There are so many different kinds and forms of social media and all of them can be quite important for your online marketing efforts. Everybody divides them up a bit differently, but I am inclined to see them in this manner:
In addition, you can probably throw in social review sites, for example Yelp, webbased message forums, and a variety of topic-specific websites that create their own online communities. In short, any place online where social interaction occurs has the makings of being a social medium.
Social networking is, perhaps, typically the most popular social medium today because it's a true online community; it's where friends and family can spend time online and share their experiences.
In practice, a social networking is a large website that hosts a residential area of users and facilitates private and public communication between those users. Internet sites enable users to share experiences and opinions with each other via short posts or status updates.
Some social networks, such as school or alumni networks, are dedicated to a specific topic or community. Other internet sites, such as Facebook, are more broad-based, which allows for communities dedicated to specific topics to build up within the overall network.
How popular are internet sites? Really popular. According to the research firm Alexa, Facebook is currently the number two most popular site on the Web (after Google), with MySpace (that is admittedly on the decline) also appearing in the top 20.
And just why are these websites so popular? It's simply because they enable easy and immediate interaction between friends, family members, fellow students, and co-workers. Users can interact via public posts, private communication, event calendars, and even community-based games and applications. It's a method to be social with many people without needing to interact personally with each and every individual which is a big time saver. It's a means of being social without necessarily being personal, perfect for the new millennium.
In short, internet sites help people keep up-to-date on what others are doing and keep others updated on which they are doing. They also help establish a communal feeling based on shared experiences at school, in the workplace, or at play.
As to who uses internet sites, while it's true that college and students used to comprise the majority of the active audience, the demographics are rapidly changing. In fact, the fastest-growing demographic for social networks today is the 45-and-older age group which means that users of social networks have some money to spend.
In practice, then, internet sites are the place to find all sorts of users, including:
When you're targeting social networks as part of your online marketing mix, far and away the largest player is Facebook
Facebook not only delivers the largest audience but additionally the most general audience, which makes it perfect for all kinds of businesses. Other big players, in the U.S. a minimum of, are MySpace, with younger-skewing demographics, and LinkedIn, which targets a mature, more affluent, professional audience.
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