How will we remember 2011? A year filled with huge change on a global, local and personal level. Social media played an integral part and continues to impact our lives–in ways we don’t always stop to think about. Social media tools are developing and evolving at breakneck speed, presenting incredible opportunity and risk at the same time.
We have seen the rise and fall of social media personalities, the introduction of new platforms and myriad changes to the large and familiar networks like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn. We scramble to stay abreast of the advances and to understand how they will impact our clients’ efforts to build business. There are so many times when I sit back, frustrated, wondering why the world is moving so fast. And how we can ever keep up.
Social is everywhere.
Social media has played a huge part in the political uprisings across the globe and in our ability to observe and share the stories that resonate. Social tools enable businesses and organizations to market, promote, hire, learn and grow. Social media allows non-profits to communicate with supporters, raise funds and educate the public. Individuals are using social tools in just about every way imaginable and some in ways we might not have imagined.
In Northwest Ohio the use of social media continues to grow and to evolve. 2011 was the year we brought the first Exploring Social Media Business Summit to town, a high level social media and digital marketing training led by industry expert, Jason Falls. It was the year we had our first local TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, with the very successful introduction of TEDxBGSU. The University of Toledo’s Third Annual Internet Marketing Conference included national speakers and experts Christopher Penn and Joe Pulizzi.
In Northwest Ohio, non-profit organizations like Unison Behavioral Health Group, United Way and Food for Thought have incorporated social tactics into their public awareness and volunteer organizing campaigns. Our traditional electronic and print media have embraced Twitter and Facebook in their daily communications. Small businesses across Northwest Ohio have begun to experiment with social networking. New blogs have been introduced and forums created. This is encouraging news for a region that still has many businesses and organizations who lack a basic internet presence.
I love it. I love the ever changing nature of our online social world. I love the excitement of trying to stay abreast of the newest sites, the updates, changes and additions. I am endlessly fascinated by the growth and evolution of the space and the incredible knowledge I gain from the people I connect with in social media. I am equally fascinated and troubled by the dark side of social media and watch it closely as it too evolves and grows.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of social networks, blogs, monitoring tools and related technology. Learning to understand them, to use them effectively, to be able to explain them to clients and prospects feels like a full time job. Today, social media is just one aspect of our vibrant, growing and interconnected online world. Today’s marketing and PR professionals must be comfortable, if not proficient, in related specialties like search engine optimization, online ad placements in Google and Facebook, working within WordPress, editing video and so much more. New tools are introduced almost daily.
And yet. The world remains unchanged in its dependence on human relationships. On people connecting with other people and sharing the things that matter to them. Social media enhances this immutable fact. So, as we move through the last few hours of 2011, let’s celebrate the close of a turbulent year filled to overflowing with change and excitement. And, let’s look forward to growth we will all enjoy in 2012.
See you in the social space!