Just saw a great quote on the distinction between “Social Media” and “Social Networking”:
Social Media are tools for sharing and discussing information. Social Networking is the use of communities of interest to connect to others. You can use Social Media to facilitate Social Networking. Or, your can network by leveraging Social Media.
But why, you ask, is this distinction important?
Because to use these new tools effectively, you have to know why you’re using them. Are you an individual looking to connect with others outside your everyday circle? Then you’re looking for social networking, and now you can start wading through the dozens of tools that offer it to find the right tool for your speed, your need, and your feed (people/info you want to follow).
Are you an organization that is seeking to get your message out? Then you’re looking at the media tools, and again, to pick the right one(s), look at where your target audience is online, and start joining them there. Are they younger and informal? Create a Facebook page. Are they over 30 and information-sharers? Find them on Twitter. Purely professional crowd? LinkedIn is your arena.
It gets tricky because Social Media is by nature conversational, so “getting your message out” is often about building relationships, which is Social Networking’s core territory. Welcome to the blurry overlap.
But, if you had to choose, which of these factors is your core goal – messaging, or networking? Pick one, lean towards tools that do that best, and expect a lot of overlap. Because in this new media world, messaging without connecting is doomed. Picking the core goal just helps you decide where to allocate your time most effectively in a universe of options.
