Social Media

September 30, 2009 · by Greg Mattlin

Social Media.
203 million hits in .26 seconds is what you’ll find when you Google Social Media. The first link that shows up is a link to Facebook, which has 250 million current users. Social Media is everywhere! Like it or not, my advice is to absorb it, learn about it and use it.

I remember when I created my first email account. I believe it was back in 92 or 93 my sophomore/junior year in college. That was crazy! I’ll never forget setting up my first password and exchanging emails electronically with a friend in a different city. That was exciting and it was only email! I also remember the first time I heard of Google in 1996 or 1997. It was a huge hit and was definitely the Facebook of the 90’s.

Times have definitely changed since the 90’s in regards to all the avenues that are available through social media. Do you Tweet? Heard of Slideshare, Mybloglog, Dig, or Flickr? Maybe you’re more of a Facebook or Myspace person. What about Technorati, Del.icio.us, or Friendfeed? YouTube is still growing and there’s even tools that track Social Media like Google Alerts, Twilerts, SocialMention, TwitterFall, Google Wave or Addict-o-matic. (I just logged on to TwitterFall for the first time – it’s pretty cool – try it!)

Social Media is like anything else. The more you practice, learn, and spend time at, the more confidence you have and the more you’ll use. Knowledge breeds confidence and Social Media takes time and my advice is to use it. It’s here to stay and can actually be a lot fun!

In the last 10 minutes alone, I signed up for a Twitter account and completed my first Tweet! It was fun and easy! I told all my Tweeter followers that I’m playing volley ball tonight. Not too exciting, but I’m an official Twitter user for the first time. However, at this time, I don’t have any Twitter followers and the only person I’m following is Lance Armstrong…..need to work on that.

This blog has been fun and it’s a perfect example of putting yourself out there in social media. Our team at QWANtify is encouraged to blog once a month and I’m officially getter better at it. This blog will be posted on my Facebook, Twitter account, and also on my LinkedIn page. I’m excited to see what kind of response I get from my 500 plus contacts on LinkedIn and Facebook. I’m creating a Web presence and will soon be a Social Media expert…….well maybe not just yet.

Speaking of experts, the majority of the content in this blog comes from a fantastic presentation I heard this morning from Nate Towne, Senior Public Relations and Media Counselor with the Hiebing Group. Nate does a fantastic job and I wanted to take a minute and say “Thank you, Nate!” Your knowledge and presentation on social media was Awesome! One key point I took from the presentation is that social media is branding. The more you and your company are on the Web the more chances people have to notice you, so tell you story, brand yourself, be positive, and become involved.

A couple years ago i had a hotmail account and was testing the waters about posting video on YouTube. Now I’m Tweeting, connecting with people all over the world on Facebook, utilizing key business contacts on LinkedIn, and writing blogs! I’m curious to see what kind of response i receive from this posting, so let me know what you think! Tell me your story. Become a fan of something. Take 5 minutes and start a Twitter account. Become involved with Social Media. It’s here to stay and If i can do it – you can too!

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