Why I Love Social Media

I love staying in touch with old friends and colleagues, even when they live on the other side of the world.
But that is something which I would have done anyway, in most cases.

No, it’s the strangers and their responses that intrigues me.

People seek a connection with you because of a common interest and in some cases those people become friends.., even though we’ve never met in real life (although some I actually do meet, @SchmoozyFox).

And then there’s the ‘famous’ people. I do social media at work and therefore I follow quite some people and stories, to stay on top of things, to stay informed.
Now I know the ‘gurus’ are busy people with a lot of followers and a lot of mentions and that they actually take time to reply is why I think Social Media is here to stay; (@JasonFalls@BrianSolis and @MissDestructo for instance).

Never before was it so easy to connect with people far away or potentially out of reach.
Granted, some people will never reply or connect on a personal level.

But those that do make all the difference.

Paradigm Shift

A turning point.., a crossroads.., a social media shift…

Choice: Do I fully immerse my self in Facebook and Open Graph?

It is a fantastic technology, a huge development in how we experience the web. Do we join Facebook and take full advantage of it’s possibilities?
Do we do this with open eyes, fully aware of the dangers this might bring to our privacy.., how much privacy do we have left anyway?
Do we trust the big ones or will we be skeptical, paranoid or even afraid of them?
What does it matter if they know whether I like Coke over Pepsi (and I really do)?
Why is it a bad thing if I get advertisements tailored to my tastes.., it’s a whole lot better than being bombarded with adverts which have absolutely nothing to do with me.

Then again.., will all this information be used against me at some point in time by somebody who doesn’t like me for whatever reason…

Then there is my job.., I am the social media guy at work.., I should explore everything.., all possibilities.., how can I do that if I’m to withhold from certain developments.

And then there is the future…
What if half a billion people and one company decide that this is the future.., who am I to argue. And am I willing to pass it by.., what will it be like in 10 or 20 years time…

I guess I have to sleep on it for a bit more.., or even meditate.

What do you think?