Social Networking Gets Its Own Beat--Cathy Taylor at MediaPost
MediaPost has hired journo columnist and blogger (adverganza.com) Cathy Taylor to track social networking web sites, in its feature, Social Media Insider.
We thought this was kinda interesting, considering MediaPost generally deals with topics about, well, the media. Is social networking really considered “media?”
Taylor will find out. A former top editor and writer at Adweek, Taylor will scrutinize social media outlets, including user-generated content and blogs, scouring the cyber-universe for signs of intelligent life, and perhaps answering, once and for all, why we keep getting bitten by vampires.
Taylor talks to FBLA about her new beat:
1. Why does social networking warrant its own beat? Social networking warrants its own beat … uh … because the editors at Mediapost think it does. Seriously though, what’s interesting about it to me is that it is truly a phenomenon, but not one with a business and advertising model that is anything close to fully-formed. How advertisers and social networks can leverage the communal nature of social networks without being obnoxious about it will probably be one of the great challenges so far of this crazy Web thing.
2. Aside from their marketing potential, do you think social networking sites are useful? I do think social networking sites are useful as a way of keeping in touch not just with your friends but with your universe of friends. Particularly on Facebook, it’s possible to get a bead on what everyone is up to in 30 seconds. I wish more of my non-professional friends were on it.
3. Can we “friend” you? Yes, you can friend me!
*Our apologies to whomever we stole this image from.
