Newcomers to the internet are now questioning the value of social networking. Their view of the internet is different since they have nothing to compare. When stepping back and looking at the feeds from the top social networks there really is not as much socializing being done now as was being done just a few months ago. Most ask..’What is so social about social media?’
It is true. Have you counted how many ‘Link Only’ posts are made in one update on Twitter? Now add in the sponsor ads and you are seeing what someone new to the internet is seeing. The same is going on over on Facebook and even LinkedIn is bowing to the pressure to allow unsolicited posts that have little, if any, social value.
So what happened to the socializing the social networks were set up to offer people? I guess the answer would be the same as what happened to the NASCAR driver uniforms and Professional Golfer’s shirts. All of them are covered..some plastered solidly…with logos and product brands. Being associated to someone or something that obviously is not part of socializing makes those who are in the same space to socialize with these people very uncomfortable.
The question now is does this un-social posting in the social network really help with improving the image of social networking? Ergo, does this firehose of promotions improve the image of social media?
Of course veterans of the internet know about the filters to use to throttle back the flood tsunami high volumes of un-social posts. However, the newbies of the internet are not aware of the tools that can be used to squelch the noise so they just leave. This unawareness of how to work the system works against getting more people online to provide for more socializing. This misunderstanding of what is going on online is also working against the efforts of social media.
Social Networking Anti-Gravity
As the volumes of sponsors’ posts, ad placements, ‘link only’ tweets and other forms of self promotions are increasing so are large volumes of people turning off the internet for open social networking. Rough estimates are 3 our 5 people entering internet on a Monday will be gone by Friday. This plays well for the social networks since most will not allow the now abandoned account or the profile information to be deleted. This misinformation allows the social networks the ability to make a statement on their site showing an increase in members. Nice game they are playing, isn’t it? Again, what is social about having someone’s profile on the roster that is not there anymore?
It is human nature for people to want to socialize with other people. The keyword here is ‘people’..not programs, BOT, produce brands, logos or cartoon characters associated to all of the above. What makes online socializing so powerful is in the conversations. The power of social media has yet to be fully realized and as long as promotional posts are included amongst the threads of conversation they will work against growing social media as a pure form of marketing.
Where Marketing Belongs
There is a place for promotions online..it is called..a ’Web-site’. Maybe you have heard of them. It seems many businesses have forgot about them. A web-sites is the appropriate place for a legitimate product or service to promote, explain or pitch their business. How do you get someone in a social network to go take a look at the web-site? Easy, have a real live person from the business reach out to other real live people, the potential consumer, to have a conversation first..not a pitch…not a link only post..and especially not an advertisement.
Surprisingly, a normal non-pitch sociable conversation is enough to build the trust needed to capture someone’s interest in going to check out the person’s ‘web-site’. This efforts catching on with the network. The information obtained by one person in the network starts streaming through the online and offline social networks to others. Before long, the conversation a business has with one person is now in the pipeline of the social network.
So, why is this not being done? Answer: From a professional marketers point of view..’It is too easy and would appear to my clients like I am not working hard enough for my commission’. This attitude, and other forms of it, seems to be what is causing so much of the un-social traffic online. Old traditional marketing is trying to hold on to their existence in the business world by applying their billboard style marketing in a social environment.
Where is Social Networking Headed
For sometime now, true online social networker, as well as many offline business networks, have been moving away from the open social networks to form niche groups or clubs. These more focused social groups are becoming very guarded to who is allowed to enter their space. These groups’ leaders are the people and business owners who understand the true power of social media. Unfortunately, many of the veterans of the internet resist maintaining a presence in the niche groups due to them being driven by the urge of being on the public stage..even when the stage they are performing on is in a room full of empty chairs.
Logically, a more public atmosphere of socializing would be preferred. Hopefully, once businesses find their posting of promotions on in a social network are looked at the same way as the ads posted on a NASCAR car passing by at 220mph, they will start moving into the reality of a more practical approach of marketing by hiring good people to create the conversations they need to be having with their consumers. Until then, it looks like more people will get fed up with what they are seeing today in the social networks and leave wondering what happened to the social in social media.
Let me know how I can help.
