A Quick Introduction to Social Media Tools( And how they can help you ) Created by Mindy Zhang for COMM215Digital Media Across Asia

This presentation will…Introduce you to the basic functions of social media.Explain some of the specific tools you can use to find, organize, and distribute information.Create some order out of all the “web 2.0” chaos – so that you can start exploring these tools and using them to your benefit.

What is “social media”?TheTechnologicalDefinition(from Brian Solis)“Social media describes the online tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives and media itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of people. These tools include blogs, message boards, podcasts, micro blogs, lifestreams, bookmarks, networks, communities, wikis, and vlogs.”

What is “social media”?The Behavioral Definition (from Brian Solis)“Social media is the democratization of content and the understanding of the role people play in the process of not only reading and disseminating information, but also how they share and create content for others to participate. It is the shift from a broadcast mechanism to a many-to-many model, rooted in a conversational format between authors and people.”

Essentially, we’re shifting from a “read only” culture (Web 1.0) to a “read-write” Internet culture (Web 2.0).Source: Dion Hinchcliffe.

Social media is changing our society.Here’s how.

Social media means…Democratized Media.“Professionals” no longer control the media. Creation and distribution of information are in the hands of many people – essentially, anyone with an Internet connection.

Social media means…The Rise of the Amateur.You don’t need a record deal to make it big on the Internet. YouTube comedians, MySpace musicians, and hobby photographers of the world can gain large audiences through social media.

Social media means…New Ways of Collaborating.Social media encourages participation. Now, instead of paying one person to write an article, one can tap into the collective knowledge and expertise of many individuals – and create 13 million articles for free.

Social media means…Rapid Communication.You can spread a message to your social network with a click of a button. And if others like what you’re saying, they will click, too – and spread the message to their friends. Your message can hopacross networks and reach millions.

Social media means…More Ways of Communicating.We now have multiple channels for saying things. And many of these tools allow other people to comment, respond, and spread your message. The challenge is choosing the right channel for who you want to reach and what you want to say.

Social media means…Better and Faster Access to Information.Forget rummaging through pages of junk in order to find what you need. Social media lets you categorize, search, and discover through others’ recommendations. This means more relevant information at a fraction of the time.

Who benefits from social media?Brands – Imagine reaching millions with your brand message – at a fraction of the cost. The trick is getting people to listen and like what you’re saying.Organizations – Social media can facilitate more efficient communication within an organization. And the benefits of internal collaboration are huge!Individuals – Remember the “rise of the amateur”? If you have talent, there’s no need to be a “professional.” Individuals can use social media to gain fans.

And most importantly, social media can help you.

There are hundreds of tools available:Seem chaotic?Source: Brian Solis, PR 2.0.

The good news: You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) use them all.

Explore a variety of tools, and select the ones that fit your life.Here are some examples of social media tools (besides Facebook) and how they can help you…

1. Stay informed.Google Reader lets you aggregate all of your news sources and access them in one location. Instead of constantly checking different sites, Google Reader will tell you when new stuff is published.Click on a folder and see all content in one place. (e.g. the “Advertising” category aggregates multiple blogs)Share your favorite items with others – and see your friends’ favorites. Categorize your news sources using folders.Start exploring. Create an account at google.com/reader.

1. Stay informed.Twitterlets you access quick 140-character updates from your favorite news outlets, celebrities, bloggers, organizations, brands, and individuals. With this tool, you’ll be the first to receive the latest information.Send your own updates to your “followers”Tags beginning with a hash sign (#) allow you to see all messages pertaining to a specific topic. For example, #comm215 lets us see all the messages from our classmates . (Click here to view the #comm215 category)See by-the-second updates from your favorite people and organizations.Start exploring. Create an account at twitter.com.

1. Stay informed.FriendFeedaggregates different types of social media content– including blog posts, Facebook status updates, “tweets”, and more. This handy tool lets you access content across platforms in one place.Subscribe to social media content from a specific groupAdd your own updates to the group (including photos, PDF files, etc.)Respond to updates or forward it to others.Start exploring. Create an account at friendfeed.com.

2. Promote your personal brand.Create a profile on LinkedIn and let others see your professional credentials. Your account essentially acts as an online resume and social networking tool. You can connect with your colleagues and keep in touch with people within your network. Your colleagues can also “introduce” you to new contacts through the website.Post your credentials (professional and education details)Connect with individuals and expand your professional networkGet online recommendations from your colleaguesStart exploring. Create an account at linkedin.com

2. Promote your personal brand.Google Profiles allows you to post your credentials and links to your online content (e.g. your professional blog, Twitter account, etc.). Google Profiles is more casual than LinkedIn – and better used as a static page than a tool for building online connections. It provides searchable information about you – and you might direct online contacts to this “About Me” page.Links to your other social media accounts (so that others can view the content you’ve created)[Name here]Start exploring. Create an account at google.com/profiles

3. Create and upload content.Wordpress and Blogger allow you to quickly create blogs and publish content. They also provide pre-formatted templates for your website. You can use these tools to create professional or personal blogs that integrate text with multimedia content (videos, photos, etc.).User-friendly platform allows you to quickly write and publish blog entries.Manage your blog comments and block spam.Start exploring. Create an account at wordpress.com or blogger.com

3. Create and upload content.Flickr and Picasa are great resources for uploading, organizing, and sharing photos. You can even tag your photos with keywords so that others can easily search for them. Start exploring. Create an account at flickr.com or picasaweb.google.com

3. Create and upload content.SlideShare is great for finding presentations and documents (from conferences, individuals, and organizations) and sharing your own. Scribd is an excellent resource for finding and sharing reports, and PDFs. After a presentation, you may direct others to these websites to access the resources you presented.Search all presentations on SlideShareShare or download the presentationEmbed the presentation in a blog entry or website.Find related presentations on SlideShareStart exploring. Create an account at slideshare.com or scribd.com

… And there are many more. The key is to start exploring andexperimenting with these tools. The more you explore social media, the more likely you are to find helpful tools.

Some great resources for learning more about social media:Groundswell by Forrester Research [Click to access] Book and blog about social media technologies – and how organizations and individuals can use them to their advantage. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky[Click to access]Book about how social media is changing society and “revolutionizing social order”. Fast read, incredibly eye-opening.World Wide Rave by David MeermanScott [Click to access]Book about how organizations can create “triggers” to spread their message.PR 2.0 Blog by Brian Solis [Click to access]Social media expert blogs about tips, recent trends and insights.