What is Social Media?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

Wikipedia entry for “Social Media.” Describes social media as Internet technologies that allow web communities to share and rate content, but also as a shift in communications methodology from a “one-to-many” broadcast of information to interactive participation in “the conversation.”

Cluetrain Manifesto Website

http://cluetrain.com/

Read only version of the original Cluetrain Manifesto website, which asserts that the openness and infinitely networked nature of the Internet will lead to the demise of established business methodology. Provides a list of the original 95 theses created by Chris Locke, Doc Searls, Rick Levine and David Weinberger, along with links to and online version of their book, The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual.

“What is Social Media?”

http://www.spannerworks.com/fileadmin/uploads/eBooks/What_is_Social_Media.pdf

eBook: “What is Social Media?” from digital marketing agency Spannerworks, discusses the impact of social media as a means of content production and distribution, and describes several specific social media formats including blogs, podcasts, social networks, content communities and second life.

“What is Social Media?”

http://scobleizer.com/2007/02/16/what-is-social-media/

Blog entry: “What is Social Media?” from the blog of Robert Scoble, an author, technical evangelist and VP of Media Development at video-podcast startup PodTech. Describes “social media” as media that leverages the interactivity of the Internet, and points out several differences between his blog and traditional media, including instant update capability, popularity analytics, access to archives, multimedia functionality, infinite scalability, and syndication capabilities.

“What is Social Media? No, really, WTF?”

http://www.socialmediaclub.org/2007/02/28/what-is-social-media-no-really-wtf/

Blog entry: “What is Social Media? No, really, WTF?” from Chris Heuer of the Social Media Club. Offers an initial draft of a formal “Social Media” definition that describes the “Three Cs” of social media as Context, Communications and Collaboration, and proposes a collaborative effort by the Social Media Club community to enhance and complete the definition.

“What is Social Media?” Wiki

http://socialmediaclub.pbwiki.com/WhatIsSocialMedia

“What is Social Media?” entry in the Social Media Club Wiki. Based on Chris Heuer’s post to the Social Media Club blog entitled, “What is Social Media? No, really, WTF?,” the definition focuses on the impact of social media on communication and interaction, rather than the specific online tools and services that have come to represent the movement.

“Social Media: An Introduction...”

http://trevorcook.typepad.com/weblog/files/CookHopkins-SocialMediaWhitePaper.pdf

eBook: “Social Media: An Introduction to the Power of Web 2.0,” by Trevor Cook of Australian PR firm Jackson Wells Morris and communications expert Lee Hopkins, discusses the ramifications of social media and collaborative Internet, focusing on the use of blogs, web feeds and podcasts in the business environment.