What is social media?
Social networking on social media websites involves the use of the internet to connect users with their friends, family and acquaintances. Social media websites are not necessarily about meeting new people online, although this does happen. Instead, they are primarily about connecting with friends, family and acquaintances you already have. The most well-known social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. These websites allow you to share photos, videos and information, organise events, chat, and play online games.
What is social media?
‘Social media‘ is a term that refers to methods of allowing website users to easily publish content online. This can include:
- writing blogs
- adding comments to others’ blogs
- publishing videos, audio or images on to the Web
- posting content on to a social network site, such as Twitter or Facebook
- collaborating on an online project (e.g. a Wikipedia article)
This information sharing, and user interaction can help:
information to be shared with interested individuals who may not be within reach
create online communities of collaboration and trust
Well-known social media tools include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and many, many more.
Now that you know what is social media, here are the Benefits of Using Social Media:
1. Build relationships.
Social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers. In fact, at its root, social media is about connecting people to people.
2. Share your expertise.
Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for. Sharing your expertise will attract potential professional and personal connections. Learn how to present your professional experience, achievements and results and you will get more and more opportunities to connect with like-minded people.
3. Increase your visibility.
If you spend time homing in on your expertise, consistently managing your social channels, then you have the potential to greatly increase your visibility and even become a thought-leader in your space. Good content gets shared, so if you are consistently posting quality content, the more people who share it, the more people see it.
4. Educate yourself.
There is a lot of noise on the Internet. Social media allows you to home in on what you really care about and what you really want to read. You can create lists that curate content from your favourite people, thought leaders in the space, or media outlets. You can easily learn about current events and things taking place near you.
5. Connect anytime
Social media is a land of new opportunity. There are countless personal and professional benefits of using social media. With a little love and care, we can start to build and shape our personal brands into an epicentre of opportunity.
