Social Media Research

The past few weeks I have been doing quite a bit of research on social media. I know I have mentioned the use of social media a few different times in my blog, and currently I am doing a project for a class where I will present the idea to hire me as a social media coordinator. Overall I am intrigued at the idea of being paid to coordinate the various types of social media that are utilized on the web today -- from Facebook to twitter to YouTube. Knowing how to effectively use these concepts can really impact the way your company or organization is viewed in the cyber world.

I found a few studies that have been done on the effects of social media. One study found that 34% of people associate more positively with a organization that effectively utilizes social media. Another study found that 18%-20% of young adults 18-34 use social media, so from a company's stand point it is an excellent way to pull in the younger demographic. I found a report by Universal McCann that analyzes the use of social media. If you are interested I strongly suggest checking it out, they have found some very interesting research. Also the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth found that social media has had a positive trend in Fortune 500 companies from 2007 to 2009. All of this proves that social Media is here to stay and it is important for companies and organizations to learn how to effectively use it. If companies and organizations are able to do that, then they will open new doors that will allow them much more visual access within the Internet and their communities.