The ’social’ factor of social networking
All of us have come across the term “social networking†more than once. It is a generic name for the totally familiar websites to us; such as Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Hi5, Linkedin, Multiply, MySpace, Plurk, Twitter and the list goes on and on. Social networking defined by Whatissocialnetworking.com as ‘the grouping of individuals into specific groups’. Social networking seems to be new phenomenon for us, but in actual fact, it is not!
Our ancestors have already acknowledged the importance of bonding through social networking. However, form of social networking differs depend on the era. Social networking back in 1980’s most probably took place at someone’s living room, gushing about the new “Tupperware†that the host had bought. Nevertheless, apart from strengthen bond among members of the network, the gathering also somehow or other managed to influence some members to buy the “Tupperwareâ€.
With the presence of Internet, social networking has evolved to a virtual form and is expanding tremendously. Millions and billions of Internet users are connecting to each other through websites, gathering and sharing information and experiences. We are not only connecting with more people, but also having meaningful conversation with each other. The only reason of social networking still going big, despite the era we are in, is because it is based on “relationshipâ€. Whether you are into reading, diving, shopping, gaming, or networking, there is someone out there sharing the same interests and passion with you. Social media has the attribute to create your own community based on your values and common interest.
As marketers, it will definitely be easier to target your targeted market, as “birds of same feather flock togetherâ€. Now, how to reach those “birdsâ€?
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