Although my job would not exist were it not for the Internet, I continue to be astonished at how much the Internet has changed the lives of everyone I know.
Some things don’t change, however. For instance, what can be more social than the holidays?
I love the holidays, mostly because they are the times of year when my family and loved ones move heaven and earth to get together. We play games, sing songs around the piano, share funny stories, go to movies, eat from old and new recipes, and do many of the traditional things that families often do.
This year, I noticed that almost everyone—regardless of age—was occasionally preoccupied by their smart phones i.e., Blackberries, iPhones, etc. Almost everyone is online these days, 365 days a year!
As my nephew said, “This shows you the power of social media.”
I thought to myself: We humans are definitely social creatures.
It also occurred to me that my nephew’s observation is relevant to nearly every business. A business can decide to let social media work for it, or it can possibly attempt to try and buck this powerful tide—and possibly miserably fail.
For example, a business can leverage social media to:
- Recruit and retain talent
- Increase or enhance brand awareness
- Share knowledge
- Implement crisis management strategies
- Market its products and services
While researching for relevant information and statistics to back up my nephew’s observation, I came across the HHS Center for New Media, which serves the agencies and offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This government agency apparently has some progressive and forward-thinking leaders.
To give you an idea, here follows their demographics about Twitter users that can be found online at: http://newmedia.hhs.gov/standards/twitter/#Demographics:
Demographics: WHO uses Twitter?
- As of March 2009, the largest age group on Twitter was 18-34; with nearly 15 million unique visitors per month, comprising 44 percent of the site’s audience. The second largest group on Twitter in March 2009 was 35-49 year-olds (33% of the site’s audience).
- Twitter users are also slightly more likely than the average internet user to live in urban areas, with 35% of Twitter users living in urban areas (compared to 29% of all internet users) and just 9% of Twitter users living in rural areas, compared to 17% of internet users.
- As of March 2009, 82% of Twitter users were Caucasian and 8% were African American (Asian Americans and Hispanics each comprised about 5% of visitors).
- Twitter attracts users in a variety of household income brackets: 28% of users earn between $30k and $60k, 27% earn over $100k, 23% earn between $60k – $100k, and 22% earn between $0 and $30k.
No one would deny that the above HHS demographics represent some marketing and buying potential! The above HHS Web site also includes steps that its agencies and offices can use to decide if and how Twittering should or can be used.
Of course, as is the case with any communication tool (even the old-fashioned desk phone], some people will know no boundaries with the use of social media.
Some HR professionals report stories about a few employees who have been found to spend as much as 85 percent of their work days on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Obviously, employers will need to set boundaries and expand their policies that govern expression in the workplace.
Meanwhile, employers might wish to consider the power of social media and how these tools can be used to their advantage.