All of this is, of course, great fun. People are moving from traditional media, such as television and radio, towards social media, where they can interact with other people. More hours per week are being spent indulging in forms of social media, and people are interacting more broadly and deeply with others. This is the right opportunity for all forms of business to engage their customers (and potential customers) in a way which may appear, at first, to be alien and in disrespect to marketing tradition. But, studies show categorically that social media can significantly improve the health, wellbeing and profits of companies both small and large.

The difference between the traditional web and the new web

The internet has changed since it was first envisaged. Things have become faster, cheaper, smoother and more accessible. We have come to see the internet as a way of life, an inescapable adjunct to our existence. It has been incorporated into our daily routines. We order our pizzas over the internet. We buy televisions, cookers, clothes, cameras, holidays, cars, books, DVDs, CDs and just about everything else via the internet. Whilst this method of purchasing has not replaced, and is not likely to, traditional high street or store shopping there is, nevertheless, an increased reliance on the internet as a purchasing vehicle. Furthermore, we get our services, too, via the net. Right now I can order a will, a health check and a financial makeover right from my computer.

The internet provides us with something that other modalities do not have. That is, user led convenience. If I wanted to buy a television I would look up makes, models and specifications on the internet. If I wanted to buy a book I could do the same. In fact, it is likely that I will lookup anything that I wish to purchase, other than impulse buys, provided it is something that I really want. But more importantly, I will look to see whether other people have used the item or service and whether they rated it as something worthwhile. This is the power of social media.