Users of the World, Unite! the Challenges and Opprtunities of Sosmed Google

8/2/2019 Users of the World, Unite! the Challenges and Opprtunities of Sosmed Google

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TranslateUsersoftheworld,unite!ThechallengesandopportunitiesofSocialMediaAndreasM.Kaplan*,MichaelHaenleinESCPEurope,79AvenuedelaRepublique,F-75011Paris,FranceAbstractTheconceptofSocialMediaistopoftheagendaformanybusinessexecutivestoday.Decisionma

ers,aswellasconsultants,trytoidentifywaysinwhichfirmscanma

eprofitableuseofapplicationssuchasWi

ipedia,YouTube,Faceboo

,SecondLife,andTwitter.Yetdespitethisinterest,thereseemstobeverylimitedunderstandingofwhatthetermSocialMediaexactlymens;thisarticleintendstoprovidesomeclarification.WebeginbydescribingtheconceptofSocialMedia,anddiscusshowitdiffersfromrelatedconceptssuchasWeb2.0andUserGeneratedContent.Basedonthisdefinition,wethenprovideaclassificationofSocialMediawhichgroupsapplicationscurrentlysubsumedunderthegeneralizedtermintomorespecificcategoriesbycharacteristic:collaborativeprojects,blogs,contentcommunities,socialnetwor

ingsites,virtualgameworlds,andvirtualsocialworlds.Finally,wepresent10piecesofadviceforcompanieswhichdecidetoutilizeSocialMedia.#2009KelleySchoolofBusiness,IndianaUniversity.Allrightsreserved.1.ThespecterofSocialMediaAsofJanuary2009,theonlinesocialnetwor ingapplicationFaceboo registeredmorethan175millionactiveusers.Toputthatnumberinperspective,thisisonlyslightlylessthanthepopulationofBrazil(190million)andovertwicethepopulationofGermany(80million)!Atthesametime,everyminute,10hoursofcontentwereuploadedtothevideosharingplatformYouTube.And,theimageho

stingsiteFlic

rprovidedaccesstoover3billionphotographs,ma

ingtheworld-famousLouvreMuseumscollectionof300,000objectsseemtinyincomparison.AccordingtoForresterResearch,75%ofInternetsurfersusedSocialMediainthesecndquarterof2008byjoiningsocialnetwor s,readingblogs,orcontributingreviewstoshoppingsites;thisrepresentsasignificantrisefrom56%in2007.Thegrowthisnotlimitedtoteenagers,either;membersofGenerationX,now3544yearsold,increasinglypopulatetheran

sofjoiners,spectators,andcritics.ItisthereforereasonabletosaythatSocialMediarepresentarevolutionarynewtrendthatshouldbeofinteresttocompaniesoperatinginonlinespaceoranyspace,forthatmatter.Yet,notoverlymanyfirmsseemtoactcomfortablyinaworldwhereconsumerscanspea

sofreelywitheachotherandbusinesseshaveincreasinglylesscontrolovertheinformationavailableaboutthemincyberspace.Today,ifanInternetusertypesthenameofanyleadingbrandintotheGooglesea

rch,whatcomesupamongthetopfiveresultstypicallyincludesnotonlythecorporatewebpage,butalsothecorrespondingentryintheonlineencyclopediaWi

ipedia.Here,forexample,customerscanreadthatthe2007modelofHasbrosEasy-Ba

eOvenmayleadtoseriousburnsonchildrenshandsandfingersduetoapoorly-designedovendoor,andthattheFirestoneTireandRubberCompanyhasbeenaccusedofusingchildlaborinitsLiberianrubberfactory.Historically,companieswereabletocontroltheinformationavailableaboutthemthroughstrategicallyplacedpressannouncementsandgoodpublicrelationsmanagers.Today,however,firmshavebeenincreasinglyrelegatedtothesidelinesasmereobservers,havingneitherthe

nowledgenorthechanceor,sometimes,eventherighttoalterubliclypostedcommentsprovidedbytheircustomers.Wi

ipedia,forexample,expresslyforbidstheparticipationoffirmsinitsonlinecommunity.Suchanevolutionmaynotbesurprising.Afterall,theInternetstartedoutasnothingmore

thanagiantBulletinBoardSystem(BBS)thatalloweduserstoexchangesoftware,data,messages,andnewswitheachother.Thelate1990ssawapopularitysurgeinhomepages,wherebytheAverageJoecouldshareinformationabouthisprivatelife;todaysequivalentwouldbetheweblog,orblog.Theeraofcorporatewebpagesande-commercestartedrelativelyrecentlywiththelaunchofAmazonandeBayin1995,andgotarighttic

ing-offonly6yearslaterwhenthedot-combubbleburstin2001.ThecurrenttrendtowardSocialMediacanthereforebeseenasanevolutionbac

totheInternetsroots,sinceitretransformstheWorldWideWebtowhatitwasinitiallycreatedfor:aplatformtofacilitateinformationexchangebetweenusers.ButdoesthatmeanthatSocialMediaisjustoldwineinne


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wbottles?Probablynot!Aswewilldelveintofurther,thetechnicaladvancesthathavebeenmadeoverthepast20yearsnowenableaformofvirtualcontentsharingthatisfundamentallydifferentfrom,andmorepowerfulthan,theBBSofthelate1970s.Thisarticlediscussesthechallengesandopportunitiesthatemergefromthisevolutionforfirms,andprovidesstructuretobetterunderstandtherapidlyevolvingfieldofSocialMedia.WebeginbyprovidingadefinitionandclassificationofSocialMediabyloo

ingattheirhistoricalroots,technicalspecificities,anddifferencesfromotherentitiessuchasWeb2.0andUserGeneratedContent.WethenfocusonsixtypesofSocialMediacollaborativeprojects,blogs,contentcommunities,socialnetwor

ingsites,virtualgameworlds,andvirtualsocialworldsandpresentwaysinwhichcompaniescanefficientlyma

euseoftheseapplications.Basedonthisanalysis,wethenderiveasetof10recommendationscompaniesshouldfollowwhenthin

ingaboutdevelopingtheirownSocialMediastrategy,beitwithrespecttotheseaforementionedtypesorotherapplicationswhichmightemergeinthefuture.2.WhatisSocialMediaAndwhatisitnot?Ashighlighted,theideabehindSocialMediaisfarfromgroundbrea

ing.Nevertheless,thereseemstobeconfusionamongmanagersandacademicresearchersali

eastowhatexactlyshouldbeincludedunderthisterm,andhowSocialMediadifferfromtheseemingly-interchangeablerelatedconceptsofWeb2.0andUserGeneratedContent.Itthereforema essensetota eastepbac andprovideinsightregardingwhereSocialMediacomefromandwhattheyinclude.By1979,TomTruscottandJimEllisfromDu

eUniversityhadcreatedtheUsenet,aworldwidediscussionsystemthatallowedInternetuserstopostpublicmessages.Yet,theeraofSocialMediaasweunderstandittodayprobablystartedabout20yearsea

rlier,whenBruceandSusanAbelsonfoundedOpenDiary,anearlysocialnetwor

ingitethatbroughttogetheronlinediarywritersintoonecommunity.Thetermweblogasfirstusedatthesametime,andtruncatedasblogayearlaterwhenonebloggerjo inglytransformedthenounweblogintothesentenceweblog.Thegrowingavaofhigh-speedInternetaccessfurtheraddedtothepopularityoftheconcept,leadingtothecreationofsocialnetwor

ingsitessuchasMySpace(in2003)andFaceboo

(in2004).This,inturn,coinedthetermSocialMedia,andcontributedtotheprominenceithastoday.Themostrecentadditiontothisglamorousgroupinghasbeenso-calledvirtualworlds:computerbasedsimulatedenvironmentsinhabitedythreedimensionalavatars.Perhapsthebest

nownvirtualworldisthatofLindenLabsSecondLife(Kaplan&Haenlein,2009c).AlthoughthelistoftheaforementionedapplicationsmaygivesomeideaaboutwhatismeantbySocialMedia,aformaldefinitionofthetermfirstrequiresdrawingalinetotworelatedconcept

sthatarefrequentlynamedinconjunctionwithit:Web2.0andUserGeneratedContent.Web2.0isatermthatwasfirstusedin2004todescribeanewwayinwhichsoftwaredevelopersandend-usersstartedtoutilizetheWorldWideWeb;thatis,asaplatformwherebycontentandapplicationsarenolongercreatedandpublishedbyindividuals,butinsteadarecontinuouslymodifiedbyallusersinaparticipatoryandcollaborativefashion.Whileapplicationssuchaspersonalwebpages,EncyclopediaBritannicaOnline,andtheideaofcontentpublishingbelongtotheeraofWeb1.0,theyarereplacedbyblogs,wi

is,andcollaborativeprojectsinWeb2.0.AlthoughWeb2.0doesnotrefertoanyspecifictechnicalupdateoftheWorldWideWeb,thereisasetofbasicfunctionalitiesthatarenecessaryforitsfunctioning.AmongthemareAdobeFlash(apopularmethodforaddinganimation,interactivity,andaudio/videostreamstowebpages),RSS(ReallySimpleSyndication,afamilyofwebfeedformatsusedtopublishfrequentlyupd

atedcontent,suchasblogentriesornewsheadlines,inastandardizedformat),andAJAX(AsynchronousJavaScript,atechniquetoretrievedatafromwebserversasynchronously,allowingtheupdateofwebcontentwithoutinterferingwiththedisplayandbehaviorofthewholepage).Forthepurposeofourarticle,weconsiderWeb2.0astheplatformfortheevolutionofSocialMedia.WhenWeb2.0representstheideologicalandtechnologicalfoundation,UserGeneratedContent(UGC)canbeseenasthesumofallwaysinwhichpeoplema

euseofSocialMedia.Theterm,whichachievedbroadpopularityin2005,isusuallyappliedtodescribethevariousformsofmediacontentthatarepubliclyavailableandcreatedbyend-users.AccordingtotheOrganisationforEconomicCooperationandDevelop


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ment(OECD,2007),UGCneedstofulfillthreebasicrequirementsinordertobeconsideredassuch:first,itneedstobepublishedeitheronapubliclyaccessiblewebsiteoronasocialnetwor

ingsiteaccessibletoaselectedgroupofpeople;second,itneedstoshowacertainamountofcreativeeffort;andfinally,itneedstohavebeencreatedoutsideofprofessionalroutinesandpractices.Thefirstconditionexcludescontentexchangedine-mailsorinstantmessages;thesecond,merereplicationsofalreadyexistingcontent(e.g.,postingacopyofanexistingnewspaperarticleonapersonalblogwithoutanymodificationsorcommenting);andthethird,allcontentthathasbeencreatedwithacommercialmar

etcontextinmind.WhileUGChasalreadybeenavailablepriortoWeb2.0,asdiscussedabove,thecombinationoftechnologicaldrivers(e.g.,increasedbroadbandavailabilityandhardwarecapacity),economicdrivers(e.g.,increasedavailabilityoftoolsforthecreationofUGC),andsocialdrivers(e.g.,riseofagenerationofdigitalnativesandscreenagers:youngeragegroupswithsubstantical

nowledgeandwillingnesstoengageonline)ma

eUGCnowadaysfundamentallydifferentfromwhatwasobservedintheearly1980s.BasedontheseclarificationsofWeb2.0andUGC,itisnowstraightforwardtogiveamoredetaileddefinitionofwhatwemeanbySocialMedia.InourviewandasusedhereinSocialMediaisagroupofInternet-basedapplicationsthatbuildontheideologicalandtechnologicalfoundationsofWeb2.0,andthatallowthecreationandexchangeofUserGeneratedContent.Withinthisgeneraldefinition,therearevarioustypesofSocialMediathatneedtobedistinguishedfurther.However,althoughmostpeoplewouldprobablyagreethatWi


,andSecondLifeareallpartofthislargegroup,thereisnosystematicwayinwhichdifferentSocia

lMediaapplicationscanbecategorized.Also,newsitesappearincyberspaceeveryday,soitisimportantthatanyclassificationschemeta

esintoaccountapplicationswhichmaybeforthcoming.Tocreatesuchaclassificationscheme,andtodosoinasystematicmanner,werelyonasetoftheoriesinthefieldofmediaresearch(socialpresence,mediarichness)andsocialprocesses(self-presentation,self-disclosure),thetwo

eyelementsofSocialMedia.Regardingthemedia-relatedcomponentofSocialMedia,socialpresencetheory(Short,Williams,&Christie,1976)statesthatmediadifferinthedegreeofsocialpresencedefintheacoustic,visual,andphysicalcontactthatcanbeachievedtheyallowtoemergebetweentwocommunicationpartners.Socialpresenceisinfluencedbytheintimacy(interpersonalvs.mediated)andimmediacy(asynchronousvs.synchronous)ofthemedium,andcanbeexpectedtobelowerformediated(e.g.,telephoneconversation)thaninterpersonal(e.g.,face-to-facediscussion)andforasynchronous

(e.g.,e-mail)thansynchronous(e.g.,livechat)communications.Thehigherthesocialpresence,thelargerthesocialinfluencethatthecommunicationpartnershaveoneachothersbehavior.Closelyrelatedtotheideaofsocialpresenceistheconceptofmediarichness.Mediarichnesstheory(Daft&Lengel,1986)isbasedontheassumptionthatthegoalofanycommunicationistheresolutionofambiguityandthereductionofuncertainty.Itstatesthatmediadifferinthedegreeofrichnesstheypossessthatis,theamountofinformationtheyallowtobetransmittedinagiventimeintervalandthatthereforesomemediaaremoreeffectivethanothersinresolvingambiguityanduncertainty.AppliedtothecontextofSocialMedia,weassumethatafirstclassificationcanbemadebasedontherichnessofthemediumandthedegreeofsocialpresenceitallows.WithrespecttothesocialdimensionofSocialMedia,theconceptofself-presentationstatesthatinanytypeofsocialinteractionpeoplehavethedesiretocontroltheimpr

essionsotherpeopleformofthem(Goffman,1959).Ontheonehand,thisisdonewiththeobjectiveofinfluencingotherstogainrewards(e.g.,ma

eapositiveimpressiononyourfuturein-laws);ontheotherhand,itisdrivenbyawishtocreateanimagethatisconsistentwithonespersonalidentity(e.g.,wearingafashionableoutfitinordertobeperceivedasyoungandtrendy).The

eyreasonwhypeopledecidetocreateapersonalwebpageis,forexample,thewishtopresentthemselvesincyberspace(Schau&Gilly,2003).Usually,suchapresentationisdonethroughself-disclosure;thatis,theconsciousorunconsciousrevelationofpersonalinformation(e.g.,thoughts,feelings,li

es,disli

es)thatisconsistentwiththeimageonewouldli

etogive.Self-disclosureisacritical


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stepinthedevelopmentofcloserelationships(e.g.,duringdating)butcanalsooccurbetweencompletestrangers;forexample,whenspea

ingaboutpersonalproblemswiththepersonseatednexttoyouonanairplane.AppliedtothecontextofSocialMedia,weassumethatasecondclassificationcanbemadebasedonthedegreeofself-disclosureitrequiresandthetypeofself-presentationitallows.CombiningbothdimensionsleadstoaclassificationofSocialMediawhichwehavevisualizedinTable1.Withrespecttosocialpresenceandmediarichness,applicationssuchascollaborativeprojects(e.g.,Wi

ipedia)andblogsscorelowest,astheyareoftentext-basedandhenceonlyallowforarelativelysimpleexchange.Onthenextlevelarecontentcommunities(e.g.,YouTube)andsocialnetwor

ingsites(e.g.,Faceboo

)which,inadditiontotext-basedcommunication,enablethesharingofpictures,videos,andotherformsofmedia.Onthehighestlevelarevirtualgameandsocialworlds(e.g.,WorldofWarcraft,SecondLife),whichtrytoreplicatealldimensionsofface-to-faceinteractionsinavirtualenvironment.Regardingself-presentationandself-disclosure,blogsusuallyscorehigherthancollaborativeprojects,asthelattertendtobefocusedonspecificcontentdomains.Inasimilarspirit,socialnetwor

ingsitesallowformoreself-disclosurethancontentcommunities.Finally,virtualsocialworldsrequireahigherlevelofself-disclosurethanvirtualgameworlds,asthelatterareruledbystrictguidelinesthatforceuserstobehaveinacertainway(e.g.,aswarriorsinanimaginaryfantasyland).WewillnowprovidemoredetailoneachofthesesixdifferenttypesofSocialMedia,anddiscussthechallengesandopportunitiestheyoffercompanies.3.ThechallengesandopportunitiesofSocialMedia3.1.CollaborativeprojectsCollaborativeprojectsenablethejointa

ndsimultaneouscreationofcontentbymanyend-usersandare,inthissense,probablythemostdemocraticmanifestationofUGC.Withincollaborativeprojects,onedifferentiatesbetweenwi

isthatis,websiteswhichallowuserstoadd,remove,andchangetext-basedcontentandsocialboo mar ingapplicationswhichenablehegroup-basedcollectionandratingofInternetlin

sormediacontent.ExemplaryapplicationswithinthiscategoryincludetheonlineencyclopediaWi

ipedia,awi

icurrentlyavailableinmorethan230differentlanguages,andthesocialboo mar ingwebserviceDelicious,whichallowsthestorageandsharingofwebboo

mar

s.Themainideaunderlyingcollaborativeprojectsisthatthejointeffortofmanyactorsleadstoabetteroutcomethananyactorcouldachieveindividually;thisissimilartotheefficient-mar

ethypothesisinbehavioralfinance(Fama,1970).Fromacorporateperspective,firmsmustbeawarethatcollaborativeprojectsaretrendingtowardbecomingthemainsourceofinformationformany

consumers.Assuch,althoughnoteverythingwrittenonWi

ipediamayactuallybetrue,itisbelievedtobetruebymoreandmoreInternetusers.Thismaybeparticularlycrucialasregardscorporatecrises.Forexample,whenonlineboo

retailerAmazonstartedtotesttheideaofdynamicpricing,commentsdeclaringsuchapracticeasunfairshowedupinstantaneouslyundertheWi

ipediaentryontime-basedpricing.Yet,collaborativeprojectsalsoprovidesomeuniqueopportunitiesforfirms.FinnishhandsetmanufacturerNo

ia,forinstance,usesinternalwi

istoupdateemployeesonprojectstatusandtotradeideas,whichareusedbyabout20%ofits68,000staffmembers.Li

ewise,AmericancomputersoftwarecompanyAdobeSystemsmaintainsalistofboo

mar

stocompany-relatedwebsitesandconversationsonDelicious.Table1.ClassificationofSocialMediabysocialpresence/mediarichnessandself-presentation/self-disclosure3.2.BlogsBlogs,whichrepresenttheearliestformofSocialMedia,arespecialtypesofwebsitest

hatusuallydisplaydate-stampedentriesinreversechronologicalorder(OECD,2007).TheyaretheSocialMediaequivalentofpersonalwebpagesandcancomeinamultitudeofdifferentvariations,frompersonaldiariesdescribingtheauthorslifetosummariesofallrelevantinformationinonespecificcontentarea.Blogsareusuallymanagedbyonepersononly,butprovidethepossibilityofinteractionwithothersthroughtheadditionofcomments.Duetotheirhistoricalroots,text-basedblogsarestillbyfarthemostcommon.Nevertheless,blogshavealsobeguntota

edifferentmediaformats.Forexample,SanFrancisco-basedJustin.tvallowsuserstocreatepersonalizedtelevisionchannelsviawhichtheycanbroadcastimagesfromtheirwebcaminrealtimetootherusers.Manycompanies


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arealreadyusingblogstoupdateemployees,customers,andshareholdersondevelopmentstheyconsidertobeimportant.JonathanSchwartz,CEOofSunMicrosystems,maintainsapersonalblogtoimprovethetransparencyofhiscompany;sodoesautomotivegiantGeneralMotors.Yet,asisthecasewithcollaborativeprojects,blogsdonotcomewithoutris

s.Thesegenerallypresentintwofashions.First,customerswhoforonereasonoranotherturnouttobedissatisfiedwithordisappointedbythecompanysofferingsmaydecidetoengageinvirtualcomplaintsintheformofprotestwebsitesorblogs(Ward&Ostrom,2006),whichresultsintheavailabilityofpotentiallydamaginginformationinonlinespace.Second,oncefirmsencourageemployeestobeactiveonblogs,theymayneedtolivewiththeconsequencesofstaffmemberswritingnegativelyaboutthefirm.MicrosoftsformertechnicalevangelistRobertScoble,forexample,hadatendencytofiercelyriticizetheproductsofhisemployerbeforehedecidedtoleavetheRedmond-basedsoftwarecompanyin2006.3.3.ContentcommunitiesThemainobjectiveofcontentcommunitiesisthesharingofmediacontentbetweenusers.Contentcommunitiesexistforawiderangeofdifferentmediatypes,includingtext(e.g.,Boo

Crossing,viawhich750,000+peoplefromover130countriesshareboo

s),photos(e.g.,Flic

r),videos(e.g.,YouTube),andPowerPointpresentations(e.g.,Slideshare).Usersoncontentcommunitiesarenotrequiredtocreateapersonalprofilepage;iftheydo,thesepagesusuallyonlycontainbasicinformation,suchasthedatetheyjoinedthecommunityandthenumberofvideosshared.Fromacorporateviewpoint,contentcommunitiescarrytheris

ofbeingusedasplatformsforthesharingofcopyright-protectedmaterials.Whilemajorcontentcommunitieshaverulesinplacetobanandremovesuchillegalcontent,itisdifficulttoav

oidpopularvideossuchasrecentepisodesofcomedydramasbeinguploadedtoYouubeonlyhoursaftertheyhavebeenairedontelevision.Onthepositiveside,thehighpopularityofcontentcommunitiesma

esthemaveryattractivecontactchannelformanyfirms;thisiseasytobelievewhenoneconsidersthatYouTubeservesover100millionvideosperday.In2007,Procter&Gambleorganizedacontestforitsover-the-counterdrugPepto-Bismol,wherebyuserswereencouragedtouploadtoYouTube1-minutevideosofthemselvessingingabouttheailmentsPepto-Bismolcounteracts,includingheartburnandnausea.Inasimilarspirit, itchenappliancesmanufacturerBlendtecbecamepopularforitsbevyofinexpensiveWillitblend?videos,whichhavebeenwatchedbymillionsofpeople.Otherfirms,suchasCiscoandGoogle,relyoncontentcommunitiestosharerecruitingvideos,aswellas

eynotespeechesandpressannouncements,withtheiremployeesandinvestors.3.4.Socialnetwor

ingsitesSocialnetwor

ingsitesareapplications

thatenableuserstoconnectbycreatingpersonalinformationprofiles,invitingfriendsandcolleaguestohaveaccesstothoseprofiles,andsendinge-mailsandinstantmessagesbetweeneachother.Thesepersonalprofilescanincludeanytypeofinformation,includingphotos,video,audiofiles,andblogs.AccordingtoWi

ipedia,thelargestsocialnetwor

ingsitesareU.S.-basedFaceboo

(initiallyfoundedbyMar

Zuc

erbergtostayintouchwithhisfellowstudentsfromHarvardUniversity)andMySpace(with1,500employeesandmorethan250millionregisteredusers).Socialnetwor

ingsitesareofsuchhighpopularity,specificallyamongyoungerInternetusers,thatthetermFaceboo

addicthasbeenincludedintheUrbanDictionary,acollaborativeprojectfocusedondevelopingaslangdictionaryfortheEnglishlanguage.Severalcompaniesarealreadyusingsocialnetwor

ingsitestosupportthecreationofbrandcommunities(Muniz&OGuinn,2001)orformar

etingresearchinthecontextofnetnography(Kozinets,2002).Topro

motethemovieFredClaus,a2007Christmascomedyfilm,WarnerBrotherscreatedaaceboo

profileviawhichvisitorscouldwatchtrailers,downloadgraphics,andplaygames.Li

ewise,theAdidascustomsoccercommunityonMySpaceallowsvisitorstoassociatethemselveswithoneoftwobrandsofelitesoccercleatsproducedbytheGermansportsapparelmanufacturer,andtoaccessproductreviewsandinformationonprofessionalsoccerplayerswhoplayusingtheirshoes.SomefirmseengoonestepfurtheranduseFaceboo

asadistributionchannel.ConsiderU.S.-basedflorist1-800-Flowers.com,whichoffersawidgetonFaceboo

calledGimmeLovewherebyuserscansendvirtualbouquetstofriendsor,withaclic ofthembedirectlytransferredtothecompanyswebsitetosendrealflowers.3.5.Virtu


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algameworldsVirtualworldsareplatformsthatreplicateathreedimensionalenvironmentinwhichuserscanappearintheformofpersonalizedavatarsandinteractwitheachotherastheywouldinreallife.Inthissense,virtualworldsareprobablytheultimatemanifestationofSocialMedia,astheyprovidethehighestlevelofsocialpresenceandmediarichnessofallapplicationsdiscussedthusfar.Virtualworldscomeintwoforms.Thefirst,virtualgameworlds,requiretheiruserstobehaveaccordingtostrictrulesinthecontextofamassivelymultiplayeronlinerole-playinggame(MMORPG).Theseapplicationshavegainedpopularityinrecentyears,asstandardgameconsolessuchasMicrosoftsX-BoxandSonysPlayStationnowallowsimultaneousplayamongamultitudeofusersaroundtheglobe.Examplesofvirtualgameworldsincludethecod-medievalWorldofWarcraft,whichcountsaround8.5millionsubscriberswhoexplorethevirtualplanetofAzerothintheformofhumans,dwarves,orcs,ornightelves,tofightmonstersortosearchfortreasure;andSonysEverQuest,inwhich16differentracesofplayers(e.g.,wizards,clerics)travelthefantasyworldofNorrath.Therulesofsuchgamesusuallylimitthedegreeofself-presentationandself-disclosurepossible,althoughsomeusersspendsomuchtimewiththeseapplicationsthattheircharacterbeitawarrior,awizard,oradragonhunterstartstomoreandmoreloselyresembletheirreallifepersonality.Besidestheiruseforingameadvertising(similarinideatoproductplacementinbloc bustermovies),thehighpopularityofvirtualgameworldscanalsobeleveragedinmoretraditionalcommunicationcampaigns.JapaneseautomotivegiantToyota,forexample,usedpicturesandmechanicsfromtheWorldofWarcraftapplicationinitslatestTundracommercialtoreachthe2.5millionplayersintheU.S.alone.3.6.Virtualsocialworl

dsThesecondgroupofvirtualworlds,oftenreferredtoasvirtualsocialworlds,allowsinhabitantstochoosetheirbehaviormorefreelyandessentiallyliveavirtuallifesimilartotheirreallife.Asinvirtualgameworlds,virtualsocialworldusersappearintheformofavatarsandinteractinathree-dimensionalvirtualenvironment;however,inthisrealm,therearenorulesrestrictingtherangeofpossibleinteractions,exceptforbasicphysicallawssuchasgravity.Thisallowsforanunlimitedrangeofselfpresentationstrategies,andithasbeenshownthatwithincreasingusageintensityandconsumptionexperience,usersofvirtualsocialworldsorresidents,astheyprefertobecalledshowbeatmoreandmorecloselymirrorstheoneobservedinreallifesettings(Haenlein&Kaplan,2009;Kaplan&Haenlein,2009a,2009b).Arguably,themostprominentexampleofvirtualsocialworldsistheSecondLifeapplication,foundedandmanagedbytheSanFrancisco-basedcompanyLindenResearchInc.Besidesdoingeveryt

hingthatispossibleinreallife(e.g.,spea

ingtootheravatars,ta

ingawal

,enjoyingthevirtualsunshine),SecondLifealsoallowsuserstocreatecontent(e.g.,todesignvirtualclothingorfurnitureitems)andtosellthiscontenttoothersinexchangeforLindenDollars,avirtualcurrencytradedagainsttheU.S.DollarontheSecondLifeExchange.Someresidentsaresosuccessfulinthistas

thatthevirtualmoneyearnedthatwaycomplementstheirreallifeincome.Virtualsocialworldsofferamultitudeofopportunitiesforcompaniesinmar

eting(advertising/communication,virtualproductsales/v-Commerce,mar

etingresearch),andhumanresourceandinternalprocessmanagement;foramoredetaileddiscussion,seeKaplanandHaenlein(2009c).4.TenpiecesofadviceforcompaniesdecidingtouseSocialMediaSocialMediaisaveryactiveandfast-movingdomain.Whatmaybeup-to-datetodaycouldhavedisappearedfromthevirtuallandscapetomorrow.Itisthereforecrucialforfirmstohaveasetofguidelines

thatcanbeappliedtoanyformofSocialMedia,whethertheyarepartoftheaforementionedlistornot.Next,weprovidesuchasetofrecommendations.GiventhatSocialMediahavebothasocial-andamedia-component,wesplitouradviceintotwosections:fivepointsaboutusingmediaandfivepointsaboutbeingsocial.4.1.Fivepointsaboutusingmedia4.1.1.ChoosecarefullyTherearedozensifnothundredsofSocialMediaapplications,andnewonesareappearingonthhorizoneveryday.Ifyoustillneedtimetorunyourcorebusiness,yousimplycannotparticipateinthemall,especiallysincebeingactiveisone

eyrequiremetofsuccess(seebelow).Choosingtherightmediumforanygivenpurposedependsonthetargetgrouptobereachedandthemessagetobecommunicated.Ontheo


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nehand,eachSocialMediaapplicationusuallyattractsacertaingroupofpeopleandfirmsshouldbeactivewherevertheircustomersarepresent.Forexample,ifyourmaintargetaudienceisboo

lovers,acontentcommunityviawhichusersshareself-writtennovelsorpoemsisli

elybettersuitedtoyourpurposethanavirtualworldwhichcentersonfightingdragonsandfindingtreasures.Ontheotherhand,theremaybesituationswherebycertainfeaturesarenecessarytoensureeffectivecommunication,andthesefeaturesareonlyofferedbyonespecificapplication.Forexample,whentheU.S.Armyundertoo

aninitiativein2007toreachtheHispaniccommunity,itdecidedtoutilizethesocialnetwor

ingsiteUnivisionratherthanthemorepopularFaceboo

.ThischoicewasdriveninpartbythefactthatUnivisionaSpanish-languagetelevisionnetwor

intheU.S.andPuertoRicoisthesocialnetwor ingapplicationwiththelargestLatinAmericanaudience,duetoanextensiverangeoftelenovelasandMexicanprogramsproducedbyGrupoTelevisa.However,anotherreasonUnivisionwaschosenisbecauseitoffersamoderatingservicewhichchec

scommentsfromusersforappropriatenessbeforepostingthemonthesite.Incontrast,otherapplications,includingFaceboo

,allowuserstopostmessageswithoutsupervision.4.1.2.Pic

theapplication,orma

eyourownOnceyou

nowwhichgameyoureplaying,thenextdecisioninvolveswhethertoma

eorbuy.Insomecases,itmightjustbebesttojoinanexistingSocialMediaapplicationandbenefitfromitspopularityanduserbase.Afterall,thereisnoneedtoreinventthewheelifsomebodyhasalreadydoneit,especiallygiventhatSocialMediashowpositivenetwor

externalitiesinthesensethattheygetmoreattractivetojointhemoreparticipantstheyalreadyhave.Butinsomecases,therightapplicationmightjustnotbeavailableye

t.JapansFujifilm,forexample,recentlylauncheditsownsocialnetwor

tobuildacommunityofphotoenthusiasts.Inasimilarspirit,U.S.-baseddepartmentstorefirmSearscollaboratedwithMTVmusictelevisiontocreateasocialnetwor aroundbac -to-schoolshopping.Yet,whatevertheultimatedecisiontobuy,mae,orbothitisvitalthatthereisanunderstandingofthebasicideabehindSocialMedia.Itsallaboutparticipation,sharing,andcollaboration,ratherthanstraightforwardadvertisingandselling.4.1.3.EnsureactivityalignmentSometimesyoumaydecidetorelyonvariousSocialMedia,orasetofdifferentapplicationswithinthesamegroup,inordertohavethelargestpossiblereach.Inthiscase,itiscrucialtoensurethatyourSocialMediaactivitiesareallalignedwitheachother.AprimeexampleinthiscontextiscomputermanufacturerDellanditsDigitalNomadscampaign.Dellusesacombinationofsocialnetwor

ingsits(Faceboo

,Lin

edIn),blogs,andcontentcommunities(YouTubevideos)toshow

howitsrangeoflaptopcomputersenableindividualstobecomeanomadicmobilewor

force.Inasimilarspirit,ChryslersJeepbrandconnectswithitscustomersbycombiningphotossharedonthecontentcommunityFlic

r,withgroupsonsocialnetwor

ingsitessuchasMySpaceandFaceboo

.Usingdifferentcontactchannelscanbeaworthwhileandprofitablestrategy.Butremember:onegoalofcommunicationistheresolutionofambiguityandreductionofuncertainty,andnothingismoreconfusingthancontradictingmessagesacrossdifferentchannels.4.1.4.MediaplanintegrationWhatistruefordifferenttypesofSocialMediaalsoholdsfortherelationshipbetweenSocialMediaandtraditionalmedia:Integrationis

ey!Whileyoumayconsiderthesetwoarenastobecompletelydifferent,incustomerseyestheyarebothpartofthesame:yourcorporateimage.Considertheactionsofsoftdrin

giantCoca-Cola.InJune2006,apairofperformanceartistsshotavideofeaturingaseriesofgeyserstheycreatedbydroppingMentosbr

andmintsinto2-literbottlesofCo

e;theclipbecameamajorhitonYouTube.Realizingcustomersenthusiasmforthisperformance,Coca-Colafosteredthesensationbyairingthevideoonlate-nighttelevisionandensuringbroaddigitaldistributionacrossdifferentcontentcommunities.Besidestheadvantageofhighimpact/lowcostmediacoverage,thecampaignalsoresultedinameasurablesalesuplift.4.1.5.AccessforallAlthoughthismightsoundelementary,oncethefirmhasdecidedtoutilizeSocialMediaapplications,itisworthchec

ingthatallemployeesmayactuallyaccessthem.Commonly,firmsbloc

Faceboo

,YouTube,andSecondLifeoncorporatePCsforfearthatstaffmightspendtoomuchtimenetwor

inginsteadofwor

ing.Whilethisiscertainlyaconsideration,itcannoti


8/21

mplythatemployeesmusthavespecialpermissiontobeabletoaccessthecompanyblog.Atthesametime,thereisaneedtocurtailthepossibilityoftheentireorganizationspendingallitstimeproducingfunnyvideosanduploadingthemtoYouTube.OnepossibleapproachinvolvesdefininggroupsofemployeeswhoseprimaryobjectiveisthemanagementofcorporateSocialMedia;allotherstaffmembersaretreatedasoccasionalparticipants.Underthisscenario,thefirstgroupisgivenadministratorrightswhichallowstheopeningofnewdiscussionthreadsanddeletionofinappropriatepostswhilethesecondgroupisnot.Also,atsomepoint,itwillbenecessarytodevelopcertainguidelinesforSocialMediausage;asdone,forinstance,byBigBlueIBM,whichhasacorporatechartaforappropriatbehaviorwithinSecondLife.Forexample,itisimportanttohighlightthateveryemployeeneedstoidentifyhimselforherselfassuchwhenpostingacommentonthecorporateblog.Otherwise,end-consumerscouldgettheimpressionthatanonymousaccountsareusedtoenableemployeestopostfa

emessagesandoverly-positivefeedbac

,whichcouldseverelydamagethecredibilityofyourwholeSocialMediacampaign.4.2.Fivepointsaboutbeingsocial4.2.1.BeactiveIfyouwanttodeveloparelationshipwithsomeone,itisalwaysadvisabletota

etheleadandtobeactive.SocialMediaareallaboutsharingandinteraction,soensurethatyourcontentisalwaysfreshandthatyouengageindiscussionswithyourcustomers.Considertheaforementionedblog eptbySunMicrosystemsCEOJonathanSchwartz.Viathisoutlet,thefigureheaddiscussesonanongoingbasishiscoporatestrategy,newproductdevelopmentprojects,andcompanyvalues,andrepliesdirectlytocorrespondencereceived.InconsideringyourSocialMediaefforts,beawarethatfirminvolvementmustextendbeyondrespondingtonegativecomme

ntsanddefendingproductofferings.SocialMediaislessaboutexplainingwhyyourba

ingmix,detergent,orshampooisbetterthananyoneelsesthanitisaboutengagingothersinopenandactiveconversation.ParticipantsonSocialMediaapplicationshavethedesiretoactivelyengageandtobecomebothproducersandconsumersofinformation,so-calledprosumers(Toffler,1980).Beconsiderateoftisneedandactaccordingly.4.2.2.BeinterestingLetsfaceit:nobodyisinterestedinspea

ingtoaboringperson.Assuch,ifyouwouldli

eyourcustomerstoengagewithyou,youneedtogivethemareasonfordoingsoonewhichextendsbeyondsayingyouarethebestairlineintown,ormanufacturethemostrobust

itchenblender.Thefirststepistolistentoyourcustomers.Findoutwhattheywouldli

etohear;whattheywouldli

etotal

about;whattheymightfindinteresting,enjoyable,andvaluable.Then,developandpostcontentthatfitsthoseexpectations.CoffeepowerhouseStarbuc

s,forexample,createdtheMyStarbuc

sIdeaplatform,viawhichcustomerscansubmitnewideasforthecompany.Theseideasaresubsequentlyvotedonbyotherusers,withthewinnersbeingconsideredforimplementationbyStarbuc

stopmanagement.AsstatedbyOscarWildeinhisnovel,ThePictureofDorianGrey:Theonesinforwhichthereisnoforgivenessisennui.4.2.3.BehumbleNeverforgetthatSocialMediaexistedbeforeyoudecidedtoengageinthem;indeed,inmanycases,evenbeforeyou

newabouttheirexistence.Inthislight,donotexpectthatyou

nowbetterhowtousethemthanotherswhohavespentcountlesshoursonFaceboo

orSecondLife,forexample.Beforeyouenteranyapplication,firstta

esometimetodiscoveritandtolearnaboutitshistoryandbasicrules.Onlyonceyouhavegainedthenecessaryunderstanding,starttoparticipate.WhenaerospaceanddefensefirmBoeingdecidedtolaunchitsfirstcorporateblog,thesitewasdesignedsuchthatuserswerenotallowedtocommentonwhattheysaw.Yet,interactionandfeedbac

are

criticalelementsofallSocialMedia,blogsincluded.Hence,manyreadersperceivedtheBoeingblogasafa

e,andsimplycorporateadvertisingindisguise.Ifthereisonecertainpathtofailure,itinvolvesthin

ingthatSocialMediaisjustaboutpostingexistingTVspotsonYouTubeorputtingprefabricatedpressannouncementsoncorporateblogs.4.2.4.BeunprofessionalHaveyouevernoticedthatinHollywoodbloc

busterfilms,itsnotusuallythehandsomeguywhoendsupwiththegirl,butrathertheclumsy,charmingone?ThesamegoesforSocialMedia,andfirmswouldbewisetoavoidoverly-professionalcontentofferings.Theresnoneedtospend$100,000todesigntheperfectMySpacepresence,orhireaprofessionalwritertomanageyourcorporateblog.Instead,trytoblendinwith


9/21

otherusersanddontbeafraidtoma

emista

es!BillMarriott,ChairmanandCEOoftheMarriottInternationalHotelchain,useshisblog,forexample,topostregularupdatesandstoriesfromhistravelstoMarriottpropertiesaroundtheworldverymuchinthesamewayaswouldawor

colleaguewhendescribingherlastvacation.SocialMediausersarepeopleli

eyou,whounderstandthatthingsdonotalwaysgosmoothly.And,ifyourenicetothem,theymayevengiveyoufreeadviceonhowtodoitbetterthenexttime.4.2.5.BehonestLastbutnotleast,behonestandrespecttherulesofthegame.SomeSocialMediasuchasWi ipediaaynotallowcompaniestobeinvolved,sodonottrytoforceyourwayin.ConsiderAnheuser-Busch,ownerofSeaWorldmarinemammalpar

s.Anheuser-BuschtriedtorectifymisleadinginformationonWi

ipediathroughtheuseofPRfirms,andfaledmiserablyatit.Neverexpectthatotherparticipantsmaynotfindoutwhostandsbehindsomeanonymoususeraccount;afterall,youredealingwithsomeofthemosttechnologicallysophisticatedpeopleontheplanet.5.NothingtolosebuttheirchainsToday,everythingisaboutSocialMedia.SomeindustrygurusclaimthatifyoudonotparticipateinFaceboo

,YouTube,andSecondLife,youarenotpartofcyberspaceanymore.SocialMediaallowfirmstoengageintimelyanddirectend-consumercontactatrelativelylowcostandhigherlevelsofefficiencythancanbeachievedwithmoretraditionalcommunicationtools.Thisma

esSocialMedianotonlyrelevantforlargemultinationalfirms,butalsoforsmallandmediumsizedcompanies,andevennonprofitandgovernmentalagencies.UsingSocialMediaisnotaneasytas

andmayrequirenewwaysofthin

ing,butthepotentialgainsarefarfrombeingnegligible.Dell,forexample,statesthatitsuseofTwitteramicrobloggingapplicationthatallowssendingoutshort,text-b

asedpostsof140charactersorlesshasgenerated$1millioninincrementalrevenueduetosalesalerts.Somefirmsmayevenbetoosuccessfulfortheirowngood,asillustratedbyBurgerKingsWhopperSacrificecampaign:InDecember2008,thetfoodgiantdevelopedaFaceboo applicationwhichgaveusersafreeWhoppersandwichforevery10friendstheydeletedfromtheirFaceboo

networ

.Thecampaignwasadoptedbyover20,000users,resultinginthesacrificingof233,906friendsinexchangeforfreeburgers.Onlyonemonthlater,inJanuary2009,Faceboo shutdownWhopperSacrifice,citingprivacyconcerns.Whowouldhavethoughtthatthepriceofafriendshipislessthan$2adozen?Anewtrendisonthehorizon,though;WatchoutforMobileSocialMedia!MobileWeb2.0isverysimilartoWeb2.0,asdiscussedearlier.IncontrasttoitspredecessorMobileWeb1.0,whichreliedonproprietaryprotocols(e.g.,WAP)anduse-basedpricing,MobileWeb2.0ischaracterizedbyopenstandards(e.g.,atransitiontotheTCP/IPpr

otocol,thetechnicalfoundationoftheWorldWideWeb)andflat-ratesystems.Eventhemanualentryofwebaddressesusingsmallanddifficult-to-handle

eyboardsisbecominghistory.Soon,allitemsaroundyouwillbeequippedwithRadioFrequencyIdentification(RFID)tagsthatwillbeabletoautomaticallyconnecttoyourmobilephoneandsendURLstothem,similartotodaystextmessages.Thistechnicalevolutionislayingthegroundwor

formovingSocialMediaapplicationsawayfromdes

topPCsandlaptops,towardmobiledevices.WhylogintoFaceboo

ifyoucaneasilyupdateallyourfriendsusingTwitter?WhywaituntilyoureturnhometowatchthenewYouTubevideoifyoucandosoconvenientlyonyouriPhone?AccordingtoJupiterResearch,themar

etforMobileWeb2.0evolutionswillgrowfromamere$5.5billiontodaytoanimpressive$22.4billionby2013.MobileSocialMediaapplicationsareexpectedtobethemaindriverofthisevolution,soonaccountingforover50%ofthemar

et.Inoneway,thissurgetowardMo

bileSocialMediacanevenbeseenasanothersteptowardInternetdemocratizationandclosingthedigitaldividebetweendevelopedandemergingcountries.InIndia,forexample,mobilephonesoutnumberPCsby10to1.InThailand,only13%ofthepopulationownsacomputer,versus82%whohaveaccesstoamobilephone.ItisthereforenotsurprisingthatthePewResearchCenteraWashington-basedthin

tan

estimatesthatby2020,amobiledevicewillbetheprimaryInternetconnectiontoolformostpeopleintheworld.Ma

ingSocialMediaapplicationsmobileisli

elytotapacurrentlyunexploitedbaseofnewusers.Evenifpercapitaspendinginthesecountriesmaystillbelow,vastpopulationnumbersma

ethemrelevantforvirtuallyanyfirm.Obviously,MobileSocialMediadoesnotcome


10/21

withoutaprice.Somewouldarguethatwhileitenablesthedetailedfollowingoffriendshalf-wayacrosstheworld,itcanfosterasocietywherewedont

nowthenamesofourownnext-doorneighbors.Bethatasitmay,andindependentofwhetherornotoneapprovesofsuchanevolution,itseemsundisputablethat(Mobile)SocialMediawillbethelocomotiveviawhichtheWorldWideWebevolves.Businesses,ta

enoteanddontmissthistrain!ReferencesDaft,R.L.,&Lengel,R.H.(1986).Organizationalinformationrequirements,mediarichness,andstructuraldesign.ManagementScience,32(5),554571.Fama,E.F.(1970).Efficientcapitalmar

ets:Areviewoftheoryandempiricalwor

.JournalofFinance,25(2),383417.Goffman,E.(1959).Thepresentationofselfineverydaylife.NewYor

:DoubledayAnchorBoo

s.Haenlein,M.,&Kaplan,A.M.(2009).Flagshipbrandstoreswithinvirtualworlds:Theimpactofvirtualstoreexposureonreallifebrandattitudesandpurchaseintent.RechercheetApplicationsenMar

eting24(3).Kaplan,A.M.,&Haenlein,M.(2009a).Consumeruseandbusinesspotentialofvirtualworlds:ThecaseofSecondLife.TheInternationalJournalonMediaManagement11(3).Kaplan,A.M.,&Haenlein,M.(2009b).Consumers,companies,andvirtualsocialworlds:AqualitativeanalysisofSecondLife.AdvancesinConsumerResearch,36(1),873874.Kaplan,A.M.,&Haenlein,M.(2009c).ThefairylandofSecondLife:Aboutvirtualsocialworldsandhowtousethem.BusinessHorizons,52(6),563572.Kozinets,R.V.(2002).Thefieldbehindthescreen:Usingnetnographyformar

etingresearchinonlinecommunities.JournalofMar

etingResearch,39(1),6172.Muniz,A.M.,&OGuinn,T.C.(2001).Brandcommunity.JournalofConsumerResearch,27(4),412432.OECD.(2007).Participativewebanduser-createdcontent:Web2.0,wi is,andsocialnetwor ing.Paris:OrganisationforEconomi

cCo-operationandDevelopment.Schau,H.J.,&Gilly,M.C.(2003).Wearewhatwepost?Selfpresentationinpersonalwebspace.JournalofConsumerResearch,30(3),385404.Short,J.,Williams,E.,&Christie,B.(1976).Thesocialpsychologyoftelecommunications.Hobo en,NJ:JohnWiley&Sons,Ltd.Toffler,A.(1980).Thethirdwave:Theclassicstudyoftomorrow.NewYor

:BantamBoo

s.Ward,J.C.,&Ostrom,A.L.(2006).Complainingtothemasses:Theroleofprotestframingincustomer-createdcomplaintwebsites.JournalofConsumerResearch,33(2),220230.Penggunadunia,bersatu!TantangandanpeluangSocialMediaAndreasM.Kaplan*,MichaelHaenleinESCPEropa,79AvenuedelaRe'publique,F-75011Paris,Prancis

Abstra

KonsepMediaSosialadalahatasagendauntu

e

se

utifbisnisdewasaini.Pengambil

eputusan,serta

onsultan,mencobauntu

mengidentifi

asicaradimanaperusahaandapatmengguna

anapli

asimenguntung

ansepertiWi


,SecondLife,danTwitter.Namunmes

ipunbungaini,tampa

nyaadapemahamanyangsangatterbatasapaistilah''''MediaSosialpersisberarti;arti

eliniberma

suduntu

memberi

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larifi

asi.Kitamulaidenganmenggambar

an

onsepSocialMedia,danmendis

usi

anbagaimanahalituberbedadari

onsep-

onsepter

aitsepertiWeb2.0danKontenUserGenerated.Berdasar

andefinisiini,

ita

emudianmemberi

an

lasifi

asiMediaSosialyangsaatini

elompo

apli

asidimasu

andibawahistilahumum

edalam

ategoriyanglebihspesifi

dengan

ara

teristi

:proye

-proye

olaboratif,blog,

onten

omunitas,situsjaringansosial,duniagamevirtual,danduniasosialmaya.A

hirnya,

amimenyaji

an10buahsaranbagiperusahaanyangmemutus

anuntu

me

manfaat

anSocialMedia.#2009KelleySchoolofBusiness,UniversitasIndiana.Allrightsreserved.

1.Momo

MediaSosialPadaJanuari2009,jejaringsosialonlineapli

asiFaceboo

terdaftarlebihdari175jutapenggunaa

tif.Untu

menempat

anang

adalamperspe

tif,inihanyasedi

it

urangdaripendudu

Brasil(190juta)danlebihdaridua

alipopulasiJerman(80juta)!Padasaatyangsama,setiapmenit,10jam

ontenyangdiunggah

eYouTubevideosharingplatform.Dan,situshostinggambarFlic

rmenyedia

ana


11/21

ses

elebihdari3miliarfoto,membuat

ole

siyangter

enaldiduniaMuseumLouvredari300.000obje

tampa

ecildibanding

an.MenurutForresterResearch,75%daripeselancarInternetyangdiguna

an''''SosialMediapada

uartal

edua2008denganbergabungjaringansosial,membacablog,ataumemberi

an

ontribusiulasanuntu

situsbelanja,inimerupa

anpening

atansignifi

andari56%padatahun2007.Pertumbuhantida

terbataspadaremaja,bai

;anggotaGenerasiX,se

arang35-44tahun,sema

inmengisijajaranjoiner,penonton,dan

riti

us.Oleh

arenaitumasu

a

aluntu

mengata

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ilitrenbaruyangrevolusioneryangharusmenari

bagiperusahaanyangberoperasidiruangonline-atauruangapapun,dalamhalini.Namun,tida

terlalubanya

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bertinda

diduniadimana

onsumendapatberbicarabegitubebassatusamalaindanbisnismemili

i

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in

urangatasinformasiyangtersediatentangmere

adiduniamaya.Hariini,ji

apenggunaInternetjenisnamadarisetiapmere

ter

emu

a

edalampencarianGoogle,apayangmunculdiantaralimahasilatasbiasanyatida

hanyamenca

uphalamanwebperusahaan,tetapijugaentriyangsesuaidalamensi

lopediaWi

ipediaonline.Disini,misalnya,pelanggandapatmembacabahwamodel2007Easy-PanggangOvenHasbrodapatmenyebab

anlu

aba

arseriusditanganana -ana danjari arenapintuovenburu -dirancang,danbahwaBanFirestonedanRubberCompanytelahdituduhmengguna

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aretLiberia.Secarahistoris,perusahaanmampumengontrolinformasiyangtersediatentangmere

amelaluipengumumanpersditempat

ansecarastrategisdanbai

manajerhumas.Hariini,Namun,perusahaantelahsema inditurun an esela-selasebagaipengam

atbela

a,tida

memili

ipengetahuanatau

esempatan-atau,

adang-

adang,bah

anha

-untu

mengubah

omentaryangdipostingpubli

yangdisedia

anolehpelangganmere

a.Wi

ipedia,misalnya,tegasmelarangpartisipasiperusahaandalam omunitasonline.Sepertievolusimung

intida

mengejut

an.Setelahsemua,internetmulai

eluarsebagaitida

lebihdarira

sasaBuletinBoardSistem(BBS)yangmemung

in

anpenggunauntu

pertu

aranperang

atluna ,data,pesan,danberitadengansatusamalain.A hir1990-anmelihatlonja

anpopularitasdihomepage,dimanarata-rataJoebisaberbagiinformasitentang

ehidupanpribadinya;setarahariinia

anmenjadiweblog,ataublog.Erahalamanwebperusahaandane-commercemulairelatifbaru-baruinidenganmeluncur

anAmazondaneBaypadatahun1995,danpunyaha

berdeta

-offhanya6tahun

emudian

eti

agelembungdot-commeleda

padatahun2001.Kecenderungansaatinite

rhadapSocialMedia

arenanyadapatdilihatsebagaievolusi

embali

ea

arInternet,

arenaretransformsWorldWideWebdenganapaituawalnyadibuatuntu

:platformtomemfasilitasipertu

araninformasiantarapengguna.Tapiapa

ahituberartibahwaMediaSosialhanyaanggurlamadalambotolbaru?Mung

intida

!Seperti

itaa

anmenyelidi

ilebihlanjut,

emajuante

nisyangtelahdibuatselama20tahuntera

hirse

arangmemung

in

ansuatubentu

berbagi

ontenvirtualyangsecarafundamentalberbedadari,danlebih

uatdari,BBSa

hir1970-an.Arti

elinimembahastantangandanpeluangyangmunculdarievolusibagiperusahaan,danmenyedia

anstru

turuntu

lebihmemahamibidangber

embangpesatMedia.WeSosialmulaidenganmemberi

andefinisidan

lasifi

asiMediaSosialdenganmelihata

arsejarahmere

a,

e

hususante

nis,danperbedaandarientitaslainsepertiWeb2.0danUserGeneratedContent.Kami

emudianfo

uspadaenamjenis

MediaSosial-proye

olaboratif,blog,

omunitas

onten,situsjejaringsosial,duniapermainanvirtual,danduniasosialmaya-dancara-carahadirdimanaperusahaansecaraefisiendapatmengguna

anapli

asiini.Berdasar

ananalisisini,

ita

emudianmemperolehsatusetre

omendasi10perusahaanharusmengi

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eti

aberpi

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anstrategisendiriSocialMedia,bai

ituber

enaandenganjenistersebutatauapli

asilainyangmung

inmunculdimasadepan.

2.ApaituMediaSosial-Danapabu

an?Sepertidisorot,idedibali

MediaSosialadalahjauhdariinovatif.Namundemi


12/21

ian,tampa

nyaada

ebingungandi

alanganmanajerdanpenelitia

ademissamasepertiapasebenarnyayangharusdimasu

andibawahistilahini,danbagaimanaSosialMediaberbedadari

onsep-

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aityangtampa

nya-dipertu

ar

andariWeb2.0danUserGeneratedContent.Karenaitumasu

a

aluntu

mengambillang

ahmundurdanmemberi

anwawasantentangmanaSocialMediaberasaldanapayangmere

atermasu

.Pada1979,TomTruscottdanJimEllisdariDu

eUniversitytelahmencipta

anUsenet,sebuahsistemdis

usidiseluruhduniayangmemung

in

anpenggunaInternetuntu

mengirimpesanpubli

.Namun,eraMediaSosialsepertiyang

itamengertihariinimung

indimulaise

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eti

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uHarianTerbu

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uharianonlinemenjadisatu

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sesinternetlanjutditambah

an

epopularitas

onsep,yangmengarah

epenciptaansitusjaringansosialsepertiMySpace(pada2003)danFaceboo

(tahun2004).Halini,padagilirannya,mencipta

anistilah''MediaSosial,''danmemberi

an

ontribusi

emenonjolmemili

ihariini.Penambahanterbaruuntu

pengelompo

aninitelahglamorduniayangdisebut''maya'':ling ungansimulasicomputerbaseddihuniolehavatartigadimensi.Mung

interbai

duniamayadi

enaladalahbahwadariSecondLifeLindenLab(Kaplan&Haenlein,2009c).Walaupundaftarapli

asitersebutdapatmemberi

anpertamamemerlu

angambargarisuntu dua onsepter aityangseringdisebutdalamhubungannyadenganitubeb

erapaidetentangapayangdima

suddenganSocialMedia,definisiformaldariistilah:Web2.0danUserGeneratedContent.Web2.0adalahsebuahistilahyangpertama

alidiguna

anpadatahun2004untu

menggambar

ansebuahcarabarudimanaperang atluna pengembangdanpenggunaa hirmulaimemanfaat anWorldWideWeb,yaitu,sebagaiplatformdimana

ontendanapli

asiyangtida

lagidibuatdanditerbit

anolehindividu,tapimalahterus-menerusdimodifi

asiolehsemuapenggunasecarapartisipatifdan

olaboratif.Sedang

anapli

asisepertihalamanwebpribadi,EncyclopediaBritannicaOnline,danidepenerbitan ontenmili eraofWeb1,0,mere

adiganti

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i,danproye

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olaboratifdiWeb2.0.Mes

ipunWeb2.0tida

meruju

padasetiapupdatete

nistertentudariWorldWideWeb,adasatusetfungsidasaryangdiperlu

anuntu

fungsinya.DiantaranyaadalahAdobeFlash(sebuahmetodepopuleruntu

menambah

ananimasi,intera

tivitas,danaudio/videostream

ehalamanweb),RSS(ReallySimpleSyndicat

ion,sebuah

eluargaformatfeedwebyangdiguna

anuntu

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asi

an

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ni

untu

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ontenwebtanpamengganggudengantampilandanperila

useluruhhalaman).Untu

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ami,

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anWeb2.0sebagaiplatformuntu

evolusiMediaSosial.Keti

aWeb2.0merupa

anlandasanideologidante

nologi,PenggunaGeneratedContent(UGC)dapatdilihatsebagaijumlahdarisemuacara-caraorangmemanfaat

anSocialMedia.Istilah,yangmencapaipopularitasyangluasditahun2005,biasanyaditerap

anuntu

menggambar

anberbagaibentu

isimediayangtersediauntu

umumdandibuatolehpengguna-a

hir.MenurutOrganisasiuntu

KerjasamaE

onomidanPembangunan(OECD,2007),UGCharusmemenuhitigapersyaratandasaruntu

dianggapsebagaiseperti:pertama,perl

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asi

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epadase

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hirnya,perlutelahdicipta

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te

.Kondisipertamatida

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ar

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oranyangadadiblogpribaditanpaadamodifi

asiataumengomentari),danyang

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onte

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usi

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ombinasidaridriverte

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atan

etersediaandan

apasitasbroadbandperang

at

eras),


13/21

drivere

onomi(misalnya,pening

atan

etersediaanalatuntu

penciptaanUGC),dandriversosial(misalnya,munculnyagenerasidigitalyangasli''''dan''''screenagers:

elompo

usiamudadenganpengetahuante

nissubstansialdan

esediaanuntu

terlibatsecaraonline)membuatsaatiniUGCfundamentalberbedadariapayangdiamatipadaawaltahun1980.Berdasar

an

larifi

asidariWeb2.0danUGC,se

arangmudahuntu

memberi

andefinisiyanglebihrincidariapayang

itama

suddenganMediaSosial.Dalampandangan

ami-dansepertiyangdiguna

andisini-MediaSosialadalah

elompo

apli

asiberbasisinternetyangmembangundiatasdasarideologidante

nologiWeb2.0,danyangmemung

in

anpenciptaandanpertu

aranUserGeneratedContent.Dalamdefinisiumum,adaberbagaijenismediasosialyangperludibeda

anlebihlanjut.Namun,mes

ipun

ebanya

anorangmung

ina

ansetujubahwaWi


,danSecondLifeadalahbagiandari

elompo

besar,tida

adacarasistematisyangberbedaMediaSosialapli

asidapatdi

ategori

an.Juga,situsbarumunculdiduniamayasetiaphari,jadipentingbahwasetiaps

ema

lasifi

asimemperhitung

anapli

asiaccountyangmung

indatang.Untu

membuatsemacams

ema

lasifi

asi,danuntu

mela

u

annyadengancarayangsistematis,

itabergantungpadasatusetteori-teoridalambidangmediapenelitian(

ehadiransosial,media e ayaan)danprosessosial(presentasidiri,pengung apandiri),yangdua

uncielemenMediaSosial.Mengenai

omponenmediayangberhubungandenganMediaSosial,teori

ehadiransosial(Short,Williams,&Christie,1976)menyata

anbahwamediaberbedadalamderajatpresence''sosial''-didefinisi

ansebagaia usti ,visual,dan onta fisi yangdapatdicapai-mere amemung in anuntu

munculantaraduamitra

omuni

asi.Kehadiransosialdipengaruhioleh

eintiman(antarpribadivs.mediated)dan

ede

atan(asynchronousvssin

ron)darithemedium,dandapatdiharap

anuntu

lebihrendahuntu dimediasi(misalnya,perca apantelepon)dariinterpersonal(misalnyadis

usi,tatapmu

a)danuntu

asin

ron(misalnya,e-mail)darisin

ron(misalnya,livechat)

omuni

asi.Sema

intinggi

ehadiransosial,sema

inbesarpengaruhsosialbahwamitra

omuni

asipadaperila

umasing-masing.Ter

aiteratdenganide ehadiransosialadalah onsep e ayaanmedia.Media

e

ayaanteori(Daft&Lengel,1986)didasar

anpadaasumsibahwatujuan

omuni

asiapapunadalahresolusiambiguitasdanpengurangan

etida

pastian.Inimenyata

anbahwamediaberbedadalamting

at

e

ayaanyangmere

amili

i-yaitu,jumlahinformasiyangmere

amemung

in

anuntu

ditransmisi

andalamintervalwa

tutertentu-danoleh

arenaitubeberapamediayanglebihefe

tifdaripada

yanglaindalammenyelesai

anambiguitasdan

etida

pastian.Diterap

anpada

onte

sSocialMedia,

itamengasumsi

anbahwa

lasifi

asipertamadapatdibuatberdasar

an

e

ayaanmenengahdanting

at

ehadiransosialyangmemung

in

an.SehubungandengandimensisosialdariMediaSosial,

onseppresentasidirimenyata

anbahwadalamsetiapjenisintera

sisosialorangmemili

i

einginanuntu

mengendali

anoranglain

esanbentu

mere

a(Goffman,1959).Disatusisi,halinidila

u

andengantujuanmempengaruhioranglainuntu

mendapat

anpenghargaan(misalnya,membuat

esanpositifpadamasadepanAndadi-hu

um),disisilain,didorongoleh

einginanuntu

membuatgambaryang

onsistendenganidentitaspribadiseseorang(misalnya,mengena

anpa

aianmodisagardianggapsebagaimudadantrendi).Alasanutamamengapaorangmemutus

anuntu

membuathalamanwebpribadi,misalnya,

einginanuntu

menampil

andirididuniamaya(Schau&Gilly,2003).Biasanya,sepertipresentasidila

u

anmelaluipengung

apandiri,yaitu,wah

yusadaratautida

sadarinformasipribadi(misalnya,pi

iran,perasaan,su

a,tida

su

a)yang

onsistendengancitrayanginginmemberi

an.Pengung

apandirimerupa

anlang

ahpentingdalampengembanganhubungande

at(misalnya,selama

encan)tetapijugadapatterjadiantaraorangasing,misalnya,

eti

aberbicaratentangmasalahpribadidenganorangdudu

disampingAndadipesawatterbang.Diterap

anpada

onte

sSocialMedia,

itamengasumsi

anbahwa

lasifi

asi

eduadapatdibuatberdasar

anting

at

eterbu

aandiriitumembutuh

andanjenispresentasidirimemung

in

an.Menggabung

an

eduadimensimengarah

e

lasifi

asiMediaSosialyangtelah

itadivisualisasi

anpadaTabel1.Sehubungandengan

eberadaansosialdan

e

ayaan


14/21

media,apli

asisepertiproye

-proye

olaboratif(misalnya,Wi

ipedia)danblogs

orterendah,sepertiyangseringberbasiste

sdan

arenanyahanyamemung

in

anuntu

pertu

aranrelatifsederhana.Padating

atselanjutnyaadalah

ontenmasyara

at(misalnya,YouTube)dansitusjejaringsosial(misalnya,Faceboo

)yang,selain

omuni

asiberbasiste

s,memung

in

anberbagigambar,video,danbentu

medialainnya.Padating

attertinggiadalahpermainanvirtualdanduniasosial(misalnya,WorldofWarcraft,SecondLife),yangmencobauntu

menirusemuadimensidariwajah-to-faceintera

sidalamling

unganvirtual.Mengenaipresentasidiridanself-disclosure,blogbiasanyas

oryanglebihtinggidaripadaproye

olaboratif,sebagaiyangtera

hircenderungdifo

us

anpadadomain

ontenspesifi

.Dengansemangatyangsama,situsjejaringsosialmemung

in

anuntu

lebihpengung

apandiridari

omunitas

onten.A

hirnya,duniasosialmayamembutuh

anting

atlebihtinggidaripengung

apandiridariduniagamevirtual,sebagaiyangtera

hirdiperintaholehpedomanyang

etatyangmema

sapenggunauntu

berperila

udalamcaratertentu(misalnya,sebagaiprajuritdisebuahnegerifantasiimajiner).Kamise

aranga

anmemberi

andetaillebihlanjuttentangmasing-masingenamjenisSocialMedia,danmendis

usi

antantangandanpeluangyangmere

atawar

anperusahaan.

3.TantangandanpeluangSocialMedia3.1.Kolaborasiproye

Proye

olaborasimemung

in

anpenciptaanbersamadansimultanolehbanya

ontenpenggunaa

hirdan,dalampengertian,mung

inmanifestasipalingdemo

ratisUGC.Dalamproye olaborasi,salahmembeda anantarawi i-yaitu,situsyangmem

ung

in

anpenggunauntu

menambah

an,menghapus,danmengubah

ontenberbasiste

s-danapli

asiboo

mar

sosial-yangmemung

in

anpengumpulanberbasis

elompo

danratingdarilin

internetataumedia

onten.Contohapli asidalam ategoriinimeliputiensi lopediaWi ipediaonline,wi isaatinitersediadilebihdari230bahasayangberbeda,danlayananwebsocialboo

mar

ingDelicious,yangmemung

in

anpenyimpanandanberbagiboo

mar

web.Gagasanutamayangmendasariproye

-proye

olaboratifadalahbahwaupayabersamadaribanya a tormengarah ehasilyanglebihbai daria torpunbisamencapaiindividual;inimiripdenganhipotesispasarefisien-dibidang

euanganperila

u(Fama,1970).Dariperspe

tifperusahaan,perusahaanharusmenyadaribahwaproye

-proye

olaboratifadalahtrenuntu

menjadisumberutamainformasibagibanya

onsumen.Dengandemi

ian,mes

ipuntida

semuayangditulisdiWi

ipediasebenarnyamung

inbenar,itudiya

inibenarolehpenggunainternetlebihdanle

bih.Halinimung

insangatpentingdalamhal

risisperusahaan.Sebagaicontoh,saatpengecerbu

uonlineAmazonmulaimengujigagasanhargadinamis,

omentarmenyata

anpra

te

semacamsebagaitida

adilmunculse

eti

adibawahentriWi

ipediapada''hargaberdasar

anwa

tu.''Namun,proye

-proye

olaboratifjugamenyedia

anbeberapa

esempatanuni

untu

perusahaan.FinlandiaprodusenponselNo

ia,misalnya,mengguna

anwi

iinternaluntu

mengupdate

aryawanpadastatusproye

danberdagangide-ide,yangdiguna

anolehse

itar20%dari68.000anggotastaf.Demi

ianjuga,Ameri

a

omputerperang

atluna

perusahaanAdobeSystemsmenyimpandaftarpenunju

eperusahaanter

aitwebsitedanperca

apandiDelicious.

Tabel1.Klasifi

asiMediaSosialoleh

eberadaansosial/media

e

ayaandanself-presentation/self-disclosure

3.2.BlogBlog,yangmerupa

anbentu

awaldariSocialMedia,adalahjenis

hususdarisituswebyangbiasanyamenampil

antanggal-capentridalamurutan

ronologisterbali

(OECD,2007).Mere

aadalahsetaraSocialMediahalamanwebpribadidanbisadatangdalambanya

variasiyangberbeda,daribu

uharianpribadiyangmenggambar

an

ehidupanpenulisuntu

ring

asandarisemuainformasiyangrelevandalamsatuarea

ontenspesifi

.Blogbiasanyadi

elolaolehsatuorangsaja,tetapimemberi

an

emung

inanintera

sidenganoranglainmelaluipenambahan

omentar.


15/21


16/21

1)atauuntu

risetpemasarandalam

onte

snetnography(Kozinets,2002).Untu

mempromosi

anfilmFredClaus'',''Nataltahun2007film

omedi,WarnerBrothersmembuatprofilFaceboo

melaluimanapengunjungbisamenontontrailer,grafisdownload,danbermaingame.Demi

ianjuga,Adidas

ustom

omunitassepa

boladiMySpacememung

in

anpengunjunguntu

mengasosiasi

andirinyadengansalahsatudariduamere

cleatsepa

bolaelitdiprodu

siolehprodusenpa

aianolahragaJerman,danuntu

menga

sesulasanprodu

daninformasimengenaipemainsepa

bolaprofesionalyangbermainmengguna

an''mere

a''sepatu.Beberapaperusahaanbah

anpergisatulang

ahlebihjauhdanmengguna

anFaceboo

sebagaisalurandistribusi.Pertimbang

anASberbasisbunga1-800-Bunga.com,yangmenawar

ansebuahwidgetdiFaceboo

disebut''BeriCinta''dimanapenggunadapatmengirim

aranganbunga''''mayadengantemanatau,dengan

li

mouse,a

anlangsungditransfer

ewebsiteperusahaanuntu

mengirimbunganyata.3,5.VirtualpermainanduniaDuniamayaadalahplatformyangmeniruling

ungantigadimensidimanapenggunadapatmunculdalambentu

avatarpribadidanberintera

sisatusamalainsebagaimanadalam

ehidupannyata.Dalamhalini,duniamayamung

inmanifestasia

hirdariSocialMedia,

arenamere

amenyedia

anting

attertinggi

ehadiransosialdan

e

ayaanmediadarisemuaapli

asiyangdibahassejauhini.Duniamayadatangdalamduabentu .Yangpertama,duniagamevirtual,mengharus anpenggunamere

auntu

berperila

usesuaidenganaturan

etatdalam

onte

spermainanmassivelymultiplayerrole-playingonline(MMORPG).Apli

asiinitelahmendapat

anpopularitasdalambeberapatahuntera

hir,sebagai

onsolpermainanstandar-sepertiMicrosoftX-BoxdanPlayStationSony-se arangmemung in anbermainsecarasi

multanantarabanya

penggunadiseluruhdunia.Contohdariduniagamevirtualtermasu

cod-abadpertengahan''WorldofWarcraft,''yangmenghitungse

itar8,5jutapelangganyangmenjelajahiplanetvirtualAzerothdalambentu

manusia,

urcaci,Orc,atauelfmalam,untu melawanmonsteratauuntu mencariharta arun,danSonyEverQuest,dimana16rasyangberbedadaripemain(misalnya,penyihir,ulama)perjalananduniafantasiNorrath.Aturanpermainansepertibiasanyamembatasiting

atpresentasidiridanself-pengung

apanmung

in,mes

ipunbeberapapenggunamenghabis anbegitubanya wa tudenganapli asiinibahwa ara termerea-bai

ituseorangprajurit,penyihir,ataupemburunaga-mulailebihdanlebihde

atmenyerupai

epribadian

ehidupannyatamere

a.Selainmengguna

anmere

auntu

ingamei

lan(serupadalamideuntu

penempatanprodu

dalamfilmbloc

buster),popularitastinggidariduniapermainanvirtualjugadapatdimanfaat

andalam

ampanye

omuni

asiyanglebihtradisional.

Jepangotomotifra

sasaToyota,misalnya,diguna

angambardanme

ani

dariDuniaWarcraftdalamapli

asiterbaruTundra

omersialuntu

mencapai2,5jutapemaindiAmeri

aSeri

atsaja.3,6.VirtualsosialduniaKelompo

eduadariduniamaya,seringdisebutsebagaiduniasosialmaya,memung

in

anpendudu

untu

memilihperila

umere

alebihbebasdanpadadasarnyamenjalani

ehidupanvirtualyangmiripdengan

ehidupannyatamere

a.Sepertidalamduniagamevirtual,virtualpenggunaduniasosialmunculdalambentu

avatardanberintera

sidalamling

ungantiga-dimensimaya,namun,diduniaini,tida

adaaturanyangmembatasiberbagai

emung

inanintera

si,

ecualiuntu

hu

um-hu

umfisi

adasarsepertigravitasi.Halinimemung

in

anuntu

berbagaiterbatasstrategipresentasidiri,dantelahshownthatdenganintensitasmening

atnyapenggunaandanpengalaman

onsumsi,penggunaduniamayasosial-atau''pendudu

,''

ar

enamere

alebihsu

adisebut-perila

umenunju

anbahwalebihdanlebiheratcerminyangdiamatidalampengaturan

ehidupannyata(Haenlein&Kaplan,2009;Kaplan&Haenlein,2009a,2009b).Diperdebat

an,contohyangpalingmenonjoldariduniasosialmayaadalahapli

asiSecondLife,yangdidiri

andandi

elolaolehperusahaanLindenberbasisdiSanFranciscoResearchIncSelainmela

u

ansegalasesuatuyangmung

indalam

ehidupannyata(misalnya,berbicaradenganavatarlain,berjalan-jalan,meni

matisinarmataharivirtual),SecondLifejugamemung

in

anpenggunauntu

membuat

onten(misalnya,untu

merancangpa

aianvirtualatauitemfurnitur)danuntu

menjual

ontenini

epadaoranglaindalampertu

aranuntu

DolarLinden,matauangvirtualdiperdagang

anterhadapDolarASdiK


17/21

eduaHidupExchange.Beberapapendudu

yangbegituberhasildalamtugasinibahwauangvirtualdiperolehdengancarameleng

apipendapatan

ehidupannyatamere

a.Duniasosialmayamenawar

anbanya

peluangbagiperusahaandalampemasaran(i

lan/

omuni

asi,penjualanprodu

virtual/v-Commerce,risetpemasaran),dansumberdayamanusiadanmanajemenprosesinternal;untu

pembahasanlebihrinci,lihatKaplandanHaenlein(2009c).4.Sepuluhlembarsaranbagiperusahaanmemutus

anuntu

mengguna

anMediaSosialSocialMediaadalahdomainyangsangata

tifdanbergera

cepat.Apayangmung

inup-to-datehariinibisatelahmenghilangdaribeso

lans

apvirtual.Oleh

arenaitupentingbagiperusahaanuntu

memili

isatusetpedomanyangdapatditerap

anuntu

setiapbentu

MediaSosial,apa

ahmere

abagiandaridaftartersebutatautida

.Selanjutnya,

amimenyedia

ansepertisatusetre

omendasi.MengingatbahwaMediaSosialmemili

ibai

sosialdanmedia-

omponen,

amimembagisaran

amimenjadiduabagian:limapointentangmengguna

anmediadanlimapointentangma

hlu

sosial.4.1.Limapointentangmengguna

anmedia4.1.1.Pilihdenganhati-hatiAdapuluhan-

alaubu

anratusan-apli

asiMediaSosial,danyangbarumunculdica

rawalasetiaphari.Ji

aAndamasihmembutuh

anwa

tuuntu

menjalan

anbisnisintiAnda,Andatida

dapatberpartisipasidalammere

asemua,terutama

arena''''a tifyangmerupa ansalahsatupersyaratan unci eberhasilan(lihatdi

bawah).Memilihmediayangtepatuntu

tujuanapapunyangdiberi

antergantungpada

elompo

sasaranyanga

andicapaidanpesanyanga

andi

omuni

asi

an.Disatusisi,setiapapli

asiSocialMediabiasanyamenari

se

elompo

orangtertentudanperusahaanharusa tifdimanapunpelangganmere ayanghadir.Sebagaicontoh,ji

atargetpemirsautamaAndaadalahpecintabu

u,

omunitas

ontenmelaluimanapenggunaberbagidiriditulisnovelataupuisimung

inlebihcoco

untu

tujuanAndadariduniamayayangberpusatpadapertempurannagadanmenemu

anharta arun.Disisilain,mung inadasituasidimanafiturtertentuyangdiperlu

anuntu

memasti

an

omuni

asiyangefe

tif,danfiturinihanyaditawar

anolehsatuapli

asitertentu.Misalnya,

eti

aAng

atanDaratASmela

u

aninisiatifpadatahun2007untu

mencapaimasyara

atHispani

,memutus

anuntu

memanfaat

ansitusjejaringsosialdaripadaUnivisionFaceboo

lebihpopuler.Pilihaninididorongolehfa

tabahwaUnivision-sebuahbahasaSpanyoljaringan

televisidiASdanPuertoRico-adalahapli

asijejaringsosialdenganpenontonterbesarAmeri

aLatin,

arenaberbagaipilihantelenovelasdanprogramMe

si

odiprodu

siolehGrupoTelevisa.Namun,alasanlainUnivisiondipilih

arenamenawar

anlayananmoderatyangmemeri

sa

omentardaripenggunauntu

esesuaiansebelumpostingmere

adisitus.Sebali

nya,apli

asilain,termasu

Faceboo

,memung

in

anpenggunauntu

mengirimpesantanpapengawasan.4.1.2.Pilihapli

asi,ataumembuatsendiriSetelahAndatahumanapermainanyangAndabermain,

eputusanselanjutnyamelibat

anapa

ahuntu

membuatataumembeli.Dalambeberapa

asus,ituhanyamung

interbai

untu

bergabungsebuahapli

asiyangsudahadaMediaSosialdanmanfaatdaripopularitasdanbasispengguna.Setelahsemua,tida

adaperluuntu

menemu

an

embalirodaji

aseseorangtelahmela

u

annya,terutamamengingatbahwaMed

iaSosialmenunju

ane

sternalitasjaringanpositifdalamartibahwamere

amendapat

anlebihmenari

untu

bergabungdenganpesertalebihmere

asudahmemili

i.Namundalambeberapa

asus,apli

asiyangtepatmung

inhanyatida

a

antersedialagi.FujifilmJepang,misalnya,baru-barumeluncur

anjaringansosialnyasendiriuntu

membangunsebuah

omunitaspenggemarfoto.Dengansemangatyangsama,yangberbasisperusahaanSearsdepartmentstoreber

olaborasidengantelevisimusi

MTVuntu

mencipta

anjaringansosialdise

itar

embali-

e-se

olahbelanja.Namun,apapun

eputusana

hir-untu

membeli,membuat,atau

eduanya-sangatpentingbahwaadapemahamandariidedasardibali

MediaSosial.Inisemuaten


18/21

tangpartisipasi,berbagi

olaborasi,dan,bu

ani

landanpenjualanlangsung.4.1.3.Memasti

an

eselarasan

egiatanKadang-

adangAndamung

inmemutus

anuntu

mengandal

anberbagaiSocialMedia,atausatusetapli

asiyangberbedadalam

elompo

yangsama,dalamrang

auntu

memili

ijang

auanyangmung

interbesar.Dalamhalini,sangatpentinguntu

memasti

anbahwa

egiatanMediaSosialAndasemuaselarassatusamalain.Sebuahcontohutamadalam

onte

siniadalahprodusen

omputerDelldan''nya''DigitalNomads

ampanye.Dellmengguna

an

ombinasidarisitusjejaringsosial(Faceboo

,Lin

edIn),blog,dan

omunitas

onten(YouTubevideo)untu

menunju

anbagaimanajang

auan

omputerlaptopmemung

in

anindividuuntu

menjaditenaga

erjamobilenomaden.Dengansemangatyangsama,mere

JeepChryslermenghubung

andenganpelanggandenganmenggabung

anfotobersamapada

onten

omunitasFlic

r,dengan

elompo

-

elompo

padasitusjaringansosialsepertiMySpacedanFaceboo

.Mengguna

ansaluran

onta

yangberbedadapatmenjadistrategibermanfaatdanmenguntung

an.Tapiingat:satutujuan

omuni

asiadalahresolusiambiguitasdanpengurangan

etida

pastian,dantida

adayanglebihmembingung

andaripadabertentanganpesandisaluranyangberbeda.4.1.4.MediarencanaintegrasiApayangbenaruntu berbagaijenismediasosialjugaberla uuntu hubunganantaraMediaSosialdanmediatradisional:Integrasiadalah

unci!Mes

ipunAndadapatmempertimbang

anduaarenaharusbenar-benarberbeda,dimatapelanggan

eduanyamerupa

anbagianyangsama:citraperusahaanAnda.Pertimbang

antinda

anra sasaminumanringanCoca-Cola.PadabulanJuni2006,sepasangsenimanditemba

inerjavideoyangmenampil

anserang

aiangeysermere

adicipta

anpermenMentosmenjatuh

anmere

menjadi2literbotolCo

e;

lipmenjadihitbesardiYouTube.Menyadariantusiasmepelangganuntu

inerjaini,Coca-Coladipupu

sensasidenganmenayang anvideopadalarutmalamtelevisidanmemasti andistribusidigitalyangluasdiseluruh

omunitasisiyangberbeda.Selain

euntungandaridampa

tinggi/rendahbiayaliputanmedia,

ampanyejugamenghasil

anpengang

atanpenjualanteru

ur.4.1.5.A sesuntu semuaMes

ipunhalinimung

interdengardasar,setelahperusahaantelahmemutus

anuntu

memanfaat

anapli

asiSosialMedia,ituadalahmemeri

salaya

bahwasemua

aryawanbenar-benardapatmenga

sesnya.Umumnya,perusahaanmemblo

irFaceboo

,YouTube,danSecondLifepadaPCperusahaan

arenata

utstafmung

inmenghabis

anterlalubanya

wa

tujaringan,bu

anbe

erja.Mes

ipunhalinitentumenjadi

pertimbangan,tida

bisaberartibahwa

aryawanharusmemili

iizin

hususuntu

bisamenga

sesblogperusahaan.Padasaatyangsama,ada

ebutuhanuntu

mengurangi

emung

inanseluruhorganisasimenghabis

ansemuawa

tumemprodu

sivideolucudanmeng-upload

eYouTube.Satupende

atanyangmung

inmelibat

an

elompo

aryawanmendefinisi

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Users of the World, Unite! the Challenges and Opprtunities of Sosmed Google

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