Can You Harvest Sociability?

Since the advent of modern agriculture, up through the invention of the plow, and ultimately the use of genetic engineering in plants, the definition of a “skillful” farmer has evolved with respect to technological advances.

The use and development of technology serves as an appendage for our human evolution. In 1900, the average life expectancy of a white male was 47 years old and by the year 2000, that number climbed to 75 years old.

What distinguishes mankind from most other animals is our distinct ability to manipulate and use tools. We may not be showing any physical signs of evolution, but through the use of such tools, we have carefully crafted our environment to live longer and healthier lives.

This cultural debate exposes society’s opposition to change and more importantly, its lack of understanding of social media itself. We must evolve our perceptions and definitions of “skill” and look at the world around us under a new scope.

Social media enhance the growth of mankind through increasingly efficient means of building community and facilitating collaboration. There exists a Newtonian balance between the discussions of social media: for every so-called “expert” that condemns social media’s moral and intellectual shortcomings, one can find another “expert” who equally and oppositely praises social media’s limitless rewards.

This cultural debate exposes society’s opposition to change and more importantly, its lack of understanding of social media itself. We must evolve our perceptions and definitions of “skill” and look at the world around us under a new scope.

To Blog or not to Blog

Company blogs, another staple of social media, keenly illustrate the triumph of new-age wisdom over conventional business practice and the demand for integrity and openness. Old-age business practice would state that any negative comment left on a company’s blog space is harmful and that deleting such feedback will prevent further damage.

In all reality the sheer presence of negative feedback on a company’s website delivers the transparency and integrity that consumers demand today. Better yet, responding to such feedback and fixing the problem gives the company even more affinity.

Equally important is wielding such social media expertise on the development of a company’s image on other websites: Ben Worthen, in "How Can a Company Protect Its Reputation on Websites?" points out that is better to “confront accusations head on”.

A company should respond on the site explaining how they will fix the problem and above all a company should never ignore false rumors. Addressing such a rumor ASAP is the key to curbing the amplification of negative information on other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Ultimately, all the suggestions mentioned above illustrate how companies can benefit, and indirectly profit from the use of social media. There is much more to a given business’s success than the bottom line. Sustainability, growth, market-share, customer satisfaction can all be influenced by social media.

Social media will live longer than your Tamagotchi

Social media are here to stay. No debate. Furthermore, social media in the business world can not be treated as passing fads (See: Furbies or Tamagotchi’s). Social media aren’t cute and fuzzy pets that can simply be toyed around with. Collectively, they are a gigantic elephant in the corner of the board room -- an elephant that is changing the nature of markets and ways of doing business.

Many executives refuse to acknowledge this proverbial presence because they do not understand nor do they see the profitability of social media; however, for future generations, social media will continue to shape and re-shape markets, and businesses failing to understand in invest in social media risk extinction.

Did You Know 2.0, reminds us all that what took radio thirty-eight years to reach 50-million consumers took television thirteen years and the internet only four. We live in exponential times where technologies are outpacing businesses that don’t have their metaphorical fingers on the pulse of their respective markets.

Mistakenly, companies once banned programs like Facebook and AIM because they were viewed as inefficient, but as we can see today, the efficiencies of social media are bringing communities together through communication and collaboration — never before has media content been created and consumed so rapidly.

This slow-paced, traditional thinking will be the downfall of businesses as this hybrid community, or metaverse, passes them by. Workers and businesses alike must learn to think and work differently to change with technology instead of after it.

Wiki Wild Wild Web

Collaboration is the essence of sustainability and growth through increasingly efficient means of combining both new and familiar relationships. At the center of this collaboration is the concept of community.

Both virtual and real-life communities thrive as an entity because a large input of resources from smaller units working together. The merger of human and technological collaboration has paved the road to a more efficient workplace as well as a new hybrid community with endless possibilities.

Because today’s growing markets love to collaborate, businesses need to adapt to their evolving customer base. The use of wiki’s is important in catering to this demand.

Progressive IT groups now create tools for users to solve IT problems of their own. They provide portal software and wikis to build web-based applications and offer advice in blog posts, how-to forums and podcasts.

Social media not only expedite the help process for customers, they also allow the IT staff to devote time to larger projects instead of the repeated, mundane tasks. Wiki-technology is built upon and advances because of collaboration.

Companies can tap into their customers’ talents by providing wiki-based FAQ’s that build off similar responses and best solutions. Customers feel involved and thus innovative in their use of wiki’s.