Dictionary of terms used in Social Media Marketing
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Blog |
The term "Blog" is short for weblog. A blog is a post that is written from the perspective of an individual or group. The spectrum of blogs and bloggers is staggering -- encompassing just about every topic imaginable. Likewise, the spectrum of blog writing styles varies widely from the very personal to the very professional. Blogs are almost always first-person and their insider-perspective often makes them a credible and engaging source of information. Blogs are social media in the sense that readers can contribute to the blog via comments. Additionally, a blogger may have a rich network of readers with whom he or she has credibility and influence. Major Sites: Blogger (Blogspot,) Wordpress |
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Facebook is a social networking site with more than 300 million users (as of September 2009.) Initially created as a way to connect Ivy League university students -- Facebook has evolved into a truly global platform that connects individuals of every demographic in almost every country. A growing number of adults age 30-55 are using Facebook-- making it perhaps the most viable social networking platform for businesses. Facebook has recognized this opportunity by providing businesses with special tools to promote themselves on the site. |
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| Facebook Advertising |
Facebook advertising is similar to Google’s Adwords. Facebook PPC ads can be targeted by demographics and keywords. Because all the information is voluntarily provided by Facebook users (i.e. “Jenn like ice fishing” ) the ads tend to be highly-targeted. Facebook advertisements can link to either an outside webpage or back to a Facebook business page. |
| Facebook Applications |
Facebook apps are third-party applications that create opportunities for interaction between users; OR between the application and the user. An example would be an application that allows Facebook users to play Texas Hold Em’ -- or an application that allows a user to take a survey or quiz. |
| Forum |
A forum or discussion board is a venue for users to post and respond to questions & information. Forums are typically formed around a common interest -- such as "skydiving" or "knitting." Forums can be a great place to find individuals who are very passionate and involved with a particular interest area. |
| Joomla! |
Joomla! is open-source content management system. |
| Micro-blogging |
Micro-blogging is the term coined for the style of real-time status updates that define platforms such as Twitter. A micro-blog consists of a limited amount of characters (on Twitter, 140,) that an individual uses to communicate information, activity, or emotion with fellow platform users. Micro-blogging can be thought of as online SMS (texting.) Major Sites: Twitter, (Facebook Status Updates may also be "micro-blogging") |
| PPC |
Pay-per-click (or PPC) is a form of advertising online wherein the advertiser pays per click on the advertisement. PPC is possible both on Google and now on Facebook. An alternative to ppc would be paying per "impression" -- or by how many times your ad actually appears on a users monitor. In both Google & Facebook -- advertisements can be targeted to users by keyword. Google's keywords are more in-depth; but Facebook also allows demographic targeting (by age, location, sex, employers, education, etc...) Both also offer analytics -- though Google's are certainly more complex. |
| RSS |
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." RSS is a way to publish frequently updated material. This could mean blog posts, news stories, stock pries, etc... |
| Social Bookmarking |
Bookmarking of web pages to user-account on a website rather than via a browser. Users can tag content and bookmarks can be shared or kept private. Information about the content being tagged is aggregated by the social bookmarking platform and in this way, the most popular items online (according to the users) can be determined. Tags are also often aggregated so that a term such as "social networking" may rise to the top as the most popular "tag" of the day -- thus indicating that many people are reading and bookmarking items online about the term "social networking." Major Sites: Delicious (formerly deli.cio.us,) stumbleupon Related: Social News sites such as Fark, Digg, Reddit. The difference on these sites is that the information isn't bookmarked for the user -- but rather the user is indicating to others online that the content on these sites is valuable, funny, or otherwise worth reading. |
| Social Media |
Any type of new media that allows for interaction among users. Examples: video-sharing, user reviews, social networks, blogs, micro-blogs, photo-sharing, social bookmarking Major Sites: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, delicious, stumbledupon |
| Social Media Marketing (SMM) |
Marketing strategies focusing on collaborative internet medias. Tools: Blogs, social networks, online communities, wikis and more. Major sites: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace. |
| Social Media Optimization (SMO) |
(SMO) Social media optimization is the the optimization of social media to: a.) lead traffic back to the main webpage; & b.) create buzz, interest, and interaction on the social media platform that enhances a users perception of a company, product, or person. Because of the widespread use of the term social media marketing to include all social media activities -- we use social media optimization to refer to the subset that is focused on organic social media management such as link-posting, blogging, interacting with fans/follwers, building a relationship and brand with consumers on social media, etc.. . |
| Social Network |
A social network is an online community where a registered user can interact with other registered users. Typically, the user is encouraged to create a "profile" which contains basic information about the individual. Users interact with each other in a variety of ways: status updates, private messages, photo sharing & tagging, blogs, website links. Some popular social networks in some ways mirror old-school business "intranets" in that the interaction and information contained within them is visible only within the "walled-garden" of the social network (a la Facebook.) Other social networks (MySpace among them,) have less concrete boundaries and the information can be seen by non-users or users who are not within an individual's "network." Major Sites: Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Orkut, Bebo |
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Twitter is a social network defined by it's dependence on "micro-blogging" as the only form of interaction between users. Users "tweet" micro-blogs of 140 characters at a time. Users may also create profiles. Twitter keeps the platform fairly simple and straightforward -- but there are opportunities for individuals and businesses to customize their profiles and manage their information. |
