The Social Media Bubble

I’m going to keep this short and sweet…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news to some out there, but we are in the middle of a gigantic Social Media bubble that is being filled with lots of hot air and empty money. Don’t believe me? Just look around and you’ll see it. For a long time now, I’ve been saying that many companies in the Social Media realm are WAY over valuated compared to their incoming revenue or purchased price. (i.e. – Facebook, Groupon, TweetDeck, IntoNow, etc.) Of course there is that little voice in my head that says, “It’s only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.” That being said, reality has to kick in at some point.

I’m not going to get super technical with numbers and figures of this data compared to that data. I don’t claim to be a statistician and nor will I ever be. This is not a fear mongering based tactic to get you to see your stocks or investment in a company.

What this is, is an article about common sense. Just open your eyes and ears to current events in Social Media and their overall context. The dramatic rise in value in any industry compared to the industry as a whole should raise a yellow flag of caution. The prospect of a Social Media bubble bursting is not necessarily a bad thing, per se. Companies and emotions run high; everyone starts to drink the same fruit punch. Next thing you know everyone is sick. (We’ve all been there, right?) In the ebb and flow of any type of economy and/or business there will always moments of adjustment or correction. Think of it metaphorically as going to the chiropractor.

You know the old saying, “If it sounds to good to be true; it usually is.”

Tags: bubble, Social Media, social network, social networking
Posted in: Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, Twitter |

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LinkedIn InMaps visualizes your network!

LinkedIn, the social network for business, has revealed an amazing new application feature from their Labs division, called InMaps. It illustrates your entire LinkedIn business network as a visual cloud.

I’m really impressed on the presentation and the implications of the new InMap for networking professionals and business owners alike. Amazingly, LinkedIn takes your connections and literally creates a web of lines and dots that contain the relationship and contact data of who you are connected to and to each other.

With this new technology, Social Media really is moving into the next phase, Social Visual Media. Everything is becoming visual: with visual phone calls, data, etc. It just seems logical and right to create something like this as another way of understanding relationships and business. As Human beings, we have this innate desire to be understood and feel connected to others. This will show you how you are connected to others. It’s up to you to figure out the context of the relationships and what that means to your business.

You’ll notice that there are groupings of color lines and dots. If/When you do your own InMap from LinkedIn, you can actually label and categorize these groups to help extrapolate how you are integrated into the business world. This is a fantastic concept that truly will change the way LinkedIn will be used and perceived by it’s users. I know as a Social Media Consultant that something like this will help me help my clients understand the true potential and power Social Media has. Kudos to you LinkedIn!

Check out this video put out from LinkedIn Labs and then try it out for yourself.

Byte Back!

Tags: LinkedIn, LinkedIn InMaps, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking, social visual media
Posted in: LinkedIn, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 750 Comments

formspring.me

Do you have any questions about or dealing with Social Media? #socialmedia #consultant

Formspring is an incredible Social Media phenomenon. It’s like a combination of Twitter, Wikipedia, and Facebook. Really interesting Q&A that you can get instant answers from the entire world.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking
Posted in: Formspring, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Experiments, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

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January 2011 LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

For January 2011, I chose this question for my LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

With new advances coming out literally everyday, sometimes by the hour, it’s imperative to stay on top of your online presence. Knowing how to use the big 3 Social Media sites; Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; is only the beginning. There is a whole world of amazing Social Media Networks out there that many business owners are unaware of.

Sites like Foursquare, Groupon, and Yelp are making some headway into the mainstream consciousness, but there are still even more amazing sites like: Instagram, a photo sharing Social Network. Formspring, a Q&A based Social Network. Goodreads, a Social Network to see what other people are reading in their leisure time.

No matter what network you are a part of, it’s so incredibly important that you actually participate in a discussion, or leave a comment, or start a conversation about something that means something to you. If you simply use Social Media to blast out stuff about your business, chances are most people will ignore it. The key is to talk honestly, freely, and respectful of others and you’ll be surprised how many people will begin to follow what you have to say.

Think of your Social Media presence as a long term project that will produce a different quality of result that you cannot compare to “normal” advertising. It’s all about what you say and how you say it. As a Social Media Consultant, I deal with these issues all the time and give sound guidance. Let me know how I can help you.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, foursquare, goodreads, groupon, LinkedIn, linkedin poll, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, social media network, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking, yelp
Posted in: LinkedIn, Organic Search, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

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Movember: Moustache Memories [The Movie]

As you all may or may not have known, November was Movember.

And that meant growing a moustache! If you have never grown a moustache before, it’s tedious and looks absolutely ridiculous. That being said, I grew mine to help raise men’s awareness of Prostate Cancer & Testicular Cancer and the importance of regular check ups. As a Social Media Consultant it seemed like the obvious choice for me to do and plus I’m a philanthropic person by nature. I posted the video on my personal Facebook. Don’t worry everyone can view it, as I changed the privacy settings on it.

During the entire month of November, I proceeded to grow my moustache, much to the dismay of my fiance. Everyday I would take a photo of my ‘stache using my iPhone and an app called, Instagr.am (Download Instagr.am) and upload it to my blog entry. You can read it here. As you can see, as time went on, my moustache grew more and more epic! You can’t imagine the stares I got from people. I had people come up to me and specifically ask me if I was growing the ‘stache for Movember! How amazing is that?

I am already drawing up plans for my next moustache for Movember 2011. This time it will be even more ridiculous! I can almost guarantee it!