Professional Awareness For New Media Types

New Media is the transition that we're seeing now, whereby traditional media outlets are now being transitioned to "newer" types of available media outlets like mobile technology, online sites, and various unique ways of creating content to either share information or promote a product or service. During these times of transition we see a lot of experimentation, some succeed while some fail, but all in all it's a space that is very fluid and forgiving. This allows for many of us who are exploring this space to go "back to the drawing board" as they say and determine what worked and what didn't and become better than our previous iteration. This forgiveness works for the industry and against it.

Social Media is Not Social Networking

My colleague, Simon Salt of Incslingers, wrote an amazing article on the true differences between what social media is and what social networking is. I am inspired this post and while I cannot give it justice in my own words I highly recommend you read it. What I do want to pull from that post is the idea that while there are distinct differences, more often than not people will confuse the two. Social interactions online already have a bad reputation as being wasteful, for kids, and not effective. Sure there are some shining examples of success in the space, but the overall feeling is one of doubt.

Will this work for me? Is this a something serious I should consider as a strategy for my company?

All good questions that can be answered in a case by case basis since not all outlets are going to be a fit for the brand. But what is different now is that we all exist on a stage where the world is watching.

The World's an Online Stage

More so now than ever, what we say and do can be searched, Google'd, and traced if it's done online. Social functions are not a hotbed of instant reporting as we Tweet, Twitpic, and Facebook minute by minute happenings to our friends and our networks. It's important now more than ever that we as professionals in new media understand that while we're not asking for perfection, those new and curious about stepping out into social platforms are being given prime examples of relevant and noteworthy information.

Perhaps we forget sometimes that new media is not something that is widely accepted as standard practice. Too many still feel like YouTube is a place where kids in skateboards record videos of themselves falling, and that Twitter is just a place for sharing what you had for breakfast. For those of us that know better, it's up to us to lead as examples of new media can do.

Just food for thought, something that was just on my mind. I'd like to hear your first experiences with social and new media. Were you given good examples of how it worked? Were you one of those thought it was just for kids? I'd like to hear about your introductions to the space.

Photo Credit left-hand