The three C's of social media.

• Author: Darling, Nathan
• Position: President's Podium

The debate is over: Social media is the new paradigm for business and personal communication. But amid the frenzied debate of who should and shouldn't, what to do and what not to do, and why and why not, marketers should not lose sight of some key principles.

Attempting to concretely describe the constantly evolving field of social media--particularly the multitude of potential business applications and their relative return as compared with other activities--can be difficult. Anecdotes abound, but what organizing theories, if any, are applicable to a medium that represents so drastic a societal shift?

To me, one useful way to consider social media is not in the context of the future (i.e., what is new and possible, or what unmet needs can social media fill of which we are not yet even aware?), but of the past (i.e., how have we formed relationships--particularly our strongest relationships--over time, and what lessons can we learn from experience?). Thought of in this way, the concepts of connectivity, connection and connections are relevant--and are far from being as synonymous as the words imply.

Connectivity. The notion that every person, company or institution is linked through some form of centralized infrastructure. But what is this infrastructure and how does it link things together? Ties financial, technological, cultural and behavioral all have roles to play in defining connectivity over our history. While modes have changed and evolved over time, the underlying concept of connectivity --finding ways to position oneself to make connections--remains a strong...