Jeremy Bryant

I stumbled on a web site the other day, that solidified what has already been said by so many, and they did it in a cool way.  So many argue that social media is a fad, here today gone tomorrow, like multi-colored silk shirts or swatch watches.  Yet those that see the value in building connections, know that regardless of the tool that is used to experience this movement, the principle behind it is eternal.  We all have an innate sense to connect.  We all have talents and skills to share; that has always remained constant.   So whether you adopt it  now or later, its not going away.  Your ability to understand this medium, and harness the power of social media will only aid to your personal branding strategy, and to the growth of your business.

Some of the statistics that didn’t surprise me, but that were good to see were:

• Years to Reach 50 millions Users:  Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
• 2009 US Department of Education study revealed that on average, online students out performed those receiving face-to-face instruction.
• Successful companies in social media act more like party planners, aggregators, and content providers than traditional advertiser.
• 80 % of companies use LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees.
• By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network.
• If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia.
• 1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in online curriculum.
• 80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices…people update anywhere, anytime…imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?
• There are over 200,000,000 Blogs (There is a LOT of SEO work to do.)