Introduction
Increasingly I am coming across more information regarding the expanding role of social media in both the personal and professional lives of individuals. I had just started using social media a little over a year ago, mainly starting with Linkedin, expanding to Facebook, and most recently with Twitter this past September. This article addresses my impressions of social media, the growing role of social media as based on my observations and that of outside sources, and finally my predication of where this is going in terms of personal and business use.

First Impressions
Like many out there my first impressions of social media were fairly low. At the time I was entrenched in the corporate environment, so I saw value in Linkedin for gaining new contacts, gaining new information by participating in group discussion forums, and finally a way to keep in contact with individuals from past employment stints and school who I may have not otherwise maintained contact with.

Concerning the more “social” of the tools such as Facebook and Twitter, I viewed them as more cutesy and a way of blowing off steam without having to think too much. Facebook was kind of fun for staying in contact, keeping up with relationship status, and living vicariously through others based on their active social and travel lives as illustrated by their posted photos. Twitter I saw as mindless as my rationale was – why would I want to be posting little bite size snippets about my status and read those of others? Initially I did not see the value.

Later Impressions
Over time this attitude changed. As anyone who has been exposed to something new can attest, there is generally a warming up period that occurs. When I am exposed to something new that generally conflicts with the way I have done business in the past I generally do not like it. But once I see it more, get accustomed to using it, and others in my social circles adopt it, I tend to like it more and this increases over time. I consider myself pretty open-minded; however, I consider this trait of warming up to something to be just part of human nature and some take longer than others to acclimate to something. Think back to when you have joined a new group, started a new position, or just tried something new in general. It is very rare that one accepts change, especially drastic change overnight with open arms. Thus was my relationship with social media.

Interestingly enough, as time passes I find that I am using Linkedin less and focusing more on Facebook and Twitter. I believe this is occurring for at least two reasons. The first is that I am going through a life transition of sorts where I am transitioning from a corporate environment to that of small business and I am finding there is just more going on with Facebook and Twitter in small business when compared to Linkedin. This is not to say one tool is better than the other, just I find the former tools to be better for the job than the latter.

The second reason for my increased focus on Facebook and Twitter is that it offers personal insights into people that I am interacting with on both a personal and professional level. In the past I have found that my established “in-person” relationships were driving my social media relationships. However, this is changing. Increasingly I am finding that people I meet online through Facebook are facilitating in-person relationships.  This is mainly due to increased interaction online – by the time you meet with a person for a second or third time, it may be the equivalent of many more meetings due to getting to know the person virtually. Many times I have found that interactions on Facebook and Twitter highlight similar interests and backgrounds that may have not been obvious otherwise.

Finally, I have found that tools such as Facebook help keep me stay connected and sane when working in an isolated environment. Anyone who has transitioned from a corporate to self-employed state will likely agree that initially it is strange not have an organizational structure around them. It is a good thing that you are in-charge, however it is strange not to have the social interaction. Social media eliminates this awkwardness, or at the very least reduces it.

While working I stay logged on to social media, which in many instances I find that I am more social now than I was in a traditional organization. Some may view this as a waste of time – especially those in a traditional corporate structure, however I would strongly disagree. I view my interactions on social media as strengthening relationships which have proven to be quite valuable over time. For example, say I reach a problem that stumps me. In the past it may have taken a day, or maybe even longer to resolve. Now I can broadcast a request or contact someone I know virtually to request assistance and many times resolve the problem instantly or in minutes. This is really just a different way of thinking – consider it.

The more I use social media the more I like it and am even finding it to be an integral part of my personal and professional life, and from what I am reading and seeing online and in the media I am not alone.

The Changing Role Of Social Media
Based upon my observations, the role of social media is changing in the following ways:

1. Re-connecting With The Past: Robert Bussey of Ipswich, MA made the following assessment of social media: “It’s funny how we’re all shot out of a cannon once we graduate high school only to return to those we grew up with 20 years later. Perhaps Facebook was a godsend in this regard”. Rob’s comment is what prompted my thoughts on this topic and how my use of Facebook and social media in general has changed. My experience has mirrored that of Rob’s. Very recently I have reconnected with many friends that I may not have come back into contact with. Some unknowingly reside in the same area. These contacts are childhood friends, friends from high school, previous work environments, the military, and academic education. It is worth noting that Rob’s acceptance of Facebook did not occur overnight. Rob was a connection that I had made and strengthened in person over time, via traditional channels. I had sent him an invite as he was not on Facebook, however he did not accept or join until months afterward. However, now that he is plugged in he is very active posting status updates, articles, and creating groups and has quickly seen the value.

2. Rapid Sharing Of Information: I have found Facebook and Twitter to be a great tool for the sharing of information, nearly instantaneously. On Facebook there is the ability to post links to news article, which I have found to be particularly useful. One such example is from Jamie Favreau, a contact I initially made through this blog and strengthened through Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter. Jamie had posted an article from the New York Times entitled: “Out Of Office: Job Loss In The Age Of Blogs And Twitters” which furthered my ideas for this article and triggered new ideas for other articles. This is just one example of many useful references I have received from Jamie and others on Facebook. What I consider the best part of this feature is that items are posted as a newsfeed so you may ignore non-relevant information if you like without the extra step of deleting from your e-mail or RSS.

3. Escape Mechanism: The above referenced Times article likens social media to an escape mechanism used by those in the Great Depression. According to the article, during those times the unemployed would spend days watching movies in movie theaters in order to distract themselves from the reality of their situation until things improved. Today with online access being so inexpensive many are turning to blogging or social media as a lower cost alternative to escape. As a result, game companies and movie rental companies such as Netflix are actually seeing increased sales as a result of the economic downturn.

4. Facilitator: Social media can serve as a powerful facilitator for traditional business tools such as webinars. For example, I had attended a webinar (for a summary of the content from this webinar click here) hosted by Hubspot which promoted David Meerman Scott’s upcoming book called World Wide Rave. Although I found the webinar content to be worthwhile and plan on purchasing the book upon it’s release next week I was equally impressed by the manner that Hubspot used Twitter during the meeting. A basic rundown is as follows: Hubspot launched the webinar, showed a demonstration on how to propose questions or discuss using TwitterSearch and then launched into the presentation. What resulted was the presentation occurring while the side Twitter discussion was occurring in near real-time. At the end of the presentation questions posed on Twitter were answered by the author and Hubspot staff. One must truly experience this to see the power of this format- don’t just take my word for it though, click here for an assessment by another attendee.

Concerning David Meerman Scott – I just recently became acquainted with his work through the Hubspot webinar this past Friday but I am impressed by what I heard. One statement that resonated with me is his admitting to being fired by a well known company for implementing his ideas which he documents in World Wide Rave. Not that the approach would not work, but because it ran counter to the deeply ingrained culture within that organization. Anyone who puts their principles ahead of their paycheck is okay with me! I look forward to reading more and will provide an update.

Next I will discuss my predictions of the future of social media.

The Crystal Ball
My thought is that the changes brought about by the economic downturn will forever change the way we do business. In an earlier article I had discussed the concept of discontinuous change and how this change stands to redefine the way we do business and operate. I believe that the economy is forcing businesses, especially small businesses, to work smarter not harder – even more so than usual. An example of a traditional or “push” (also referred to as outbound) marketing approach would be to purchase a print ad or television commercial and push the information on consumers and potential clients. The new approach, or “pull” (also referred to inbound) marketing is to seed your message to a few critical influencers who will spread your message virally. These influencers will spread your message rapidly and pull consumers and potential clients to you.

For more on inbound versus outbound marketing refer to the Hubspot article called Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing. One additional point worth noting – I do not necessarily agree with the author’s view that one form is better than another – I believe that the two approaches are complementary and therefore should both be used and tailored to your specific needs. For an in-depth treatment of this subject in terms of push vs. pull and how these lines are blending to form a type of “murketing”, I recommend reading the book Buying In by Rob Walker.

In closing, the economic downturn has brought about a new way that social media is being used by both individuals alike. Many individuals are using as either an escape mechanism or by spreading the word virally of how they may add value as a freelance or independent provider. Small business is transitioning from more of a push to a pull approach, and eventually the changing landscape will impact large business, who in my opinion will be a later adopter given that it is generally more difficulty to change large organizations, when compared to small business or individuals.

Facebook and other social media tools are transforming the business landscape!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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