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Social media is many things to many people. It can be a way to keep in touch with relatives and friends, or a place to share photos and videos of your life. But is there a place for social media in your work? Although many don't see this as an opportunity, social media is much more than a social service. It is where your staff, customers, and colleagues spend much of their time, sharing critical information that can be very helpful to you and to them. Social media is perhaps the most important tool to use in filtering news so that you can keep up with your profession.
Possibly the biggest misnomer about social media is its name. To many, the word "social" connotes a nonprofessional space, one that is solely about friends. Yet that is only one element of social media. If you ask younger professionals where they get most of their news, how they learn about professional development opportunities, or even where they find out about potential jobs, they will tell you it is through social media. They will likely emphasize one tool, typically Twitter, as being more useful than newspapers and television combined.
A Brief History
The advent of the online variety of social media can be debated, but the first online social networks to gain mass followings were two that continue today: eBay and Craigslist. Both were founded in 1995, at a time when many people were just getting home personal computers. Although you might not consider these social media services, that is exactly what they are at their core--communities of people sharing information and content. Hugely...