10 things I just learned about social media

Here’s how social media moves from on line to "real world": a techie friend told me about www.MeetUp.com, a monthly gathering around new technologies. A new Denver company put on a free panel on “Social Media,” and promoted it through a MeetUp post. I RSVPed, and spent the morning in downtown Denver getting schooled on several aspects of social media. Every client asks me about it, and the phenomenon has changed radically in the last year. Innovations are coming down the pike at a breathless pace. Thanks www.RedDoor.biz!

It behooves us all to keep up and stay sharp, so here are “10 things I just learned about social media.”

1. Effective social media is trusted communications between people who know each other. (Ari Newman, http://filtrbox.com)
2. “Twintern” – a new trend of hiring college students to manage Twitter posts, which makes one wonder, who’s speaking for your organization? (Jamie Dicken, http://brickfish.com)
3. Match your unique social approaches to your unique audience. (Crosby Noricks, www.reddoor.biz)
4. The same way e-mail changed the interoffice memo of the 80s, social media is changing e-mail. (Newman)
5. Keeping score is more than just tracking numbers of fans. You have to capture the value of individual conversations. (Noricks)
6. Two days is too long to wait to get back to someone with a question on your social media space. (Noricks)
7. Re-Tweeting is the new e-mail forward. (Newman)
8. You can’t afford not to do social media. (Adrian Glasenapp, http://newbelgium.com)
9. The link-shortening services are popular, not just to save you characters (in the Twitter 140-character space), but because they offer metrics to measure clicks. (Newman)
10. There is a cultural shift around social media. Companies are spreading knowledge, insights, responsibility and ownership of social media across departments. (Dirk Shaw, http://vignette.com)

There was so much more, but by the time we talk, things will have changed again. Which of the above “strikes” you?