The Electronic Grapevine

Re: Social Media Redefined… (see two articles down)

Marie writes: My comment would be that this is a double edged sword. I think that some social media users feel very free to say whatever comes to mind. We all know what happens when there are no facts involved and, before you know it, crazy opinions and postings become accepted fact.

Thanks Marie for taking the time to add to the conversation.  One of the best reasons to not only join, but also lead social network groups is that you are able to see those crazy opinions about jewellery, dispute false facts about jewellery and sew good information about jewellery.  If we become a source of consistently good and helpful information in social network spheres, we can build-up “trusted advisor” points.  When we are trusted, and our audience knows what we do, selling to them becomes much easier.

If you think you can step into a social network to sell and begin calling the shots, it doesn’t work that way.  You’re a party crasher.  You have no “creds.”  When Hamas and the I.D.F. begin firing jibes at each other via Twitter, it’s mostly to gain attention by mass-media outlets.  It worked.  The novelty of military factions tweeting earned them some ink.  Could Twitter morph into a valid source for up-to-the-minute news?  Probably not.  Will the social media public go to credible mass-media news sources to verify supposed facts and news from the Twitterverse?  I hope so.

Social media is evolving, but now that the “grapevine” is electronically viewed on high-tech expensive computing devices it still doesn’t make gossip, conjecture and rumors more accurate.  You can opt-out and let it happen or you can opt-in and become a force for positive and accurate information.