Share This Part One

The first part of Share This starts with an introduction to social networks. When I think of social networks, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are the first things that pop into my head. However, there are a lot of social networks out there, such as Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr. It is no surprise that there are many options for social networks, as they are used by over 70 percent of people. This makes me wonder what that number is today.

With the various social networks available, how can they be classified? There has to be some way to categorize the different networks. Katy Howell discusses eight categories:

1.   Networking sites are online networks made up by individuals and most recognizable by user profiles.

2.   Blogs, which are created in a diary form, show the writer’s opinions and thoughts.

3.   Microblogs are a shorter blogging form, with 140-200 characters per post.

4.   Collaborative communities require users to work together to reach a goal.

5.   Communities and forums can launch and disappear quickly, or become established forums. Discussion-based forums, review communities, branded communities and do-it-yourself communities are discussed.

6.   Content-sharing communities are stored and found on social networks that focus on ranking, sharing and sorting. These include photo and video sharing sites.

7.   Geo-social networks allow users to “check in” or comment about their location.

8.   Virtual worlds are an online community with computer-simulated environments. Users interact with others through the use or avatars.

It may feel like a challenge to incorporate social media into public relations, but it is essential. Companies can get involved in the conversations their fans have, which helps create mutually beneficial relationships with the company and target audience.