Mike Smith asked:


“Word of mouth” is the strategy behind marketing on social media. 2008 saw much hype over the emergence of this new form of marketing and now that the dust has settled, it is time to come to terms with the challenges of social media marketing. No longer a fringe benefit or additional service, online marketing sees social networking, blogs and bookmarking sites as the latest thing, picking up from search engine optimisation. Apart from the upswing in popularity that social media has seen, there are advantages that remain untapped by many SEO firms that provide social media marketing services as well.

Online communities have had a profound effect on popular culture evident from the widespread use of sites like YouTube, Flickr and other media outlets. Organisations that do not realise the business development potential of this cultural phenomenon will find themselves struggling in the marketing world of 2009. The recession caused by the meltdown of financial institutions worldwide is now prompting a new wave of media marketing that is driven by smaller staff and tighter budgets. For conformists, holding on to traditional marketing avenues will probably spell PR doom. There is a demand for open, transparent and direct conversation between customer and merchandiser that only the social web can fulfil.

Adapt, evolve or perish has been the principle guiding success within every industry and the marketing world has seen the advent and decline of other media in the past. The first to embrace new forms of marketing have always been most successful and in this transitory period the question of when rather than why is now significant. The advantages of social media marketing are manifold. Enabling your customers to act as spokespersons, targeting relevant bloggers to endorse your services and initiating discussions between employees and customers are some of the many ways in which marketing is revolutionising online business.

Very often social media marketing is confused with social media optimisation. The two terms while similar, have taken a more definitive meaning in this new year. 2008 was the year of SMO – where websites were encouraged to be more social media friendly, add social bookmarking links and create user friendly content. Social media marketing, on the other hand, is an extensive field that finally aims at promoting content via social networking websites. As SMM makes its way to the forefront of online marketing, there is a compelling need to embrace this new medium to survive in the cutthroat world of online retailing.



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Kristin Gabriel asked:


Social media networking and other new forms of online communication are the latest rage. What is it and how are today’s educators using this new tool?

The online technologies and practices used to share opinions, ideas, experiences, perspectives and insights with other people, social media is changing the way we learn, teach, and interact with other people worldwide. People everywhere are having conversations online. The world of education is included; parents, students, teachers and lawmakers. There is a new wave of influencers out there online, and it is powerful.

It all started to flourish around 2007 when social networks began to gain traction. Now memberships are in the hundreds of millions. For the latest trends authors like Paul Gillin began talking about these new influencers several years ago.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the activities involved in social media:

1) Websites need to be properly optimized – so people can find them via search engines.

2) RSS feeds, or Really Simple Syndication – people can now publish online.

3) Optimized article submissions linking back to your website.

4) Blogs and Vlogs – to share content and videos (e.g. YouTube or Google Video.

5) Webcasts/Podcasts/Videocasts – Another way to share information from a desktop.

6) Social networks (MySpace, Flicker, Stumble Upon, etc.)

7) Socializing web content (tagging and bookmarking) – it’s a library online.

Communities online – niche groups according to interests and topics.

Many businesses are already using social media finding these benefits:63 percent are using social media to build and promote their brand;61 percent are using social media to improve communication and collaboration; and 58 percent are using social media to increase the engagement of consumers.

The implications of social media are huge, and in education it is very big. Blogging is an enjoyable way to share information, learn from others and also to make professional acquaintances. Podcasts or videos can help others learn anytime and from anywhere.

Younger people have adapted very quickly to the concept of social media. MySpace is a huge congregation of sharing among kids. Now Twitter is catching on.

Anyone can use social media tactics for one of the following goals:

1) Conversation Mining. Research and mine consumers in vertical and horizontal networks and communities.

2) Invite influencers (customers/teachers/parents) into the circle to learn and share.

3) Choose the tools. Assign people to watch and listen to online conversations about education.

Social media tactics in education provide the ability for virtual classes. There’s a group at Second Life called ‘Real Life Education in Second Life.’ It is made up of people who are interested in the educational possibilities of the program. According to them, there are more than 400 universities and 4,500 educators participating in the Second Life Educators List (SLED). And this group is studying how to leverage the benefits of learning in a virtual world in order to assist the students of today.

Social media also allows students to interact across cultures, both directly and virtually. It also allows intercultural researchers to create new forms of study abroad via co-seminars helping to transform approaches to international education.

here are some social media networking sites for educators, networking and sharing information:

Education Futures – exploring the rise of innovative knowledge societies.

Twitter.com – a place where people can share in real time.

Facebook.com -(Sign up; review groups; use Friendster).

LinkedIn.com – ask “Questions” and “Answers” on Linked-In. Squidoo.com – a place to post and share topical information.

Gather.com – where you can post educational content

Skype – for instant messaging using audio/video.

Second City – for virtual teaching and conferences

Social media today is blending innovative technologies with social interaction, and the co-construction of new knowledge into popular social media outlets for online interaction that are centered around Web 2.0.



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