Dictionary.com defines the term Social Media as: “Websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts.”
The question is how many “online means of communication” are used by people to “to develop social and professional contacts.” Do they share the same characteristics? Or do they cater to different needs and demands?
The online platforms that come to mind when you mention the term Social Media are Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+ and YouTube. But are these all?
No. Social Media today encompasses a much larger range of websites and online platforms. Broadly Social Media can be divided into six clear categories:
# Category 1: Social Networking
The Social Networking sites are by far the most popular Social Media sites. They enable members to interact with each other. The interaction goes much beyond text messages. It includes posting photographs and videos that may be about members or about subjects that interest them.
All postings are in real time, allowing members to share information as it happens. Members can post comment on content posted by their fellow members creating conversation threads that add value to initial postings.
The first Social Networking site to gain popularity was Sixdegrees.com. Later, MySpace.com and Facebook.com emerged as important social networking destinations. Today, Facebook is the dominant networking site in the world. It has more members than any other Social Media site.
The Social Networking sites are not limited to friends. There is a popular sub-genre that has gained traction in recent years. The site that best symbolizes this form of social networking is LinkedIn.com. It connects working professionals, and has emerged as the top head hunting site.
# Category 2: Social Bookmarking
Social Bookmarking sites enable members to store the addresses of their favorite web pages online. A major advantage of this facility is that people can access their favorite pages from any computer, and from any part of the world. They are no longer restricted to their Favorites folder housed on their personal or official laptop.
Social Bookmarking sites provide one more advantage. They allow you to share these bookmarks with your friends. The requirement is that your friends too should be a member of the bookmarking site.
Some of the popular Social Bookmarking sites are Delicious.com, StumbleUpon.com, Digg.com, and Reddit.com.
# Category 3: Media sharing sites
These are Social media sites that allow members to store and share still images, podcasts and videos online. Most of them are free though a few also charge membership fee, based on features and services that they provide.
The media sharing site can be divided into two broad categories:
a. Video sharing sites: These sites, as the name suggests, allow members to post, share and stream videos. Visitors can rate videos, leave comments or share them on their blogs.
YouTube is the best example of a video sharing site. Millions of videos are published on this website by members from across the world. There are no editors; each member can create and publish videos. The best ones go on to capture the attention of millions of web users.
b. Photo sharing sites: The photo-sharing sites have emerged as huge databases of photographs. They allow members to post, view and share photographs as thumbnails, medium or full-sized images. Members are encouraged to tag the photographs so they can be searched and found easily. Some of the popular photo-sharing sites are Flickr.com, Photobucket.com and Snapfish.com.
# Category 4: Blogging
Blogs were born much before the concept of Social Media came into existence. But if you see the functionalities they offer you realize they are like another Social Media application. They offer personalized web address, free web space and powerful content management systems enabling members to create, publish and share content literally free of cost. The most popular Blog platforms are WordPress.com, Blogger.com and Tumblr.com. Together, they have made it possible for millions of people to write billions of words every day.
# Category 5: Microblogging
Who does not know Twitter today? This site has powered a new kind of Social Media activity: microblogging. Millions of people tweet 140-character messages every day, giving a new dimension to online communication.
Like other Social Media applications, Twitter too provides each member a personalized web address, and free creation, posting and sharing of tweets. Each tweet is instant, and published in real time. Twitter members can respond to the tweets, which get connected through tags.
The tweets are much more than personal messages. They are being used to promote political and business interests, and also to break news.
# Category 6: Wikis
Wikis allow members to create, edit and build content as a collaborative effort. This Social Media category gained popularity by the stunning success of Wikipedia, the world’s most famous Wiki. What makes Wikis unique is that they are built by the wisdom of hundreds unconnected people.
There are two kinds of Wikis: public and private. The public Wiki is like Wikipedia. Anyone, who is a member of a public Wiki, can add, correct and update content. The private Wikis provide editing rights to a limited few.
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