Social Media: Traditional Views

The first article I read was 10 Ways Newspapers Are Using Social Media to Save the Industry by Woody Lewis.
“These days, everyone knows that one of the hottest stories any newspaper can cover is that of its own demise.” What used to be the only source of world wide news, is now becoming the last source. So how do newspaper companies manage to stay afloat? By using social media of course. Everyone knows that if you want to stay in business then you have to use the latest trends to stay popular.
Twitter has played a major part in this social media trend. It is so easy for an online journalist to link their article, with a killer headline, to a Twitter post. This enables followers to scan through the different stories and pick and choose which ones interest them. Twitter is by far the fastest, and potentially most popular way to get news. It only takes a matter of seconds to send information out worldwide. And if your job is to report the news then you better learn how to Tweet.
Advertising on the internet is quick, easy and it works. There are hundreds of different outlets that can be used to promote something. For example, you can make videos, post ads, create a blog, plan an event, make a group, etc. This allows advertisers to reach millions of viewers through countless mediums which may not have been reached without the internet and social media.
The use of social media can be used to help educate those who may never have been informed on world news in the past. It allows journalists to reach a whole new audience and to target a different generation that may have been ignored in the past.
It is a fact that with changing technology newspapers must change as well.

My second article was called How Traditional Entertainment Can Use Social Media by David Card.
The smartest thing that a big company can do these days is to combine their products or ideas with popular social media tools. For example, by encouraging your costumers to “check-in” at your location on Facebook is a great way to let your costumers friends know that they use your product or are associated with your company. It is a simple way to use word-of-mouth promotion. If your costumers friends hear about you then they are more likely to come visit your business.
Discussion boards on Twitter promote talk about your product. This allows more and more people to seek information about your company and encourages more costumers or viewers.
All types of social media allow costumers to act as the promoters or advertisers for companies they use. All it takes is one good review on a popular blog to send costumers through the door.
The first step to utilizing these social media tools is to have a good understanding of them. Our generation lives on the internet so naturally we are going to use it to help us decide where to eat, shop, play, etc.