Have you spent time thinking about what social media really are?
What Is/Are Social Media?
My definition of social media:
“In their purest form, social media are those media, or methods of communication, that are virtual, and that offer the ability to interact and establish relationships by being ‘social’ with our intended audiences.”
What Is Social Networking?
Social networking occurs within social media.
Let’s take a look at what Merriam-Webster has to say about the word social.
Webster has a host of definitions, a few you can see here. Let’s see if any of these apply to what we all know about social networking.
1. Involving allies
When we engage in social networking, we definitely find likely allies in our line of work, or our interests, forming relationships with them, often going the extra mile to do what we can to protect them, and sharing the best of them with the rest of the world.
2. Pleasant companionship with friends or associates:
When we engage in social networking, we often show a side of ourselves that helps others understand what we are like to do business with. This helps complete the know, like, and trust factors that all of us who market our services strive for because our clients need one or more of those components to decide if they want to do business with us.
3. The interaction of the individual and the group; welfare of human beings:
Yes, yes, interaction is key to what we are doing here. If we are here just to broadcast without the connection to other human beings, we aren’t using these tools to the best of our ability.
4. Â Cooperative and interdependent relationships with others:
Well, thank you, Mr. Webster! You had no idea this would be so closely tied to social media when you added it to your dictionary, did you? When we spend time using social media, this is what it is all about.
These aren’t media to be used in a self-centered manner, only worried about our interests.
If we approach social networking, and what we are doing in these spaces, as completely dependent on others, always searching for ways to:
- Interact
- Help
- Serve
- Educate
- Mentor
- and to bring others along,
If we keep these actions as the foundation of what we do online, then we begin to see the true potential of social media and social networking.Â
With Social Media and Networking, Make This Your Mission
I’d have to say social networking has everything to do with the definition of social. Therefore, let’s make it our mission to use these tools in the way they are intended, thinking about the social aspect of them, and constantly finding ways to interact with, and help, others.
Isn’t this type of networking more fulfilling than what some have exhibited in the past?
Social Media Aren’t Social Without You
Social media and social networking take more than one person to work.
You need to put the social in social media.
Social media means nothing without you, so let’s be social out there, okay?
Nancy Myrland is a Marketing and Business Development Advisor, specializing in Content, Social & Digital Media. She helps lawyers grow their practices by integrating the right marketing practices in order to build their reputations and their relationships, which leads to building their practices.
Also known as the LinkedIn Coach For Lawyers, Nancy is a frequent LinkedIn trainer, as well as a content marketing specialist. She helps lawyers, law firms, and legal marketers learn and implement content, social, and digital media strategies that cut through the clutter and are more relevant to their current and potential clients.
She is also the founder of the hybrid self-study and live online course, LinkedIn Course For Lawyers, where she personally guides lawyers through the sequential creation of their LinkedIn profile and presence.Â
As an early and constant adopter of social and digital media and technology, she also helps firms with blogging, podcasting, video marketing, voice marketing, and livestreaming. Nancy also works with many firms and lawyers on Zoom and virtual presentation training and coaching to be the best they can be when presenting online.
She also helps lead select law firms through their online social media strategy when dealing with high-stakes, visible cases.
