What do you think when you see someone following / doing what you think is a silly trend? Do you ignore them, do you read up and research it? What exactly do you do?
I know looking at the pictures to the left of me “planking” on a guard rail you are probably laughing and puzzled. I was inspired to write the post based on a recent photo I look following a trend “planking”. You can read all about the trend online. They even have a Facebook page. I took some “planking” pictures over the weekend to have a laugh with a friend who spent Saturday taking his 13 year old son “planking”. Some trends are silly and come and go quickly, however some trends are here to stay.
Here are a few social media trends that most people ignored and they are still around and thriving:
- Facebook was started by some college students. People thought it was a trend for kids. Facebook now has over 800 million users. Quite a trend! Wouldn’t you have liked to say you were one of the first, I know I would have.
There are businesses that just focus solely on building Facebook applications and games. Any website that doesn’t have Facebook “Like” and the other social media integrations they offer are considered behind the times. If you have a business and don’t have a Facebook Business Page you are behind. If you don’t have a Facebook Profile you are even more behind.
- Twitter was started in March of 2006. The first Tweet was sent at 9:50 pm PST by Jack Dorsey. At first there were only a few regular users, now they have over 200 million users. I remember the first time someone mentioned Twitter to me I had never heard of it. I needed a training lesson and live demonstration to see what it was all about (a far cry from my Twitter addiction today). This Wikipedia post about Twitter is quite interesting.
Developers are now continually building the new latest greatest Twitter tools to manage your following, grow your following, Tweet, etc. I personally have used and use many of them. To name a few of my favorites – SocialOomph.com, Tweetdeck.com and Tweepi.com.
If a trend is something that could affect your business look at it a little closer before just dismissing it. Follow it! I am not saying act on it, but watch it a little closer than turning a blind eye.
This is my approach with a new technology trend:
- Does it make sense?
- What are others saying about it?
- Could it be applied to your business?
- Would it damage your reputation?
- Does it cost you little or nothing to implement the trend for a short time to test it?
I usually will test a new social media trend, so I can support my clients and friends with answers to their questions. I like to know the positives and the negatives. I then will think about the strategies that can be used with the new trend for business owners.
These are just a few thoughts I have on trends. I know you have some great feedback also. Now, it’s your turn! Please comment and share! Thank you!
P.S. I realized after taking the “planking” photos last weekend, I was actually doing it wrong. To me, that made it even funnier! If you want to see the rest of the photos I made, check out the album on Facebook. Also, for those that are thinking I am losing my mind, I was “planking” on a guard rail in a park, not on the side of the highway!
