The new social media is getting a lot of notice these days. Even the traditional media (magazines, tv/radio, and newspapers) is paying attention and trying to "get into the game" or appear "with it". Traditional media involvement starts with its own online editions but has gone further.
Have you noticed how television news programs stress going to their Web site for more information?
The Chicago Tribune, one of the icons of traditional newspaper journalism, now has features with content picked up from the Web. The Trib is showing, for example, the best Tweets (messages posted on Tweeter, a popular micro-blogging Web site based service) and has short features such as the most searched online topics.
The hard news lately is that Tweeter will start charging. I wonder if that will slow down the pace of new sign-ups. Most social media is enjoying new sign-ups at record paces. In some cases, you could call it explosive. For example, LinkedIn is predicted to surpass 50 million users by year-end.
A lot of what is traditionally available on the Web is free. In some cases, you get what you pay for in terms of inaccurate, unverified information but, as most of us know, there is also a fabulous wealth of facts, figures, and opinions available 24/7 on the Internet. As the social media moguls and even the traditional media start to charge for online content and use, it will be interesting to watch how that effects the use. My sense now is that there is a bit of fear to start charging with the prospect of losing users or viewers but they will have to because advertising alone rarely supports such a venture. Much of the social media is still in the courtship phase of its relationship with many users so enjoy it free while you can.
Another aspect to ponder is: Will the new social media make us all more connected or has it, in some cases, made us less connected by substituting online messaging for face-to-face interaction? Use of the social media like most things in life has to be balanced and not overdone. We can discuss more of this next time.
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