I just ran across a post on Search Engine Watch that does a great job of highlighting the different types of social media content. Since there is a little confusion with most businesses and consumers as to what is really classified as “social media” here’s a quick reference.

Wikipedia probably defines the term “social media” the best:

Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning, as people share their stories, and understandings.

See often we mistake social media as just one thing or concept when it is really a whole lot more. Social media mainly thrives on the social interaction between users. A few years ago the most widely adapted concept was to add a forum or a chat to a website to enable the communication between users, giving the user control over some of the content that was added to a website as well as facilitating the social interaction between users.

More recently social media has been embodied in “social networks” like Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Orkut, LinkedIn and more. The idea of creating connections between friends, co-workers, colleagues and more creating what’s been called the social graph. Social media is those networks and more.

I say more because it seems that almost all new websites that have launched in the last two and a half years have had some form of social media. Delicious exists to allow “social bookmarking”: a website bookmark list that is public and accessible to consumers and tracks the general trends and popularity between new stories, websites, blog posts and more.

In fact, a major push behind Web 2.0 is the idea of social media. Web 2.0 embraces the concept that the internet has matured into something that can be utilized as a platform. Social media takes center stage in embracing this new era by enabling user generated content or UGC. User generated content puts the user in control of the content that appears on a website rather than just one or two webmasters. This is the principal concept behind many of today’s popular social media websites.

In general, here are the types of social media as defined by Search Engine Watch:

1. News Content – Time sensitive events and news stories. Through the proliferation of social bookmarking websites and RSS syndication technology, news stories are distributed, blogged, bookmarked and rated in a rapid pace. Businesses looking to track and monitor the daily flow of information that can affect marketing and online business can use a service like online reputation monitoring to help manage their reputation based on this information online.
2. Sensational/Entertainment Content – This includes things that are aimed at attracting attention to something online. This category is most like to include “viral marketing” – where an ordinary video, blog post, or story can be proliferate through many thousands of people in a very short amount of time. YouTube videos are a perfect illustration of this category. Often people will blog, email or forward a link to a YouTube video they find entertaining or interesting making the video popularity increase immensely in a short amount of time.
3. Resource/Educational Content -You noticed that I pulled something from Wikipedia. If you’ve done a Google search researching information in the past, you’ve most likely come across this website. Wikipedia exists to give the consumer the ability to create the authoritative content on a topic. This type of social media is a perfect example of user generated content and social media.

Social media can seem like a complex topic, but it’s more than likely that in the past you’ve engaged in some form of social media. Whether it be commenting on a blog or news article, asking a question or responding on a forum, creating a social network account, or even just creating an online account to share pictures with your family. It all is considered social media!

We’ve been very hard at work putting the finishing touches on a new website for Patti Jefferson, a Realtor here in Indianapolis. The new website features a property search, community information, resources for buyers and sellers and a custom designed blog. You can visit her new website at http://www.tuckerteamindy.com.

Also, we want to congratulate Patti on exceeding sales of 3 million in 2007! Congratulations, Patti!

I haven’t posted a blog post in a little bit because I’ve been working on several new websites, including our own. We’ve just put the finishing touches on it and you can now view the new home of InspireMedia at http://www.ImInspired.net.

It’s a bold, yet simple design with a sprinkling of Ajax controls and highlights the services you’ve come to expect from InspireMedia and some you didn’t know we offered. So take a peek at the new InspireMedia!

Okay, I had to post this for all those who absolutely love shoes. It’s a new website called Shoetube. It just launched and focuses on those who love a good pair of shoes. Check out on the video below:

Google made a new post on their official blog today responding to Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo.

While Google has been patient in responding thus far (not wanting to show their colors early), they made quite a bold statement today by offering a position against the Microsoft offer saying “the openness of the Internet is what made Google — and Yahoo! — possible” and that “Microsoft’s hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions”.

Google’s primary concern with the deal is that it could possibly undermine the openness and innovation that made the internet (and Google and Yahoo!) possible. With Microsoft’s current dominance in the PC market, the notable concern is great that they will seek to create a dominant force in online search. Past projections for a combined Microsoft and Yahoo search would put them at a 30% market share in online search. That creates a major contender for Google who serves half the online searches in the US.

This could also signal a very big anti-trust issue (although that is yet to be determined) with Google seeking a monopoly on searches in the US. A merger between Yahoo and Google would already create the largest host of emails and IM chats around.

Google even goes so far as to ask that “could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors’ email, IM, and web-based services?”

It’s a very good question and one that should be addressed as the offer progresses. I doubt, though, that Microsoft would be allowed to limit access to services using their software or email dominance.

I’d like to hear your opinions. Is the deal a positive move for online search and media? Or is it a move that could potentially cause more harm than good? Or is it too early to decide?

Here’s a copy of the post:

Yahoo! and the future of the Internet

Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer

This hostile bid was announced on Friday, so there is plenty of time for these questions to be thoroughly addressed. We take Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users come first — and should come first — as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored.

I happened to stumble across a new Firefox plug-in tonight that will definitely help me blog faster and easier. It’s called ScribeFire and it allows you to quickly and easily make a post about a website straight from the website. For example, to test out this new plug-in, I went to my previous post and told ScribeFire to make a new post of that page. It opened up a handy split screen that allows me to quickly type a post with a WYSIWYG editor. It even allows me to link to images or upload them to my custom WordPress blog.

It works with all sorts of blogging platforms and even custom ones as long as you have the RPC link that allows external posting to your blog.

So if you’re a blogger, check it out (link above). You might find it a lot faster than what you’re already doing.

Very Good Words From a Very Good Vlogger | InspireMedia Blog

(and yes… I did use the plug-in to make this post)

One of the vloggers that I follow, PhillyD, made a very good post to his blog on motivation today. In it, he says “Keep in mind, just because you want something, everything will not fall into place. If you want something don’t walk, RUN!”

That got me thinking on the essence of our successes and failures in business and in life. There are different types of personalities when it comes to motivation:

1. There are those who believe in chance; that ultimately we are ruled by luck and coincidence. Serendipity, if you will.
2. There are those who’s motivations are ruled by faith in God.
3. There are those that believe that success is a product of action (a point which Phil makes very well in his post)

Now, me, I’m a mixture of 2 & 3 for good reasons.

But my wife pointed out an interesting statistic she discovered online. She’s passing into her 14th year in business, a feat that many businesses can only dream of. But the interesting fact that she pointed out to me was that of all the small businesses that are started every year, only a small 4% make it to 10 years!

That’s an incredible fact!

It’s in these insurmountable odds that many of us go into business and seek to be successful. Motivation and hard work are the keys to being in the minority. Does that mean that all businesses that fail do so because of their lack of motivation or because they don’t work hard enough. No. There are always circumstances that can cause difficulties for businesses, but it is the willingness to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, that drive to get up every morning and make your day the way that you want it. It is refusing to succumb to normalcy and strive for something greater that makes successful businesses.

You have to be in it to win, even when it doesn’t look hopeful. I work with real estate agents every day and it is an inspiring thing to see these agents become nimble and seek new creative ways to market listings and fight to become successful. It’s a difficult market right now for them with optimism waning and external market forces trying to work against them (although locally, we have one of the best markets to be in). They are striving to be different and working hard at it. That’s the motivation that makes you successful.

So I’ve just got to ask: what’s your motivation? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? And more importantly, what are you going to do to make it to 10 years and beyond?

Visualizing your goals and then PUTTING THEM DOWN ON PAPER puts you way ahead of the rest of the crowd because you begin to know and understand what it will take to get you where you want.

If you want something… really want it… do as Phil says, “don’t walk, RUN!”

You know, it’s not every day that a celebrity comes out and creates a new online service. But today, Damon Wayans bucked that tradition by announcing his new startup, WayOutTV.

Now, I am just waiting to get access to the beta and I’ll post on it when I do.

Brian Solis over at bub.licio.us had this to say, “The way I described it … was, it’s like Will Ferril’s Funny or Die, but funny.” Here’s the link to his original post on the service.

I just read a great post over at Google Blogoscoped on the currently experimental “Offline” feature that is currently being tested with Google Docs. I was hoping this type of functionality and in a previous post mentioned that through Google Gears, they were setting the stage for this.

The downside, though, is that I don’t have access to the page that where he found the option to go offline. He mentioned that it’s not an option that will be available soon. If anyone does notice the feature, let me know.

Among many things that I do, I also try to make time to test out some of the new online services that are made available. Pownce is a service that has been in beta for some time and just recently opened their doors to the public. It’s an online service that allows you to send stuff to your friends online.

What can you send, you might ask?

Just about anything. Music, links, photos, messages, events to your friends and even to the general public.

It’s a software that seemlessly integrates into your existing social networks (it offers support for Facebook, Digg, Twitter, and Flickr, and also allows you to search your email contacts to find others who might already be utilizing Pownce).

The application of this is great if you’re wanting to send various things to a lot of people but don’t have the time to keep up with the different email addresses of your friends.

For those that have been following the service, it was rumored that it was headed for its end shortly before their public launch. You can read more about it on Techcrunch here and here

Also, note that Leah Culver is the lead developer on the project who is also in my blogroll.