Module: Educating the C Suite on Social Media

An important aspect to keep in mind is that the rules of engagement that dictate our offline relationships very much translate to the social web. It's easy to get caught up in the technology and tools that are available and immediately classify that as social media. There are two words in "social media". Being social has nothing to do with technology.

Hello Mr. Pittman, The internet is such a powerful tool. I cannot honestly think of one business, corporation or organization that does not have one of the following; website, Facebook page, Myspace page, Twitter account or a LinkedIn profile. The list goes on as the possibilities of the internet are endless. Before stopping in somewhere regardless of the type of business I always look to see what they have to offer on the web. I'll browse through a menu before stopping somewhere new to eat and I'll check out the sales before hitting the newest retail store. Businesses have a lot of different ways to spread the word about their business, generally within a few days. Facebook, Myspace and Twitter are currently free of charge, which makes them more attractive then paying for a website. You absolutely hit the nail on the head when you said people go where their friends are. This is nothing new. When I was younger my friends went to the skating rink all the time and that's where I was. Then as we got older we starting going to mall, where everyone else was. The only difference today is the means to which we meet our friends. It's done on more of a virtual basis, versus physical. My friends started out on Myspace so I decided to get an account. After about eight months everyone started to get Facebook accounts. Facebook and Twitter rank just about the same as my friends prefer Facebook and Twitter to Myspace. I don't have a Twitter right now because I don't have to. My friends are still easily available on Facebook, but eventually I may have to merge. People often follow where you are because of word of mouth and the ability to know what's hot and what's not.

Adrian Pittman founded Module when he was only 16 years old. Being a young entrepreneur, Pittman is able to give credible, valuable advice to young entrepreneurs. He presents himself in a very professional and knowledgeable manner. When asked what advice he would give to his 16 year old self today, Pittman responded with “You need to constantly consider yourself a student”. This is a piece of advice all entrepreneurs should follow. When you own a company, it is important to constantly learn new things, especially in today’s world since business processes are always changing and improving because of new technology that is constantly being introduced. Learning leads to innovation, which is important because it give companies a competitive edge. He also explains that he has set a goal for himself to learn one new skill each year. This goal is very smart of Pittman to make because with every new skill he learns, he has that much more to offer customers and the opportunity to continuously expand the capabilities of his company. Pittman understands the importance of social media in the business world. Social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook are efficient ways for companies to communicate with their customers and inform them of what is going on with the business. Since we are living in a “wired” business era, entrepreneurs should get involved with Facebook and Twitter because it is an inexpensive way to reach a large amount of people and attract new customers. Pittman started his business as a young entrepreneur and it is clear to see that he has turned out to be a successful business owner and should be a model and inspiration to future entrepreneurs. Kristina Mendez

I found this video very interesting. I am currently working on a business plan for a college course, and the business I am creating is a social network. The points you brought up about going where your friends are and the need to connect socially are the key factors in creating a social network. People eventually get bored and move on to something new, and just like every great empire they must fall. The question is who will take down Facebook, the Cesar of social networks. Who will that Brutus be? The success of social networks lie in their niches. There are a lot of dating websites like okcupid and match.com and gay oriented websites like dlist. These sites strive because they draw in their target audience. The current issue with facebook is that it is trying to monopolize social networks. This is both a good and a bad thing. The good thing is you get everything in one place. The bad thing is that, just like in real life, it is eliminating the needs for the smaller social network sites. Social media sites are globalizing relationships of people on the individual level. Friendships are solidified from half way around the world instead of being forgotten. This is the perfect target for other companines to invest as well as infiltrate the realm of individuals and all their friends. In no way does my site plan on taking down Facebook, but offers the need for something facebook is too clouded to focus on. With the site NewSpeak, it would be a mix of twitter and facebook but strictly for news related articles. Because news is still one of the things that facebook hasn't entirely gotten a hold of, This creates the perfect chance for a social network, with a slightly different niche market then what facebook has to offer, to flourish.