Since I am constantly talking about the importance of social media on my blog, people often challenge me. They say things like: “How can it be so important? Facebook isn’t going to be around forever, right?”
The doubt lies in the fact that people do not know the difference between social media and social networking. Social media, as defined by Anvil Media Inc. a SEM company, is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures. Social networking however is simply a form of social media. Still confused well think of it this way. Here at Blue Daring’s Eat Mo’ ‘Fo, we like to think of your organization as a person and as such lets liken social media to a wardrobe. Things such as your website, a blog, or message boards/forums are mostly staple pieces. Social networking initiatives are the trendy items you purchase to spice up your staples from time to time.
Just like a real wardrobe you can’t rely only on fads and what is trendy. We all know that social networking sites are subject to waves of popularity. (Remember how big MySpace was a few years ago?) Your ability to capitalize on these waves, however, can be a real opportunity for visibility. The key is using strategy to integrate your staples (i.e. social media outlets) with your trendy accessories (i.e. social networking). Further, like accessories, social networking is meant to draw attention to your main pieces, that said never reveal too much and always draw people back to your site. So to answer the skeptics out there, no I don’t think Facebook will be around forever however, while sites may indeed come and go; a dynamic web marketing strategy never goes out of style.
In recent weeks AOL, a brand we have long known and sort of forgotten about, has emerged with a new identity and brand with the new moniker “Aol.” (And yes, the period is included in the new name.) This new logo was designed by Wolff Olins, who designed controversial logos for London Olympics 2012, Wacom and NYC. This new logo is not without dissent either, it’s pretty basic, white san-serif font with a period placed over an assortment of nonsensical background images, which “change continuously in an effort to suggest the breadth of AOL’s content.” The period in the logo was added to suggest “confidence, completeness,” said Sam Wilson, managing director at the Wolff Olins New York office, by declaring that “AOL is the place to go for the best content online, period.”