If you’re just starting to learn about social media and feeling a little overwhelmed with everything, it’s OK! Take a deep breath, have a cookie, and realize that you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. This is one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving fields today, with new innovation and technology developments occurring hourly. To stay on top of it all, you’d have to be online around the clock, stop showering frequently, be hooked up to a caffeine/Red Rull IV, and limit your social interactions to Tweets and IMs. I don’t recommend this strategy.
(Don’t turn into this guy)
That’s why it makes sense to get educated (it takes time), do your research, and where appropriate, hire a specialist to formulate strategy and execute on your behalf. But you have to have some base knowledge if you’re gonna be effective and avoid getting taken to the cleaners by the “experts”. Below are my recommendations on good resources to get started:
Blogs:
Mashable
Jeffbullas
TheBrandBuilder
Altimeter Group
Prosperity Research
Thomas Crampton
Videos:
A compilation of Social Media facts and figures that are hard to ignore.
Harvard Business interview with Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research on Social Media technologies
Google’s Dr. Vinton Cerf (“The Father of the Internet”) on how brands can tap into the social media.
Twitter in Plain English
Funny Video of Who You Want to Avoid (WARNING: language not safe for office)
