With over one hundred and forty mainstream social media applications available now on the web, knowing what types are available and how they can best be used for one's interests or business are the keys to navigating the social media maze. There are six basic types of social media and each covers a specific medium that may or may not pertain to personal or business interests.
Social Networks
A social network is a structure comprised of individuals that are linked together by either friendship, business connections, interests or other main connector or idea. MySpace and Facebook are perfect examples of social networks that are based on friendship or similar interests. Linkedin is an example of business social networking.
Social networks are best suited for those who want daily interaction with others who have similar interests or business goals.
Blogging and Microblogging
Blogging is the act of writing a sort of personal diary online. Often blogs are more than this and can be used as a news reporting tool for businesses online. Microblogging is a very condensed form of blogging - usually limited in characters such as with the 140 character restriction put in place by Twitter.
As a personal type of social media, blogging and microblogging are extremely popular. For those who like to interact on a personal level with others, these are excellent choices. For businesses, this can also be a perfect choice. Many large businesses have already jumped on the microblogging bandwagon and are utilizing this social media venue for customer support and advertising.
Social Bookmarking
Social bookmarking is a way for web users to share, search, organize and otherwise manage links to web sites of interest. Descriptions may be added as well as some variation of a rating system so that others seeking similar information will benefit from the experience others have had with the resource.
This type of social media can server either a personal or a business level of interest and is best used for research.
Media Sharing
Another very popular social media venue is media sharing. Pictures, videos, audio files, text, game files and more are the types of media this covers. Youtube and Flickr are very successful examples of media sharing social media applications.
Businesses can benefit from this type of social media with informative videos and podcasts explaining their product or service. On the personal side, nearly every one of us has a picture or video we would like to share with others.
Social Reviews
Social review web sites allow users to leave personal reviews of places, products, and services they have used.
These types of sites work for both personal and business purposes. Businesses can track what the public has to say about what they offer and potential users of said business can find out if what they are contemplating is a good product or service to try out. A great example of this social media type is Yelp.
User Generated Content
This final type of social media is exactly as the title states - users of a product or service create content of their own with regard to said product or service. This content can be used for a large range of applications that include news, gossip, wikis or even research. Often user generated content is incorporated into an existing web site to garner customer or client interaction.
Amazon is the perfect example of this type of social media. The larger portion of the web site is created by administrators but portions are dedicated to allowing customers to enter their products and reviews.
After perusing the different types of social media available on the web, some may find that one specific type suits their needs. Alternatively, a combination of several services may fit the bill. Whatever the final outcome, social media is here to stay and will continue to grow. What may not fit today may be created and available tomorrow. The most important thing to remember is that social media is exactly that - social.
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