Facebook is trying to generate more income by courting sponsers and advertisers. Those third party applications do have ads and yes, they do irritate me.

I am sure that there is a backend income model to facebook that we might not know about – so I doubt that their hands are clean. Much the way that Craigslist charges for certain kinds of posts (jobs and realestate in certain markets). Some people have to pay so that others may enjoy.

As for the whole social media/marketing tool debate.

Marketers will use any popular emerging trend as a way to promote their clients. It was marketers who created the X-Games because so many people were participating in skating and motorcross etc. Wherever people congregate, marketers will follow with pen and pad in hand.

For the same reason men go to bars on “Ladies Noght”. They are just going where they have the best odds of “Getting Lucky”.

Facebook is trying to generate more income by courting sponsers and advertisers. Those third party applications do have ads and yes, they do irritate me.

I am sure that there is a backend income model to facebook that we might not know about – so I doubt that their hands are clean. Much the way that Craigslist charges for certain kinds of posts (jobs and realestate in certain markets). Some people have to pay so that others may enjoy.

As for the whole social media/marketing tool debate.

Marketers will use any popular emerging trend as a way to promote their clients. It was marketers who created the X-Games because so many people were participating in skating and motorcross etc. Wherever people congregate, marketers will follow with pen and pad in hand.

For the same reason men go to bars on “Ladies Noght”. They are just going where they have the best odds of “Getting Lucky”.

Facebook is trying to generate more income by courting sponsers and advertisers. Those third party applications do have ads and yes, they do irritate me.

I am sure that there is a backend income model to facebook that we might not know about – so I doubt that their hands are clean. Much the way that Craigslist charges for certain kinds of posts (jobs and realestate in certain markets). Some people have to pay so that others may enjoy.

As for the whole social media/marketing tool debate.

Marketers will use any popular emerging trend as a way to promote their clients. It was marketers who created the X-Games because so many people were participating in skating and motorcross etc. Wherever people congregate, marketers will follow with pen and pad in hand.

For the same reason men go to bars on “Ladies Noght”. They are just going where they have the best odds of “Getting Lucky”.

PR is often calculated, formal, boring and not authentic, and it pushes the message. Blogs and social media should be the opposite and while someone might start the dialogue, it is open for discussion and can take many different turns based on who is participating.

I agree that much of the intention of social media channels are for user-to-user communications. The majority of people in any social media channel probably aren’t using it to connect with companies.

Where I disagree is that marketing has no value in social media. To Chris’ point about advertising and spam on social networks, that is indicative of marketers still trying to use interruption marketing in a space that doesn’t need it. Interruption marketing online is about CPMs. Getting the most people to move their eyeballs over your message.

I listened to a relevant podcast this morning, Jaffe Juice (1/30/08 episode), that highlighted a this dichotomy. A room of marketers was asked if they would rather have 5 million impressions or 10 solid relationships. Only 1 person stood up for the relationships. (He admits the numbers may need tweaking.)

The point he went on to make, is that those 10 relationships, through social media working as intended user-to-user, could end up generating just as many ‘impressions’ as the message spreads. But most marketers don’t see it from that angle.

In the end, I have to vote that social media is neither a marketing nor a PR tool. We are inviting customers to come talk to us, or we are requesting their permission to join their conversations. If you try to interrupt what they are doing, it won’t generate the relationships you ultimately need to be successful.

It’s just about communicating, those that do it with respect, sincerity, and the ability to contribute and learn will get value from it. Those that try to just take, or who come to just sell will skim low hanging fruit and be dismissed by others.

I caution those that think social media is something to calculate in their sales pipeline or media blitz, it’s not. It’s about relationships and the misperception is that I can jump into social media and friend 1000 people. I then can call those people leads. Agh! that is light years away from reality.

I believe social media is an aid to relationship building, but that still takes time. Anthony, if you want to really have a few more beers try this one on for size, social media is also a relationship with truth. Over time if you participate enough you build a wealth of ideas, positions, and statements on issues. It is a chronology of you to the world and this, over time is a captured legacy.

Barkeep, one more for me and my friend.

PR is often calculated, formal, boring and not authentic, and it pushes the message. Blogs and social media should be the opposite and while someone might start the dialogue, it is open for discussion and can take many different turns based on who is participating.