Posted on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 @ 10:58 AM
Article submitted by SJ Petteuti.
So now Google is jumping into the social media sphere with Google Buzz. Fantastic. Just what we need, one more profile to manage and keep up with. Did you know that the average social media user has 8 different profiles to manage? Now with a Google Buzz account will that number jump to 9? Will I have to manage my Google Buzz account and my Google Wave account separately?
With all these companies reinventing the wheel comes what I believe is the precipice of the Social Media Bubble. And when (not if) it bursts it will be because of companies like Google who are trying to stick their fingers in too many pies.
All bubbles, no matter what industry, burst because of the same reason- overload. People can only handle interacting with so many social media sites, and in the end the only thing that makes a social media site valuable is if it provides some sort of unique value. If I want to review a movie I go to Netflix, if I need to reach out to a professional contact I'll use Linkedin. Redundant social media sites like Google Buzz (which essentially aggregates the features of Twitter into a gmail social circle) will provide a small value, and ultimately remain unsuccessful.
The same is true for companies who are developing an Internet Marketing campaign. It is a fad right now to be on all the popular social media sites- you know the usual suspects. But having a social media presence can become a liability if you are not providing some sort of unique value to a specific audience on a specific social media platform. For all of our clients, we make sure that they have a seperate strategy for their Facebook page, Twitter account, and any other social media profile that we create for them- because they each serve very different functions.
But there is a limit, we can only manage so many accounts, both as companies and individuals. So when companies (like Google and Facebook) try to "add value" by rebranding something (like real-time chat) that we already have, they run the risk of overloading our circuits, and shutting down our interest in social media entirely.
Don't believe me? Consider the TV show Lost. Lost did such a good job interweaving the plot throughout each episode that they create a mentality that unless you have seen every episode (in order) then it's not even worth trying to jump in now. And sadly, that's true. That is a major reason why until recently, the ratings for Lost have consistently declined, despite the fact that the show is still strong. People lose interest, and new viewers don't jump in.
As the vanguards of the digital media, we need to be wary of not falling into that same trap. We can avoid bursting the bubble if we recognize that social media platforms work best when they are unique, and that there is a limit to how many profiles we can successfully manage.
The solution to companies is simple, don't get into a social media platform unless you can contribute something that is currently not there. That lesson goes for Google as well.
W4Y5TG8U64C6