We are surrounded by social media. Below is a chart demonstrating how quickly social media moves. The question is, do we really know what social media means?

Let us guide you through how it works and how it can help you and your business. Finally we will give our tips on how to build a successful social network. As you read the guide, if you want to find out more information about a particular area, please follow the links.

Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as:

“A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content.”

Understand now? We don’t! Do you? Click to find out more information about social media. To understand social media, it is useful to break it up into a number of types and classifications. So, how big is social media? Is it just hype? Watch the video below to see.

How does social media work? It has two distinct areas: the sharing aspect and the social profile aspect. Together they make up the unique fundamental properties of social media. To truly engage with social media both of these aspects need to be addressed.

You may be wondering why there are so many different social media sites out there? The reason for this is that they all have a different emphasis. Here is an outline of all the different social media websites and their distinct purposes. To really capitalise on social media, you need to target the social networks that contain the type of people you want to connect with.

There is all this hype about the business potential of social media when used correctly. Read this article to get an idea of what social media can do for you personally and in a business context.

So, how do you get your site connected to social media? Well the two aspects need to be addressed: the sharing side and the social profile side. To understand how to connect with the sharing aspect read this and to find out more about social profiles read this.

How does one build up a social network so that it becomes successful, meaning it connects to a lot of people who are interested in your services? The most important thing is to keep it, just as the name says, social: make sure you communicate with people on a regular basis. When you have a profile on one of the social networking sites make sure you talk to people, join groups and share information about yourself. Once someone told me to “share a part of your heart on social networks and only then you will have people who will be interested in you”.

Once you have a network, how do you get people involved in your site and advertise yourself or your business? It is all about a balance between broadcasting and personalisation. This can be done in many ways. Make sure that when you are creating your network you remain focused on its purpose. There are some slight differences between a personal network and a business network.

Once you have all these social networks created, how on earth do you manage them quickly and effectively? Follow this link to find out.

Remember that when you do work for someone, make sure you get them to connect to your social network. Get the recommendations, when you have had professional experience. Read this article on how to expand your connections.

If you enjoy these tutorials, find them helpful and would like to know more, please feel free to contact us. If you would like StressFree Sites to add social networking features to your website, please feel free to contact us for a quote. We are also happy to come and give a presentation to your company or social club about social media.