I had a chat with a friend recently, part of the talk was reminiscing about how long we've been actively using "social media." This year kicks off an entire decade of blogging, tweeting, facebooking and linkingin for me and companies I've represented. I've made a ton of mistakes, learned a bunch and try to continually improve a little bit at a time.
Here is what I've learned:
Social Media Isn't One Person's Role
Controversial, but I don't think the social media as a professional focus will last. Granted, it won't happen anytime soon, but look at how the next generation is wired into the world. Using a smartphone as an actual phone is rare because social media changed the game. People will take control of their digital life and the role of a social media manager or community manager won't look the same as it does today.
You Gotta Get Past the Fear
I find what truly holds people back on social media is how public it is. Saying the wrong (or unpopular) thing has cost people jobs, scholarships, personal freedoms and it gets talked about on news shows and spun into digital legends. Your permanent record at school is probably the last thing you need to worry about in 2015.
And you can't hide under a rock to let it pass you by. You need to get an understanding of social media to be an active part of this era.
Play to a Niche... or an Extreme
If you want to get noticed in social media you have two paths. Find a niche you know better than you know anything else and start conversations there. Niches are powerful and allow you to connect with others that share your same passion or knowledge base.
The other option you have is to use Newton's Third Law and apply it to social media. When you create the action to take a hardline stance on a subject, the reaction of creating fans and detractors will be as strong as your stance. Word of warning: most people will get burned playing this close to the fire.
Playing it "safe" in the middle is a non-existent option.
Social Media is Reality TV 24/7
It's easy to fall for the trap that people are projecting a 100% true version of themselves on social media. Unknowingly, everyone is typecasting themselves over social media as the party animal, Mr./Ms. Perfection, comedian, center of drama, oversharing parent or myriad of other roles that people can play. Life is messy, people are multifaceted and change is inevitable, that is the truth to social media but all we see are the glossed up versions of someone.
Human Interaction is Still Being Filtered by Computers
Authenticity gets thrown around plenty of times when talking about social media. There is truth to it but it fails to mention that this "authenticity" is still being filtered by a device that runs on software that someone designed to facilitate a specific action. A lot of energy and context still gets filtered out by posting on social media. We are being formed by these systems as much as we assign meaning to them. It's terrifying and exciting but it underscores the need for us to learn how to communicate on the internet with human compassion.
Focus on Building Skills, Not Picking Winning Platforms
It's granted Facebook and YouTube are a success but in 2005, it was a huge guess if they'd stick around. Since 2005, how many social networks can you named that failed (seriously, leave a comment with some!)? Here is the silver lining, the experience anyone had with those platforms is transferable to other platforms. Even if your data gets swept up in the internet dustbin, your skills don't. Don't worry if a platform will stick around, worry about if you are getting any value from it.
Mobile is Eating the World
The seismic shift in how people are viewing the world is still happening. People who say mobile is the next thing in social media are already too late to the party. If anyone has a spare second, they are reaching for their smartphone. Public service campaigns about putting your phone down while DRIVING A CAR DOWN A HIGHWAY are a thing people need reminding about. You can't say mobile is coming stuff like that happens. Remember, devices will change but always having access to social media is never going away.
Stay on Your Feet
Never get complacent with a certain strategy or rest thinking you have a winning formula. Success on social media is like trying to hit a bullseye while you're on a rocket approaching light speed. You need to adapt, change with the conditions and capitalize on new methods before they wear out. The ONLY thing that remains constant on social media is this: those who put in the biggest effort will be the ones biggest rewards.
10 Years from Now
If I had to guess where social media will be in 10 years, I think the trend of interfacing with humans and technology will blur. We see the seeds of that with Virtual and Augmented Reality and wearable technology. That's just stuff that's been announced. There could be another "iPhone Moment" where a single product will create another seismic shift that we never saw coming.
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