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Guest Blogger: Courtney, 20, Intern.

Like my intern friend Celia, whom I have yet to meet, but share a desk complete with a lovely electronic aquarium, I am a social networker. I too began with LiveJournal and AIM, but promptly discarded those during high school as they were clearly not hip enough for the pending college crowd. I am proud to say that I have not signed on AIM (SN: redheadskier101) since my senior year of high school. Of course, there is that pesky little Facebook chat icon on the bottom of my screen that tempts me so to open it…

My social media use has changed drastically since those dreaded years of “lol” and declarations of adoration of your 8^th grade boyfriend in AIM profiles. I have changed my cute “redheadskier101″ alias to the classy and stylish “courtneylh,” leaving behind the MySpace, LiveJournal and AIM. I am in an updated world today of Facebook, Twitter, Last.Fm, and general blog stalking — just to name a few of the things I do. I use social media to keep up with beloved sports teams, headlines, music news and the oh-so-tasteful Facebook updates that tell me instantly when Friend A and Friend B broke up.

Working in the music industry for the past couple years has taught me a lot on the use of social media and its importance in something other than harmless stalking. In the music business we have LiveNation and Ticketmaster, the industry’s equivalent of Bank of America or Citibank. They are the big guns. They book the biggest shows for the biggest venues and charge the biggest prices. Working for a small booking organization on a college campus where we try to provide affordable entertainment, we were competing with a smaller budget and often smaller bands, while trying to draw the same crowd. We had great success this year, more so than in the recent past, and we accredit a lot of that success to social media use. We had a website, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a MySpace page for bands and friends to track us. We took out ads in newspapers and sent out direct email blasts as well, but you’d be surprised how many people on campus overlook or delete. People are more inclined now to check their Facebook pages than emails.

I’m excited to begin to integrate my marketing experience with music into a more corporate world. Many who work in the music industry are social media savants, and if they don’t have a Twitter, it’s solely because they perceived it quite un-hip (believe me, I held out for a long time). It is interesting to see a business such as a bank, which one would never expect to see on Facebook, to be interacting/engaging with customers on business pages. It turns out that no matter in what industry one works, that social media can make sense for your cause, as the goal is always the same - success (and to find out when Friend A and Friend B get back together, of course).

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Celia, 19, Intern

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Wordpress, MySpace, Photobucket, Livejournal, Delicious, Second Life… at one time or another, I’ve been the proud owner of an account at all of those sites.

It’s impossible not to look back and laugh at my twelve year old self, creating a LiveJournal account with some form of “angelchic” in the title. I was so young—too young, probably—and I had to hide the site from my socially media inept parents. I had to beg them for an AIM screen name, because they just didn’t understand these new forms of communication. But that’s how it all started for me, and probably a lot of Gen-Y kids.

Now, as a college student, I’ve really narrowed down the sites I use. Facebook is my primary tool. I check it compulsively. I look at everyone’s profiles (it’s not stalking, I swear) and read my news feed like it’s my job. It simply keeps me connected.

I also have accounts on LinkedIn, YouTube, Wordpress and Twitter. It may seem excessive, but in reality they all have distinct uses, so it’s hard to give any of them up. LinkedIn is for professional networking. I use YouTube to share the videos I make at school as a communications major, check out my classmates’ videos, and watch the millions of random videos present on the website. I made a Wordpress blog for a class last year, and plan to update it with more work as I continue my college career. Twitter is probably the least relevant of all the social networks for me at this time, but it can be fun and addicting sometimes.

My experience with social media is almost comical. It seems absurd, but it’s such an integral part of my life that I can’t imagine a world without it. But it keeps me connected, it keeps me updated and it keeps me busy. What more could I ask for?

As the “media intern” here at Pannos Winzeler, I’ve had a chance to take the knowledge I have of social media and apply it to a professional situation. In the three short days I’ve been here so far, I’ve been doing a lot of research about how social media affects branding, especially in relation to the financial institutions we work with. It’s amazing to me how many banks are on Facebook and Twitter, and how they are using these free tools to promote their company. It’s so interesting to see how everything ties together and works cohesively to promote a product to so many different groups.

I think social media will continue to change dramatically over the coming years. It’s impossible to predict what turn it will take, or what new website will take over next. I do know, however, that there will always be those awkward dilemmas of dealing with your nosey Aunt adding you on Facebook or whether to untag yourself from pictures with your ex-boyfriend. It will certainly be interesting to see how social media will change—or how social media will change us!

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Jay, 36, Associate Creative Director

Social media is a relatively new experience for me, but one that I’ve embraced quite quickly. It was something that “all the other kids were doing”, so I thought I’d better join in or get left behind.

Currently, I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. I’m also an active blog reader, especially the one my wife maintains about our children and their daily adventures.

I’m most active on Facebook and use it as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. It has become a daily activity, like checking email. Most recently, I’ve had a fantastic time reconnecting with old classmates from high school. Like so many of us experience, time and distance tend to wear away at old friendships. Facebook removed those barriers and has brought many good friends back together. I’ve even managed to get talked into helping plan our 20th class reunion, which might not have happened without those connections I’ve made online.

Seeing how much has changed in 20 years never ceases to amaze me, and I look forward to reconnecting with my old classmates in person.

LinkedIn has been a great resource to connect with other creative professionals in my field. I’ve found that professional organizations that I belong to (the NH Creative Club most readily comes to mind) have also set up LinkedIn groups, which adds another dimension to the relationships that I’ve developed. It’s been a good balance by keeping the monthly meetings loose and social (and less “networky”), while having the professional information handy should you need it.

It was a work colleague who led me to Twitter. I follow a few friends from work, some creative professionals, and updates from Walt Disney World. (Yep, even Mickey Mouse tweets about goings on at the parks).
I’m a pretty infrequent Twitterer however. I guess that stems from my lack of a multi-functional mobile device. I’m one of those people who still uses a cell phone for making calls, and that’s about it.

For me, the best thing about online social media is that it gives me the opportunity to grow those relationships that I have when I’m away from the computer. Getting the chance to reconnect with an old high school friend over dinner, making plans with the guys to see a baseball game, or setting up an outing with families in our kids’ playgroup–social media sites afford me a greater line of communication with those I want to connect with in a face-to-face manner. I’m a big believer that we need to keep the “social” in social media.

Jay likes this–”Thumbs up”.

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Barbara, Baby Boomer, Media/Admin Assistant

My experience with Social Media – to begin, I am a baby boomer and am admittedly a technology foot dragger. For  example - I’m just getting excited and comfortable with my new camera cell phone. My personal timeline goes something like this - our first television (black & white) arrived when I was about 5 yrs old. The old black rotary dial, party line phone was a new convenience and each party (usually 3-4 households on a party line) had its own ring – one long, two shorts, etc. This was a very primitive version of  social media in a rather interesting way –  there were those in the party line that were definitely into ‘communications’ – they loved to listen in on everyone else’s conversations and pass tidbits on to whoever would listen, sometimes with a little twist of the truth added for flavor. That I would call negative social media.  Well, I now work in the Media environment and lo and behold  I am a ‘Facebooker’. My daughters , while trying to control their laughter, not so kindly told me that Facebook was for kids.

Personally, I don’t agree with them. Though I am not an avid Facebook user previous co-workers and friends have found me and it has been a pleasure to reconnect – for FREE. I believe that there is something for everyone in Facebook. You can be as involved as you wish to be, or not, with as much privacy as you allow. Unlike the old ‘party line’ you can only ‘listen in’ if you are allowed ‘in’.

As with any type of communications there are responsibilities that go with it. Be smart about what you say, make it desirable for others to read and a learning/information sharing experience at the same time.

So, to my daughters and all of you younger ‘Facebookers’ – Trix may be just for kids but Facebook isn’t!!

And to all ages of Facebooker’s  – Be Positive, Be Smart and ENJOY!

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Christine, 30-something, Office Manager

I have been actively involved in social media for four years now; back then it was just called “Message Boards” though.  Now I have gotten involved in my own blog- Christine’s Creations, Facebook, LinkedIn and even my own stream on Flickr - it’s not just for photos!

I use Facebook and LinkedIn to catch up with old friends and colleagues, but why does a boring Office Manager, mother of two, need her own blog you ask?  Well about 12 years ago I learned to quilt - something I had always wanted to know how to do - and now it is my passion.  Having my own blog allows me to share my projects, goals and ideas with other quilters from around the country and the world.  Not only do we exchange ideas and motivation we physically exchange quilts.  Most recently I sent one of my quilts to The Netherlands - without social media that would have never been possible.

Last fall I was looking for something new to do and I stumbled onto tatting.  I’d be willing to bet that almost everybody who is reading this doesn’t even know what that is, or maybe it was something your grandmother did.  It’s an old form a needlework that has been given new life through social media.  I’d say right now there are hundreds of blogs dedicated to tatting - not bad for something most people have never heard of.  This piece was done by me from a pattern designed by a woman who lives in Malaysia and done in a thread, hand dyed by a woman in Wisconsin.  Both women I “met” through their blogs.

So how did I learn how to tat?  Did I sit at my grandmother’s knee and watch her for hours - nope.  Did I head to my local library and check out every book I could find on tatting - nope (there aren’t very many anyway).  Did I sign up for a class at my local tatting store - they don’t even exist.  I sat in front of my laptop and watched videos on YouTube!! That is social media at work.  I was able to learn a completely new skill in the comfort of my own home in my PJ’s and bunny slippers. That is the same way I pay all my bills, balance my checkbook, buy concert tickets and even adopt a puppy (or two!).

And it’s not only other people with my same interests that I’m connecting to, it’s companies too.  There are many quilt related business, designers and Mom and Pop shops that have blogs that I follow.  They announce new lines and patterns, sales, giveaways, everything that will drive business to their website and I have to admit it works for me.  I’ll see something new on a blog and click right to the website and buy it, again, from the comfort of my own home.

Social media for me is not only about expressing my creativity, it’s about connecting to people and companies both right in my own back yard to around the world.  Seeing how far everything has come since I was a kid, it makes me wonder how far we’ll be when my kids are my age.

What are your thoughts on businesses being present on social media sites?

We find ourselves at PW saying often that in social media, everything connects. Allow me to recount a connection story from last night.

I was catching up on my Google Reader RSS feeds, decided to take a break from tech & financial marketing posts to scroll through my bookmarked Design blogs.

Found a local Manchester, NH apartment featured on apartmenttherapy.com. I read more–turns out the owner is a photographer, I visit her site. Immediately noticed a “become a fan on Facebook” tab at the bottom of the page. Since I like her work, I click, become a fan and post on her page’s wall. She replied to me. In a matter of minutes, strangers became connected. In just a few easy to navigate clicks, future business may have even been acquired.

From a business stance, offering different ways for potential audiences to connect with you is a smart move. Sanford Institution for Savings (disclaimer: PW client) links to both their Twitter and Facebook pages from their homepage. The bank uses these pages to connect back to fresh content on their website. By listing these other sites, they are encouraging visitors to choose how they want to interact with them. For me personally, I’d much rather check out information as it comes through my Twitter stream or on a Facebook business page than have to make a separate trip to my bank’s website (which to be honest, I probably wouldn’t do in the first place). Come find and talk to me where I’m already spending my online time. Be present and relevant. I’ll choose whether I want to follow you or become a fan.

Bottom line: create more opportunities to connect with your communities and prospects. From photography to banking, social media doesn’t discriminate. A business always has a public and they’re already on social networks–are you?

*Update 8/19: Since this post was written, Sanford Institution for Savings is no longer maintaining their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Kira, 27, Account Executive, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

My experience with social media goes back to my last year-and-a-half of college, starting in early 2004 when it was all new and not many people were involved yet. Does anyone else remember Orkut, Friendster, or Hi5? Chances are, you probably don’t remember these places on the web, but these were first experiences with online social networks- for fun. And all of these first experiences were pre-Facebook. So, although Facebook was one of the first to mainstream, many people don’t realize that it has had some worthy predecessors. I feel reminiscent when I think back, because it seems like I am among only a few people in my online/offline social-circles who know this first-hand.

Orkut was my very first online social network- and I was addicted! Orkut was launched by a former Stanford University graduate student and Google employee, whose name was coincidentally, Orkut Büyükkökten. In essence, Orkut Büyükkökten was the first Mark Zuckerberg.

Preceding the introduction of Gmail, users were allowed to join Orkut by invitation only (similar to how Gmail launched by invitation only) and I was unwittingly invited by acquaintances from a semester I spent living abroad, as a college student. I don’t know who invited them, but that’s how I ended up on Orkut .

The invitation only aspect made it feel like you were part of some elite group. And I loved it because, ideally, it was a way for me to stay in touch and keep up-to-date with friends I made while living overseas.

Eventually, Orkut was bought out by Google and it died down quite a bit. Most of the people who use it now are from Brazil and India, from what I understand. I wouldn’t know first-hand because I stopped using it some time ago. And, that’s how I lost touch with all of my study abroad buddies- but I still feel that the idea and intention was worthwhile and really enjoyed the experience of being involved with friends on Orkut. My eyes were opened to the world of communication made possible via online social networks.

I didn’t value the online social network channel as much then, because it had not hit mainstream yet. I was one of the only people I knew, in my everyday life, who was involved with online social networking at that time. I could not have predicted how much it would evolve over the next five years, or so, to target specific audiences and address basic behavioral needs related to interpersonal communication and our current society.

Orkut, along with others like Friendster, and Hi5 were popular online networks that preceded MySpace and Facebook. It’s hard to find anyone who remembers these, I think because the newer networks like Facebook and MySpace were able to appeal more to the younger Gen-Y kids, based upon their creation to solely target the audience of secondary and college-aged students who were most likely to blow-up the online social networking phenomena to a broader audience. Basically, the predecessors, Orkut, Friendster, and Hi5 were not targeted to users who would be able to make them hit the mainstream. I think that was ultimately their downfall.

And, with that being said, Facebook was ideal in that college-aged students and communities are typically where a lot of early-adaptors can be found- trendsetters who can disseminate new habits and behaviors to the rest of us, over time. Now, Facebook has surpassed all other online social networks in users, including MySpace! How exciting to observe the evolution, as the user demographic becomes broader to include us all, no longer limited to the original requirement that Facebook established when it launched in 2004; being an enrolled college-student.

I know Facebook was the first social network for many college freshmen, including colleagues of mine (Meagan)! It’s interesting to see how those who have grown together from the start for the more mainstream networks have become a changed generation, in relation to technology and its use in day-to-day life. It’s such a new perspective to many of us- even though technically I am considered Gen-Y, I did not grow up with online social networks as part of my day-to-day life. In fact, I am on the cusp, between Gen-X and Gen-Y. Sometimes, it almost feels as though there is a dividing line that is drawn, especially in correlation to online use and behavior.

Now that I am a marketing and advertising professional, I am involved with social networking to stay on top of trends and demographic-based behaviors for the audiences that our clients want to reach out to. I feel that I have learned a lot from my colleagues and friends at work regarding the professional value of being on Facebook, LinkedIn and other online networks. When before, it was just about having fun and being casually in touch with friends. Now, it has evolved to personal branding, being aware and in control of my own online presence and using online networks as a tool to leverage communication and openness among those whom I am in touch with regularly, online and offline, too!

The most exciting thing to see is the current class of college students, heading for graduation, and being fully aware of the value to be had through reaching out to professionals via LinkedIn and Facebook! I strongly feel that this current class/generation of new adults gets it- to the point where they don’t even have to think hard about using these online channels to their advantage. It’s ingrained in some of them, which is good. They have the most positive relationship with the Internet than previous generations who grew up with computers, in my opinion.

I have to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to be included among others who also recognize and understand the value. Especially because, sadly, I know there are many who still aren’t sure and don’t get it. I think it’s sad because I worry that those who don’t get it are being left out, somehow.

Eventually, I would love to be connected to all my offline family, friends, and coworkers through various online networks because the busier and further apart we are in our physical lives- spread out across the world, it becomes more and more important to me to keep any and all lines of communication open. Social networks allow me to reinforce my bonds with those people whom I share common interest and values with.

What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Mike-35, Art and Web Director, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

Social media? Let’s see, is that like the paparazzi?

Just kidding.

Yes, I use social media. A little. Well, I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. But I could stop at any time and I’m not really on that much. Oh, and I’m on this one called Behance which is great for designers and artists. I’m on Flickr too, but not really that much. Flickr doesn’t count.

A year ago, I was more aware of MySpace than any other social media platform. I did not have an account. I’d look over the shoulder of a co-worker or someone to see what it looked like. Sure, I’d read all about how MySpace was changing the way unknown bands could gain followings and land record deals. And how high school and college kids could play with exhibitionism or be cyber-bullies. Facebook didn’t have a bad rap, but was mainly for college kids. What I read about Facebook was how Mark Zuckerberg was this kid billionaire genius and how advertisers were all googly about what he created. The next big thing.

Which is, I admit, why I signed up for Facebook. Being the ‘web guy’ here at work I figured I ought to know about it. I posted some photos. My friends list started to grow. I added more information about myself. All of a sudden it was fun to log in and see what everyone was saying. Initially, I really just used Facebook to post family photos and connect with other family members. My network grew and I became more comfortable with it all. Now, it’s more or less a daily activity, like email. More recently, I’ve had a growth spree on Facebook reconnecting with old classmates from high school and even a few from grammar school. Talk about flashbacks! It’s wild to reconnect with people from way back and see what life has dished out. To put that in context, I’m 35 years old and I graduated from high school in 1991. Computers were not a part of my life growing up. Heck, the internet wasn’t even around until college and even then it was all dial-up.

LinkedIn, I think, is a necessity for a web professional. On a professional level, it helps to have my work history out there. I’m not totally current on LinkedIn, but I’m not looking for a job either. However, as I’m writing this, it occurs to me that I should keep my profile complete. If a client wants to dig around and check out who’s working on their project, LinkedIn would be a good place to go.

Again, work led me to Twitter. I’m a pretty low level Twitterer. I tend to follow other people in the web design and development world. I think if I had more followers I’d be more apt to post updates on a regular basis. Follow me: @MichaelBouchard : )

The internet is the ultimate place to share news and information with other people. And when you’re in the market for it, to find information. I love finding stuff online. I can find anything, almost. Facebook and Twitter are great outlets for me to share some of the things I do come across. Ultimately, social media allows me to share a piece of my life with others, and by its nature, learn about more stuff from other people. Being the information hound that I am, it’s all good. Social media makes my world smaller, and that’s good too.

What are your thoughts on overall social networking growth?

Nielson came out with a great report Monday–the big statistic was that 2/3 of the world’s internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time. Nielson also stated that social network and blogging sites are growing at three times the rate of overall Internet growth. One in every 11 online minutes is spent on a social network globally.

As Tara recently mentioned in a post, social network membership is shifting older in terms of growth. A great indicator of this is Facebook, with its greatest growth in the 35-49 age group and in the past year, the site added almost twice as many 50-64 year old users (+13.6 million) than it did under 18 year old users (+7.3 million).

The report also mentioned the growth of mobile use to keep up with social networking on the go. Having the ability to visit a social network via a mobile phone has increased 156% in the U.S. since last year (about 10.6 million people now have access to these services). Facebook’s mobile application, as of November 2008 had tripled in growth from 5 million to 15 millions users worldwide. As a user myself, I access my Facebook Blackberry app probably 10+ a day.

Examining the growth of social networks on a global stage is interesting to keep track of. It’s easy to see the growth around you on a daily basis, as family members, coworkers, peers and the-people-you-never-thought-would-join get involved with social networks. Social networks and blogs offer niche and thus universal appeal– there is something for everyone, everywhere.

Share with us your own stories of social networking growth. Or if you have any thoughts on the future of social networking (personal, U.S., global) hash it out in the comments!

Question: What has your experience with social media been like?

Guest Blogger: Alina - 26, Designer, Pannos Winzeler Marketing

Hello ladies and thanks for having me here on Media Talk!!

Social Media can be summed up in one word - addiction. It’s a real lifeline for people my age. It’s informative, entertaining, a real form of communication, and even a way to express oneself. It can be hard to keep up with and hard to stay away from, all at the same time. Thankfully I don’t have internet or cable at home. I try personally to balance out my “plugged in” time.

Over the past few years it amazes me how far social media truly has come. I remember the days when AOL instant messenger was really the only game in town. Today, I have an account with MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Google Chat, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, (where I host my portfolio) and was active with Meetup for a short time to get involved with hiking groups in the area. I will be honest and say the only one I am truly able to keep up with on a regular basis is Facebook.

Social media opens up so many avenues for sharing - photos, opinions, ideas, knowledge, tools and even résumés for potential professional connections. I think it is a wonderful advancement and it makes the world feel that much smaller sometimes.

Personally I have been able to get in touch with people I haven’t heard from in over 15 years. At first I thought things like Twitter and posting status updates on Facebook were a bit much. Why would I want to have something I am supposed to update all the time about what I am doing every second? I mean who would care? But I will admit that at least once a day I am on there posting something I either heard, or found, or a video I watched and wanted to share. I really enjoy reading other people’s posts and what they find out there in the web world, things I may have otherwise missed.

It came as no real surprise to me that businesses, including my own, would actually start encouraging use of these social media sites. Whether it is to stay connected to each other internally or to advertise to, and get feedback from, consumers. The Internet is where most people my age as well as those in their 30’s and 40’s are spending most of their time these days. If you can reach out to them where they are paying attention, then you are reaching them where it matters most.

All my experiences using social media so far have been positive. I feel able to balance and enjoy my “online life” as much as my real life and it has been an extra way to reach out to people both professionally and socially. I hope to do more with it - I would like to have my own blog someday - but I know it takes time to maintain and right now there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Everyone has to find their own balance.

Comments welcome please.