Person-to-Person-to-Person

It really doesn't seem so hard to use social networking to your advantage - but in reality, it is.

A group of leading expert thinkers on the strategy and the how-to behind maximizing the benefits from social networking sites teamed up to write Person-to-Person-to-Person: Harnessing the Political Power of Online Social Networks and User Generated Content (PDF), published by the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at George Washington University, and they say that social networks should be a part of a multi-faceted Internet strategy.

This stuff is so interesting to me because it's so new and the rules of the game on the Internet are so flexible. While bringing up some very salient points that all users of social media should remember in order to be successful (keep your information up-to-date, be active in an online community, and build trust among users), the report also suggests very interesting ideas for success such as promoting more user-generated content (letting go of the reigns of control seems to be a difficult thing for many organizations, including mine!) and using the Internet to research and learn more about your demographics and audiences before attempting to target them (the report offers gather.com, asianavenue.com, momsrising.com and more as good research sites). Another measure of success is the ability to translate online action into offline action, or even vice versa, such as in the case of townhall.com. A conservative talk radio company purchased the community website to harness the power of their listeners; the website has now become a place for interactivity, conversation, discussion, and blogging. They therefore turned a passive activity such as listening into activism through Internet technology.

The report also discusses the importance of youth, a historically forgotten demographic. Youth have proven to be strong social movers and shakers and, according to this report, social media strategies should be geared toward attracting and energizing youth as a primary audience. They're the ones who are more likely to use the Internet as a part of their daily lives because they are more accustomed to it, having grown up during the Internet boom.

Another key point that this report makes that I thought was interesting is the role of the "influencer" or the "leader". Finding these people are essential to online success using social networks. Influencers and leaders aren't necessarily people with big jobs or big titles, according to the report, or even people with big names. They are the people with established networks who helps to inform people and successfully changes their minds. Spending time and effort finding and talking to these people is not only beneficial but important in reaching others. These people can also help move online information offline easily.

Why has the Internet been so successful with "bringing grassroots back" as the report says? I think its simply because of convenience. We're in the information-overload age. We are too busy, too tired, and have too many people in our lives to take care of and worry about. Many of us aren't financially or physically able to participate in live demonstrations, protests, or other methods of real-life activism on issues we care about.

The Internet solves this dilemma. We can be contributing citizens, we can rally and organize groups, we can socialize with one another, we can inform each other, we can serve as the highest form of checks and balance for our government and we can bring down corrupt politicians, journalists and others by never leaving our desks.

We just have to let go of our controls and let the audiences speak.