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August 2010
Reaping the Benefits of Social Media
Does access to social resources — in other words, social media — benefit everyone?
The unfortunate answer to that question is no...and the reason is simple. The fact that we have access to social resources doesn’t necessarily mean that we will be able to leverage them.
The average Facebook user, for example, has 130 friends, is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events, and creates 90 unique pieces of content per month (according to the statistics page on the Facebook site). Membership more than doubled in the last year — from 200 million users in April 2009 to 400 million in February 2010. Current member count has it in the 500 million range.
If these individuals knew how to utilize social media to their benefit, unemployment rates would be decreasing due to the wealth of connections and relationships, right?
Access is about being linked to a group of individuals who posses social resources, and social media is a perfect example. Any user of Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn has access to a vast number of social resources — but unfortunately, that does not mean the user will be able to leverage the social resources that exist within them.
Telling someone to connect with so-and-so — essentially giving them access — does not mean that they will be able to get help. The help simply may not be available. Or perhaps the individual maybe unable to convert an opportunity into a solution for accomplishing their goal. Access to the connections is not the key to the padlock releasing their potential.
For the first time in history, and thanks (at least in part) to the advances of technology, we have access to social resources that we never had before. Our reach is global and — as long as you’re not counting the monthly internet bill — for the most part, free. This increased access to resources does not guarantee the ability to tap into the vast potential.
There is good news, though! We can become more effective at leveraging the resources we have access to. The first step is being aware that there is potential in our networks — and that the best way to leverage them is to be clear on what we want to accomplish. This gives us the opportunity to start seeing the “trees” instead of just the “forest.”
The second step is to understand what we have to offer the network in return. You’ve narrowed your view down to a few individual trees, now how do you get to that juicy piece of fruit on the top and what nourishment can you give its growth?
The third and final step, of course, is to just do it.
Step back, examine what you hope to accomplish, think about the social resources you have access to and consider how they can help you accomplish your goals. If you’re using a social media website, think not only about what you can take from the network but about what you can give back as well.
The key is to be clear on what you hope to accomplish and what kind of help you expect from your network. This is the starting point for successfully “utilizing” your social resources and, for most people, the only way you’ll receive any benefits from them.