Small is Beautiful

Yet again, Gillin hits the nail on the head. The social media expert has an innate gift of articulating social media in a way for readers to understand. In chapter six, Gillin touches on how "small is beautiful."One particular section of the chapter that caught my eye was when Gillin notes that it's all about the search. Gillin touches on the importance of Google and blogs to aid in the researching process.

New Influencers was written in 2007, and in three short years more dimensions have been added to the researching aspect of the practice. Sites like StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and Diigo has entered the social media scene. Social media users now have access to more resources outside of Google and blogs.

I think a common misperception of social media is that people confuse social media with social networking. Social networking is an important aspect of social media, but there is more meaning to social media than just networking. People are using social media sites for practical purposes. Social media sites that focus on research provide public relations practitioners with invaluable tools that make our job easier.

Social media is evolving quickly, and I'm sure Gillin would have more content to add to his "small is beautiful" chapter of the book. It's hard to gauge where social media will be tomorrow, let alone two or three years down the road.