Social Media - what to use, when to use it and why

Everyone is talking about social media, or they may be saying they need a blog, a wiki, a discussion forum, or a way to engage employees and/or customers. But most aren't sure what they need, how to use it or when to use it. There is a sense that they have to start using something or be left behind but what, when, how and why?

There is a pretty good slideshow with some statistics on social media that can give some context of what is happening - see http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/social-media-has-grown-up-stats-one-year-on/.

Blogs
Blogs started as web diaries. One person expressing their opinion about something. To make it have any value it should be a subject matter expert. For organizations, someone on the leadership team that can provide insight on what is going on and can articulate that on a regular basis is great. There is an expectation that comments can be entered and responded to as they relate to each article. This is how you begin getting a two way conversation happening and engaging people.

Wikis
Wikis are a collaboration tool. This is where the "democratization" starts to come in. Wikipedia is the most famous wiki. Wikis can be used for managing projects and information. Users can collaborate on documents and ideas. Wikis can be used to create and manage. They are good to create glossaries and as a tool to work on information without having to send multiple emails and worry about versioning.

Discussion Forums
These aren't new but they can be revitalized and used properly. They need to be monitored and managed. They are good for Q&A opportunities and can be set up for various topics.

Web Presence
The website may be your storefront but you need to reach people where they live so creating an online web presence is the answer. Post your videos on YouTube, your presentations on SlideShare, create Facebook and Twitte communities and put your comments everywhere - on other people's blogs and wikis. Move out into the web to establish your presence and get known. This creates viral word of mouth. This creates engagement with your audiences.

Push, Pull, and Participate
It isn't enough anymore to push information out by just having a website. It isn't enough to have email campaigns with links to your site to pull people in. You must go out into the web and participate. There are conversations going on, ok many are lame, but there are opportunities that can be mined to expand your exposure and get people listening, and talking. That is what social media is all about.