I attended my very first social media conference over the weekend and it came right on time for me. See, not only do I participate in social media for “fun” but I also work in social media every day. I manage multiple Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Blogs, Foursquare venues, YouTube, Wikipedia pages and Flickr. This list constantly grows daily as many companies recognize that they don’t want to participate in “that social media mess” but they have competitors who are beating them at their game. So reluctantly, they recognize the necessity of what I do. But the ongoing question is, what is the value? what does it do for me? why should I pay for it since these websites are free? I know that this answer is different for everyone, but this stands the same for all companies: if you aren’t doing social media, then you are behind. Period.
Arriving at the lavish! pre party Friday night was a fantastic feeling. I was surrounded by people who “get it”. Everyone there had varying degrees of expertise, wisdom and knowledge to share. But most importantly, we all had the same understanding that social media is not going away. Yes, it’s new, and there are some afraid of it. Sometimes, I wonder the same. But the more I drag my feet about doing certain social media projects, the more left behind I get. Others are still convinced that it is a mindless fad. But all of us at that conference, speakers, sponsors and attendees alike understand that it’s not going to leave. It’s only going to continue growing and expanding. I loved not having to explain why I do this or what the benefit of using Twitter is. The social media industry needs conferences to stay motivated. I know for sure that this conference makes me want to step it up on this blog and in my daily profession as a Social Media and Analytics Specialist.
What do you think about the changing scope of social media?
