by Lou Belcher

Created on: August 05, 2010   Last Updated: May 05, 2012

Social media sites have altered the face of communication. Business communications in particular have become more personal and profitable due to the development of social media.

Social media is a way of communicating on a personal level rather than through advertisements, brochures and newsprint. By using social media, you converse with others and they respond to you. Gone are the days of the big advertising blitz with million-dollar ads on television or in print. Some still use them, but social media sites are getting the word out in a much more personal, effective and economical way.

Here are some examples of social media sites:

• Twitter. On Twitter, people communicate with followers using short (140 character)  messages. In those message, they can inform their followers through an announcement, show their followers a picture by sending them to a site containing the picture, send their followers to their website or blog, send their followers to another website or blog, or tweet music.

• Facebook. One of the biggest social media sites, Facebook is similar to Twitter but there is no restriction on the character count of the messages. People also comment on messages or pictures posted by others. Also, you can have a page dedicated to your business that will bring particular attention to your products or services by posting information and commenting on communication of others.

• ning.com. The network of Ning.com has many small social media sites. Each site is dedicated to a particular topic. Individuals who are also interested in one of those topics are able to join a site and converse with like-minded individuals.

• MySpace and YouTube are social media sites where people post pictures or videos of themselves or their interests. Many talented people or interesting businesses have been discovered through these sites.

Use of social media sites is very popular for good reason. If used appropriately, social media sites can broaden the customer or client base of most businesses. Through providing the public with interesting, entertaining, or valuable information in their postings, people can attract customers and clients to add to their base. And, for little to no expenditure, these businesses have a way to advertise their products or services and an easy way to let others know when they are offering special discounts or announcing a new product.

When beginning to determine what social media site to use, be careful to not overextend yourself. The one drawback of using social media sites is that they take time and must be updated frequently. If you set up a schedule for yourself, your should be able to get the most from our site.  

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