In many ways, social media epitomizes what the web is about: collaborating and sharing content, ideas, and information. Social media is behind the explosion of content on the Internet, as various channels have allowed anyone with an Internet connection to create and share content easily and for free. Because social media has so many participants, it is also very dynamic. In fact, this is the chapter that is most likely to be out of date the second this book has gone to print.

Simply put, social media are media (from written to visual to audio) that are designed to be shared. Sharing means that it easy to comment on, send and copy the media and that there are no high costs associated with this. And, because of the connected nature of the Internet, it means that sharing, commenting and viewing can all be tracked and measured. Social media are also referred to as Web 2.0, consumer-generated media, citizen media, and new media. In fact, comparing social media to traditional media is probably the most useful way of defining what exactly this means.

The Internet, and the software developed to run on it, has made it simple for anyone to publish and distribute media. It has also made it simple for anyone to access the content that has been published. The realm of social media is about collaborating, creating content, sharing, and, most of all, connecting. This chapter focuses on the various social media channels, while the next chapter looks at how to use those channels strategically.

In this chapter, you will learn:

• The four main social media channels – social networking, content sharing, bookmarking and aggregating, and location-based media
• A wide variety of platforms that fall under these four channels
• How to track and measure your social media marketing success
• The best ways to engage with audiences on social media