by Sue Brown and David Muhammad at Super Green Pages
© 2010
http://www.nba.sgpbiz.com
Social media is morphing into a holistic experience that speaks to people’s social needs in new ways.
- It’s About People
We’re moving away from “users,” “customers,” and “shoppers”: social media is bringing back the human element to all digital interaction. People now deliberately seek meaningful connection, self-expression, and a relevant and receptive community.
- Creating Meaning and Value
Social media will no longer be about features and applications. These have become a dime a dozen. People will be looking to get tangible and relevant value out of their social experience; they’ll be looking for meaning and for order. People will be looking for ways to keep their networks going regardless of device or platform. They will connect around meaningful topics and have live and simultaneous conversations within parameters they themselves define, which will bring relevance back to their interaction with others.
- Enabling Convergence
Friend Feed – now both a destination and an API – is growing rapidly, despite a miserable wiki-like interface and interactive experience. That’s because people are at a loss when it comes to pulling their conversations together from various sources and assigning meaning to them. Companies that deliver beautifully designed, easy-to-use, searchable, flexible, aggregating platforms will become more important than any social media tool by itself.
- Building a Truly Cross-Platform Experience
The iPhone experience has changed the playing field for users, companies, and developers. In Q1 of 2009 alone, Apple sold 4.4 million iPhones, and Google’s Android and the new Palm continue to build on the cross-platform, application and service-driven model. In the new landscape of social media, people are seeking solutions that seamlessly cut across mobile, web, and live, interaction, hopping on and off them like double-decker buses, all with the same pass.
- Creating Relevant Social Networks
People will create, join, and seek social networks that enable them to have meaningful and relevant experiences with each other. They will measure their return on investment (time spent, level of disclosure, etc.) in replies, comments, their ability to influence, and the value of their learning.
