I like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogging. I like the way social media presents a totally FREE platform where "independent contractors" like myself can market themselves, share ideas, meet other people and network. Networking is vital in order to turn contacts into contracts. Armed with a few effective tools, an individual can make a presence on the web and get their name, face and product in front of potentially millions of people with little to no out of pocket expense. I got darrylelliott.com for ten dollars. Sometimes, by sheer chance and stupidity you can go viral, like the numanuma dance, dramatic chipmunk (which is really a prairie dog) or Chocolate Rain. Fast Company has recently launched The Influence Project which has gotten a little bit of criticism for appearing to force a concept to go viral. I signed up for it out of curiosity. It has quite a few bugs to work out and it may just be me, but the site is laggy as all get out. When I sign in via my Facebook account, I show up as Cheryl Weigert?
The way social media works is a far cry from traditional advertising, not only in the marketing strategies behind it, but in the variety of outlets. The staggering number of social media sites available is becoming overwhelming! Just look at the number of locations where you can share a blog post via the share it button. Over 300!
How big is this balloon and how far will it expand before it explodes? Are there enough people interested in The Acme Widget Factory to justify a social presence everywhere? I look at it as a big experiment right now. A lot of people are putting out a lot of sites to see what hits and what misses. Of course, everyone is looking to make a buck at it, and there will always be the snake oil salesmen promising something for nothing or at a reasonable 900 dollars. If I had 900 bucks to throw away, I certainly wouldn't do it on a sales pitch from the internet!
I am by no means an expert, but it looks to me there may be backlash waiting around the corner. There may be a day of reckoning for many a social networking outlet. Personally, I don't have time enough to dedicate to every new site that pops up overnight. A day may be coming when the young and craggy social media mountain will be ground down to peaceful rolling hills.
Till next time, Keep It Real.
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