I’ve always viewed social media (the greater heading of – click here – to read the first question on SMG) like a pen, just another piece of technology, it’s the content that’s important.
However, the keyboard can do more than the pen – not just write it can create, publish, promote, aggregate, crowdsource etc etc. Therefore it can get confusing what to use and why.
It all comes under the greater heading of social media and it’s my intention to get this club to express to those who may not know all the how’s, what’s where’s and why’s – in essence that’s social media in action, the sharing of knowledge.
My skill set has always been “teacher”, I just get a kick out of people getting it. I’ve had the pleasure over the last few years to have been “funded” by my properties (I’m a full time landlord) this had allowed me to explore my passion in life, the web. It’s more of a fascination really and bearing in mind that the web is only just over 5000 days old (depending on whether or not you go with when www. started or the first browser) an awful lot has happened.
Please take some time to watch this video from Kevin Kelly.
If this much has happened since the web was born can you imagine what is coming.
So it would seem that the web is here to stay, not only that but it will be changing the way that society works and lives together. The last time that happened was the industrial revolution which introduced corporations to the world – both, I think it safe to say, are over. Don’t get me wrong they will never disappear but they certainly will not be a s powerful as they were – it’s now the turn of the technical revolution and this encompasses social media.
… and this is why IMHO it is so important to understand it – the web and social media.
My background, before property was a TV cameraman and I worked in the music industry (that explains the haircut!). However, before that I used to design racing cars (graphics) and although that was many years ago those skills and knowledge have re-emerged. This is, again, something that I would like to share with the club.
Whilst working with-in the racing world I had to be quite thoughtful of content (something that is very true today) such as:
Take a GP motorbike. If, for example, there was a treacherous left hand bend on a certain circuit – this means that the cameras will be on the right hand exit point so they can see the bikes coming into the bend and the crash if it happens. What this tells me is that the right hand side “belly pan” of the bike will get the most coverage, so that’s where I focus my attention.
What has this got to do with the web? Using social media you will be taking your “readers”/”followers” through a journey and although we don’t want them to crash, you need to be aware of where they are so you can make their journey as fulfilling as possible, this will allow you to lead, be consistent and add authenticity.
Here’s another video for you to watch, Steve Jobs addressing Stanford University. In one bit he speaks about how, when he dropped out of Uni, he learned calligraphy. At the time he wondered how that would help in life. We now know him as the co-founder and CEO at Apple, a company that was created to give us brilliant computers that, at the time of conception, were designed to give us brilliant type fonts, a by product of calligraphy.
So we have this ever evolving organism called the web and we have a leading heading of social media, I will do my best to help all but the web and SMG needs you to lead us – what do you want to know?
The keyboard has more capability than the pen not in content but in effect.
Social media graffiti … the club will help us all, I’m sure, in leading the way.
N
