In case you haven’t heard, blogging is dead. Again. And social media is a fad. Just like computers and the Internet. If you have any kind of interest in social media, you’ve likely heard the question asked a thousand times: Is social media a fad? Some people really want to know. They’re worried that what they’re doing right now might be irrelevant as time goes on. And so they search and search for the answer to that ever important question: Is social media a fad?
Yes. Social media is a fad.
For many. And for some, not so much.
For those who believe that social media is some Holy Grail, some get-rich-quick Internet scheme — yes, social media is a fad. For those who use it for one-way conversation and flood and flood people with noise, the appeal of social media will die away.
Some people think that in order to reap the benefits of social media you just have to be there.
Just start a blog. About nothing. Make a Facebook fan page, the people will flock to it! Twitter is so amazing, you can automate everything! It’s so easy!
Some people think that simply being there will get them exposure and exponentially grow their sales.
Seriously, is anything ever that easy?
And when people realize that it’s not that easy, they will start dropping out. Those who properly utilize social media — those who build relationships and interact and build online communities — will still be around, doing their thing, reaping the benefits.
One reason some people will drop out of social media is because it’s not easily quantifiable. How do you translate your efforts into financial results? I can’t guarantee that this blog post or this tweet will earn any money. And that’s another thing — very rarely will one post or one tweet lead to any results. It takes time for it all to accumulate. It takes time for people to care.
To be honest, I’m not exactly sure where I plan to go with my own social networking. But I can say that having a blog has changed the way I look at things. For the better. And that’s something that’s hard to put a price tag on. So it’s safe to say that I see no reasonable explanation for why I would drop out of social media.
You know, other than the fact it’s all a fad.
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