Antisocial, me?

Social networking sites seem to impinge on every facet of my life. If I need to find an old colleague, I might cruise myspace (over-run with music wannabees and pr junkies to my mind). To track down old college mates I might log on to facebook (gah! I know I haven’t got enough mates to make that worthwhile). And just last weekend I had an introduction to Bebo from a close friend’s teenage daughter that both impressed me (their technical competence), and terrified me (fourteen year olds’ with pictures that make one of Britney’s ‘better’ – I use the term loosely – videos look tame). And that’s just in my personal life.

In business too, companies with any kind of public profile are likely to attract groups and references across the social networking landscape. Needless to say for every supporter of a company, product or cause, there is a dissenter lurking not too far away. So the democratic nature of t’Interweb means that there’s negative exhaust to be dealt with as well as a much coveted, glorious slipstream of praise to enjoy, as the social networking sites rev their collective engines.

A great paper to give you the lie of the land can be found here. And the general gist is not dissimilar to The Engagement Principles, that I’ve linked previously. But whether you’ve caught the SNS bug yet or not, maybe it’s time to lose your cherry and have a go. Poke someone (yup that’s the terminology. . .) and wonder how on earth the term lol caught on (it’s for losers, I’ve been told by a teen, but plenty of male thirtysomethings seem to use it instead of a fullstop).

Anyone remotely brand savvy should be testing their social butterfly wings about now. Cos this media has definitely reached its tipping point. It has its own rules and them that learn ‘em, are bound to steal a march on them that don’t. I’m going to my room. And if anyone calls, I’m not in!

Sara is a marketing specialist with a wealth of on-line and traditional experience. With award winning credentials as an advertising writer, her career also spans the disciplines of planning and strategy for both B2B and consumer clients. Having worked for one of the the UK's biggest non-London agencies, Sara now works on a consultancy basis for clients large and small. http://www.smallbizpod.co.uk/blog