% of online adults use social networking sites (U.S.)

Source: Pew Research Center, August 2012

Why social media is transformative

To give you a sense of the growing impact of social media:

Between February 2005 and August 2006, the use of social networking sites among young adult internet users ages 18-29 jumped from 9% to 49%.
Thats a lot, right?
Source: Pew Research Center, August 2012

Why social media is transformative

Why Facebook is transformative

12% of online adults say they use Pinterest 12% of online adults say they use Instagram 5% of online adults say they use Tumblr 66% of online adults use Facebook 20% use LinkedIn 16% use Twitter

Source: Pew Research Center, August 2012

How FB dominates all others

Why FB is transformative
There are over 1 billion active users on Facebook. Facebook has 232 million users in Europe, 222 million in North America, and 219 million users Asia. Facebook claims that, every day, users spend 10.5 billion minutes (almost 20,000 years) online on the social network More concretely: daily users inFrance spend 21m53s on FB in the United States spend 20m46s on FB

Why FB is transformative

If Facebook were a country it would be the world's third largest in terms of population, larger even than the US.

Why FB is transformative
Mobile is getting bigger every month for Facebook. More than half of those 1 billion users acess FB via mobiles, with more than 543 million monthly active users on mobile devices.

Why FB is transformative

Every minute, 684,478 pieces of content are shared on Facebook.

What does PRIVACY mean in the Facebook era?

Mark Zuckerberg
When I got started in my dorm room at Harvard, the question a lot of people asked was why would I want to put any information on the Internet at all? Why would I want to have a website? And then in the last 5 or 6 years, blogging has taken off in a huge way and all these different services that have people sharing all this information. People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people. That social norm is just something that has evolved over time.

Your privacy is already compromised

Cell phones track you Credit cards track you Cookies track you Search engines track you Governments track you Credit agencies track you Employers track you

Is the FB experierence worth it? Whats the content like on social media? What does QUALITY mean in the facebook era?

Managing the conversation:

Traditional media could control the message (the topic, the angle, the accuracy, even to some extent, the response) In social media: you cannot completely control your message, you can simply begin to participate in the "conversation" expecting that you can achieve a significant influence in that conversation

Social Media: Heart of Convergence

Social Media & Politics

Social Media & information

So what does this mean for you? How will you use social media professionally? What do you need to know to make it work for you?

Adapt your communication Its a CONVERSATION: consumers no longer want to be talked at. Instead, they want brands to listen, engage, and respond.

Adapt your communication

You need to answer 3 questions: 1) What is the core of your content? What are your goals? 2) What is the most relevant content for each social platform? what do the users here want? 3) How can you communicate your core content in a way that users want to consume it?

Practicum: Your Personal Brand

Are you already engaging with social media? What does your social media footprint say about you? How do your enhance your profile?

Practicum: Your Personal Brand

Are you on LinkedIn? Are you on YouTube? Are you on FaceBook and Twitter? Do these different building blocks make a coherent whole?

Practicum: Your Personal Brand

What makes good Facebook and Twitter content? What is narrative arc? Are you making your blog social?

Communicating SOCIALLY
Advertising & Monetization: SocialVibe Event planning: Eventful, The Hotlist, Upcoming, Yelp, Inc. Advocacy: Causes, Jumo Fundraising:, Kickstarter, IndieGoGo

Social Advertising

Social Event Planning

Social Activism

Social fundraising