Social Media used to be a blast.
You know, 4-8 years ago, when digital networks were just rising to the surface, and there was an aura of discovery around new people, new tools, new access to information.
It was really fun.
There’s no doubt that social networking/digital connectivity are going to continue to play a huge role in all of business and life, but it is now settling in to the level of a utility. It’s no longer new news; and, as wryly acknowledged in a Twitter exchange this morning with my friend (and fellow early-adopter) Mack Collier, social is no silver bullet.
I realize that many companies are still only on the threshold of discovering social networks, but for those of us who’ve been involved longer, and who are perhaps becoming a bit jaded, let’s think together about one thing that matters much more than platforms and influence and page views.
Purpose. Your purpose.
The real magic is that the domains of people, information, and things are combining into one gigantic interconnected digital network. And that means new opportunities (I focus primarily on business aspects of that here; there are lots of other opportunities that emerge in non-biz realms).
Why are we doing this social stuff? Do we have a clear, business-growth-enabling, strategic reason for building networks? Or are we just making mass connections with people and companies, and hoping for some kind of result?
Can you tell someone, in one tweet, why you are “doing” social media? (actually, why not go ahead and tweet it – use the hashtag #purpose).
Me? I want to change the way we do business by building trust-based professional referral networks. #purpose
You?
Hint: if you’re struggling with how to make social networking useful for business, your best starting point is Jay Baer‘s new book Youtility. Here’s my review of it..
