Top 10 Blogs for Understanding Social Media
At times, social media can seem like an onslaught more than a set of separate, useful tools, what with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter already household names and more social-networking sites undoubtedly on the way. Consult the following blogs for help on navigating among the good, the bad, the useful and the useless of the social-media world.
Shannon Paul's Very Official Blog
Seattle marketer comments on social media's uses in branding and marketing. Topics include whether being a company's "fan" on Facebook really means anything; how social networking affects journalistic integrity; and return on investment from social media.
Collates articles from multiple social-media specialists and their blogs. A good place to find out what works and doesn't when using social media for your work or personal lives.
The usual clear, beginner-friendly About.com treatment, applied to social media and other forward-leaning Web technologies. Helps distinguish among social networking, social bookmarking, social news and social photo/video sites and links to articles on getting started with these tools.
Longtime consultant Jay Baer writes about social media's uses
and abuses in both personal and professional life, with emphasis on the
latter. Takes a broad view of a broad field by referring to a multitude
of other bloggers, marketers and academics.
Surprisingly common-sense social-media advice, considering the author writes about both Internet marketing and lip gloss. Analyzes Twitter and Facebook usage as well as top travel accessories for biz-travel fashionistas.
Social-media analysis from an actual scientist. Handy "Key Posts" list on the right-navigation introduces topics such as viral marketing, gossip, tipping points and other topics that are helpful for social-media savvy, while current posts measure the impact of Twitter and other tools.
The social-media section of iMedia's mini-blogosphere includes diverse articles and opinions from several authors worldwide. Includes news and analysis of developments in major social-networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Branding consultant describes both social-media tools and the forces that make them work (community, authenticity, simplicity and more). Walks the walk by using social media to do good for the homeless and others.
Toronto-based writer comments on social media with a bias toward better disclosure and transparency by social-media users, whether individuals or companies. Topics include location-based apps (Google Latitude), public relations, and high-noise-to-signal phenomena such as comment spam and ever-cheaper content creation, among others.
Once you've got a basic understanding of social media, Mashable will get you up to speed on trends among the most popular sites and technologies, especially Twitter and Facebook. Has handy lists of musicians, foodies, environmentalists, authors, comedians and others whose tweets you can follow.
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