TypePad® for Dummies®

Chapter 10. Exploring Social Media

In This Chapter

• Defining social media

• Integrating your social media accounts with your TypePad account

• Introducing important social media and social bookmarking sites

• Using social media to build community

If you've read a single technology headline in the last three years, you've surely heard the phrase social media — it's the darling of the hour. As people look for more ways to connect to one another online, and as corporations enter the fray seeking to establish bonds with customers, social media is quickly becoming a cornerstone of the online experience.

In this chapter, we tell you what social media is, how it works, and how you can incorporate it on your TypePad blog. If you're a small-business owner, you might like the tips on enhancing your marketing efforts through social media.

Understanding Key Social Media Sites

Social media refers to the information sharing and gathering that takes place in relational, online forums. Blogs are a big part of social media, of course, but social media also encompasses interactive sites such as Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, and others. Any Web site that allows people to connect with one another and share information qualifies to sit under the social media umbrella.

And it's an umbrella that's growing. Every day, new sites join countless existing ones to provide people a place to build online community. An entire industry has been created as social media consultants advise bloggers and corporations on the best ways ...