Written by Robert Geiger Sunday, 28 February 2010 18:03

When the web was first created by DARPA (no, it was NOT Al Gore), they wanted to create a new way to collaborate on research projects.  People in government and university settings used it to communicate on research and educational projects.There were no web browsers in those days.  But this was the beginning of email and file sharing (FTP).

Information Linked to Information

One day, a researcher a CERN had an idea.  He wanted to use the system to create a way that would allow one document to be linked to another, thereby creating a "web" of information that cross references itself.  That was the beginning of the world wide web as we know it.  It created Information linked to information using a new protocol called HTML and the first web browsers were born to display these documents.

People Linked to Information - Information sharing

Once the information was created and linked to itself, the natural inclination was to help people more easily find the documents.  So, the web created directories and bookmarking and indexing and search engines to facilitate sharing.  These were ways to make it easier for people to share good information with others.  Yahoo was the first generation of search engine and it's success was a reflection of people's insatiable appetite for information.

People Linked to People - Social Media

The most recent step in the evolution of the web has led to what we now call "Social Media." Social Media is the transcendence of Information management and Information sharing. We are now in the realm of using technology to expand not just information, but our lives and our lifestyles.

Marshall McLuhan said that the Medium is the Message.  In the case of the medium's first incarnation, the message was, Share your research.  The second incarnation's message was Organize your information.  The third incarnation's message was Share your Information.  The latest incarnation, however, gets us past information.  What then is the message now?

The message of Social Media is "Participate in Life."  You can share your thoughts and interests, what makes you happy, sad, excited, motivated.  You can participate in and create communities of friends, business associates, family, common interests, and anything else that you like.  Now, it's about people.  Information is secondary.  Information may be the water in which those people swim, but it's not about the information - it's about what's being created by people as a group.

Social Media Implications

The most significant implication is the movement away from just Googling (simply looking for information) to Participation (using information in the course of Living).  Information in an of itself is of no value unless it's put to use.  We humans use information in the course of participation in life.  That's why libraries are both so important, and of no value unless their contents are put to use by people in life.

The message, Participate in Life, then, implies ongoing interaction between people and groups.  People may participate simply for fun, or they may have goals.  Every facet of life is about participation.  One does not Live alone in this world, and we now have a medium that reflects this reality as it's message.  LIVE!  Have FUN!

How Do I Participate in Social Media Life?

We've all heard of Facebook and Twitter.  These are almost synonymous with Social Media themselves. Using them is a start.  There are important things to realize, though, about social media.  When you go to a party, there are basic rules of etiquette.  You don't go into a black tie event in jeans.  You dress appropriately.  You don't discuss business all the time.  You make small talk.

With Social Media comes the complexities of human social interaction and these things can not be ignored.  That's one of the reasons we put together our Social Media training course.  We've designed it to help you to not be the sales dork at the party.  If you'd like to know more about this, my company, 7 Peaks, is offering a special social media training course designed for sales forces to teach them to use social media to build relationships and trust first, and to expand business as a natural, not forced, result.

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