Facebook, YouTube and the Social Media Revolution (I)

Is your head spinning with thoughts of Facebook, YouTube, Technorati, Del.icio.us, Digg and all these new “social networking” websites? Well, relax. This article will put things in perspective and make it all easier to understand. Looked at in a different light, social networking and the new rules of internet music promotion aren’t so mysterious after all.

When it comes to technological advances, you must remember one thing: Your focus should not be on the tools and gadgets themselves. Your attention must stay on what’s powering the technology. And the fuel that runs all of these electronic and digital systems is… people. That’s right. Plain old human beings.

So, wrapping your head around “social networking” all boils down to understanding people. Human beings are social creatures, and they have been for centuries. For generations, people have gathered in groups: The tribe, the town square, the corner bar, the family reunion, the gang at work, the sports team, the church picnic… you name it.

What’s really going on under the hood?

Humans have a primal need to be around and communicate with other people – especially with people who share their outlook, interests and values. It’s easy to get bogged down with ever-changing tech tools and file formats, but when you look under the hood, you’ll see something that never changes: human nature at work.

Insight: Think of our basic need to communicate as a body of water. It flows when and where it can. Blogs, podcasts and video streams are simply the latest tools that allow people to express themselves and make connections with others. Ideas flow regardless, but technology gives people more powerful options to deliver their messages to other humans.

Tagging: a way to sort through the noise

There are more people surfing the web and more stuff available to read, hear and see than ever before. It’s a crowded, noisy internet. So how do people find the things that are most relevant to them? Of course, search sites like Google are one of the most common ways that consumers discover things. But a growing method people are using to filter through the clutter is something called “tagging.”

If you’ve ever used websites like Flickr, YouTube or Del.icio.us, you may already be familiar with tagging. It takes place when someone posts a new photo, video or favourite link on one of these sites and then gives it a descriptive “tag” – one or more words that describe what it is. For instance, if you publish a picture on Flickr taken during your trip to the Grand Canyon, you might give it tags such as “Grand Canyon, Arizona, vacation, hiking.”

The important thing about tags on most of these social media sites is this: You aren’t the only one who can see and use your tags. Anyone who visits Flickr can search the entire site for photos tagged “Grand Canyon” or “hiking.” And you can quickly find out who else is posting Grand Canyon photos too. This allows you to find other people with similar interests and for them to find you. It’s online interaction on the most personal level.

Key lesson: The best way to use tagging to promote your music is to think about the words that fans of your music use most when searching for stuff online. You can load up your tags with references to your genre or similar sounding artists, such as “power pop, guitar rock, Cheap Trick, Green Day.” Or descriptions based on how your music might be used, such as “yoga, massage, meditation, music.”

I’ll cover some of the individual tagging sites later in this article series. But for now, just be aware of this potent method to reach your ideal fans online.

The giants of social media

As I’ve mentioned, so many new websites and technologies are popping up on the internet, it’s hard to keep up with them. Many new music sites and services arrive in a flash with great fanfare… and then dissolve quickly or die a slow death. (Remember the heyday of MP3.com and Napster?) But a few of them stick around for the long haul.

In recent years, two sites in particular have made undeniable seismic (and seemingly permanent) splashes both online and off. Even if you’ve never been near a computer, you’ve certainly heard of Facebook and YouTube. There’s no ignoring them. With many millions of users and visitors – not to mention buzz and media attention out the wazoo – Facebook and YouTube are the undisputed kings of the web 2.0 world, a new stage of internet evolution where community and interactivity rule.

Key thing to note: Most of the content on these sites is user-generated. Think about it. Every profile on Facebook and every video on YouTube is created and/or uploaded by users. In earlier days, a website had to bulk up on news, books, music, or some other kind of owner-created content to attract web traffic. But now – whether you’re talking about eBay, Craigslist, Flickr or Match.com – what draws people in is all the other people posting stuff on these sites.

With all of this interacting going on, shouldn’t you be tapping into the flow? Of course. Next week we’ll go through a rundown of the major social media websites you should consider using to reach more fans and market your music better.