Different Types Of Social Media
The term “social media” may be one you’ve heard, but you’re not exactly sure what it entails.
The quick answer to that is, “Any online media that allows users to interact with one another (i.e. socialize).”
Perhaps a better way to explain social media (also referred to as Web 2.0) is to outline some different types of of social media applications.
Social networking – Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Ning
Social networking sites allow users to add friends, send messages and share content. People on social networking sites group in communities of like-minded interest. IMPORTANT: 1) The other types of social media outlined here also allow for networking, though they’re typically more focused on content sharing. 2) Don’t assume your audience isn’t participating in social networking. The growth of Facebook for example is phenomenal. The rate at which it is growing with men and women in their 60’s even is staggering.
Social bookmarking – Digg, Delicious
Social bookmarking applications allow users to share their favorite online content with one another while also creating online bookmarks that the user can refer to in the same way he would a bookmark created offline in his web browser.
Blogs – Wordpress, TypePad, Blogger as well as non-branded blogging platforms
Blogs are online journals where the author can write (blog) about any interest he wants. The blogger can also use the blog to share content picked up from other social media sites (YouTube, Issuu) by taking advantage of the simple embed codes offered by those content hosts.
Wikis - Wikipedia
A wiki refers to content created online as a result of multiple users working on the same content, but at different times and from different places.
Photosharing - Flickr, Photobucket
Photosharing sites are where people can upload photos to share either privately with only selected other users or publicly. Creative Commons licensing rights can grant permissions for others to use the photos by simply embedding the codes in their blogs. That is how I get most of the photos on my blog.
Video Sharing - YouTube, iMemories
Similar to photosharing. Users upload video content to a site for sharing either privately or public.
Presentation Sharing - Slideshare.net, Scribd, Issuu
Files can be uploaded as PDF’s and they are then converted to work with the online presentation applications. You’ll notice these presentation tools include embed codes and email options as well, making it easy for the content to be shared online.
This is just some of the info included in my Social Media Road Trip Workshop online video series.
There are tons of social media sites online. Choosing the right social media for your brand comes down to knowing where your customers are online.
–Kevin McIntosh
Tags: social media
