When human interaction is brought into the digital world and when media does not only talk to you but you can create a conversation with media, we have what we call today social media. We think of social media today as the interactions that take place via the Internet. However, social media was present even before the Internet. Calling into your local radio station is a form of social media. Replying to a classifieds ad on the newspaper is a form of social media.

What further launched social media in the past decade is the medium that we know as the Internet. When interactions can be held at a much larger scale, with more people, using more tools, and with faster connection speeds, social media happens at a much larger scale. Therefore, other than your neighbours knowing what you are having for dinner, the whole world can potentially know. That is where companies get awry about the usage of social media and don’t know how to handle it. They are speaking to a larger audience, handling more inquiries, moving slower than the speed at which the world is watching and talking about them, and not being able to predict or control what is being communicated. These things make them very nervous. However, when used correctly, social media can be a powerful medium to skyrocket your business.

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