How do you define social media?
social media February 9th. 2008, 12:33pmI’m quite sure that someone out there has a clean, comprehensive definition of social media. Wikipedia has an entry, but it’s apparently not up to standard.
So, while I am searching for an official definition, I thought I’d throw this one out for debate:
Social media are the means for any person to: publish digital creative content; provide and obtain real-time feedback via on-line discussions, commentary, and evaluations; and incorporate changes or corrections to the original content.
Agree or disagree? Partially agree?
Let’s discuss and you can tell me what you think!
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February 9th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I agree with it most definitely, but I don’t consider social media “publishing” content, more like sharing.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
@Fat Kid Unleashed: sharing is part of it, but in the past you had to do this form of sharing by publishing a printed document
February 9th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I wouldn’t argue with your definition. I would only rephrase it to say that social media are tools used to enable sharing among interested parties, including but certainly not limited to digital tools applied in on-line or Internet environments. Thoughts?
February 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
@Jason - The reason that I used the wording “digital” was that I didn’t see how social media content could NOT be digital. I’m a bit challenged to come up with an example of how it could be used with non-digital media. Maybe I’m missing something obvious.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I agree with Jason. I see social media as more of a tool while social networking is more of an action. Social media is a broader term that encompasses so much, that I think this is why it is harder to sell social media because it entails a lot of different tools that are needed for different projects.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
@Kristen - When you used the word “tool”, I used the word “means”. I think we are in agreement. There are multiple tools in the social media toolkit. This blog is just one of them.
February 10th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Here’s a definition I wrote in my post: Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell
“The meaning of the term ?social media? can be derived if we examine both of the words which constitute it. Media generally refers to advertising and the communication of ideas or information through publications/channels. Social implies the interaction of individuals within a group or community.
Taken together, social media simply refers to communication/publication platforms which are generated and sustained by the interpersonal interaction of individuals through specific medium or tools. “
February 10th, 2008 at 10:41 am
@Maki - quite elegant.
February 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
In Nov, I briefly skimmed through Maki’s “Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell” and it was slam packed with a better guesstimation of what Social Media entails than the Wiki version. I am just learning the ins and outs of its advantages today. There’s always more to learn about how to utilize it in more efficient ways. Ever growing and evolving it seems.
Each category of persons will want to view SM differently I believe.
A marketer of products will want to view it as a means of financial gain through mutual friends promoting advertisements.
An activist of human rights or eco system health provider may view it as an awareness promoter.
A teenager without promo agenda may find it useful as a friend-making tool to build a network of support to them, maybe even because they cannot find such support within their home environment…
And so on..
Social Media is a city containing all the streets needed to get you from point a to point b, whether you are the driver or the passenger. Exploration and experimentation is what leads to a more structured map of the territory you wish to travel. For we are still building it’s roadways.
February 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
@spostareduro - Very thoughtful, Kim. It’s true that different people will attach different meanings and value to social media. I was trying to come up with an objective meaning. Naturally I checked Wikipedia but saw the warnings at the top of the article, so I looked further.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:18 am
[Social Media means] “Internet way-finding tools informed by human judgment. ‘informed’ can mean many things including egregiously uninformed.”
Chris Sherman, Executive Editor: Search Engine Watch @ SES Chicago 2006
February 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am
@Marty - Chris’s definition is one designed to stimulate some thinking, I’d say.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Your definition definitely works, as do many in the comments. Here’s my un-dictionary-friendly version:
Social media is any media, most commonly a website, that allows the users, readers, contributors, and journalists/artists to share their idea of quality content and allow it to be praised or bashed through public commentary and a voting system of sorts.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
@JD - I like the inclusion of the word “bashed” - makes it real!