A visit to BBC Radio York re. social media. It's not PANTs

GOOD MORNING YORK! via BBC Radio York.

And we're LIVE: A positive or a negative comment from someone, somewhere on the web can be critical to how debate develops, brand reputation and, as we saw recently with @stephenfry on Twitter, personal ego.

Today (as in this date Wednesday, 25th November) on BBC York I put some social media tools to the test. Well at least in so far as you can with a self-confessed ‘technophobe’ DJ and ‘older generation' listening demographic. But, really all Maude from York wants is to stay in touch – how else will she know when little grandson Johnny has taken over the world? This is true for all generations. And even technophobe DJ's - hello, Andy Tomlinson, thanks for keeping my mic warm.

So, it is with real delight when I am introduced to the ‘newbies’ or ‘virgin’ social media users. One core message that resonates when confronted with Twitter et al. are the claims made by the newbies that they ‘don’t’ get it’ (whatever the 'it' may be – as in IT or otherwise). What they are missing out on is accompaniment of (another) tool for the simple pleasure of communication. To go return, briefly, to Maude and her grandson, in essence the pleasure take from the how we choose to stay in touch. Such social media influence can often mean the difference between communications success or a communications failure. Because whether we are aware of it or not we all have influence.


This is NOT a popularity contest.


Consider the example set by small business such as Elizabeth Wells Lingerie, right ‘here’ in York. BEFORE I had even arrived this morning at BBC Radio York Sarah (owner of said establishment), had twittered her way through the mornings arrivals including tit(literally)bits and ‘stylish pants’ for men.

OK, so perhaps not a before breakfast topic suitable for the less fruity of Maude's friends, but certainly an influential pull in terms of business awareness and, yes, sociability. I mention sociability as @Elizabethwells and myself ‘met’ over Twitter, where we discovered a mutual residence in York and appreciation of mojitos. This is unlikely to have occurred if we had kept quiet and without a tweet from either of us re.pants etc.


Ultimately, this is finding your niche and what you as an individual is comfortable with. Finding the blogs or Twitter users who are quotes ‘highly influential’, is about understanding how such connections influence choice, steer networks and lead to linkages to others. Maude et al. are unlikely to care about this side of social media 'stuff' and 'things'. But they will be happy to 'see’ what Johnny is up to and update status with ‘making tea’ for the upteenth time that day.


In short, the individual use of social media provide invaluable clues as to who you are, as much as what you are doing. Whether as Maude, Johnny, DY, @Elizabethwells or me (@mazphd)...