To be fair the idea for this post actually came from someone who commented on my blog (or whose comment I saw on someone else’s blog).  I tried to find the comment but couldn’t.

Think about this for a moment, Web 2.0 evolved not because of technology or marketing, web 2.0 evolved from a desire to connect and interact with people online, to connect with others and to build relationships.  Web 2.0 was no created to become rich, to spam users, or to sell advertising, these are all by-products.  Why is this important?  Because a lot of folks are forgetting this and are instead focusing on the monetary value and not on the relationships value.  We’re getting greedy.

Is it possible to make money through social media?  Yes

Should you get involved in social media if you want to connect and build relationships with people? Yes

Is it possible to market a product or service through social media? Yes

If I told you that you would never make a penny with social media (directly) would you still get involved?  To me the answer is simple, yes!  I never created a blog, a twitter account, etc. to strike it rich.  I created accounts and joined all of these platforms to connect with and meet other people.  The fact that I was able to distribute content and market myself was a by-product from building relationships.  As a result of my blog and online presence I have been presented with unique career opportunities, business partnerships, new friends, and have learned a great deal.  But again, this was all a by-product.  I started this blog because I had something to say and as it turns out thousands of you wanted to listen, thank you!

I think this is a core principle we need to remind ourselves of because it will give us perspective and direction in social media.  You can hear how companies out there desperately want to make money with social media (the same goes for eager new entrepreneurs and startups).  I knot it’s hard but look at making money as a secondary goal and look at your connections and online presence as your primary goal.  Heck, Facebook is still searching for their primary revenue model but the site was started to connect with college students.

Remember

People, connections, relationships, online presence FIRST

Monetization SECOND

thanks for reading

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