Stay alert
Have you got all your bases covered when using social media? Or are you relying too much on the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In?
Blogger Adrienne Graham points out that most of the training provided for businesses on the benefits and uses of social media tend to concentrate almost exclusively on these three sites. It’s true these are the front-runners, but it’s not just about them, she argues. It’s about ‘a cross section of community sites, blogs, bookmarking sites, photo sites, sharing tools, audio and video tools and some even more advanced tools that are used in conjunction with one another to have a robust social media experience’.
Her point is that the Internet is constantly evolving, and even the biggest sites come and go. What happens if Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In stop being “cool spots” for the “in crowd”?
‘Where will you go then? Where else are you looking to help build your brand? Are you listening to or using podcasts or Internet Radio stations? Are you tapping into video and live streaming sites? Are you paying attention to how people are using various blogging and forum platforms to showcase their knowledge, talent and expertise? What about international sites like Viadeo or Xing? What about the social networking forums like Ning and Collective X?’
Graham says that, as part of her drive to establish a small business, she had no choice but to check out every available avenue. Her article is a useful reminder on the need to stay alert – access it here.
