There are as many answers to this as there are sources.

wikipedia.org"Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogues. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein also define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content."[1] Businesses also refer to social media as consumer-generated media (CGM). Social media utilization is believed[who?] to be a driving force in defining the current time period as the Attention Age[citation needed]. A common thread running through all definitions of social media is a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value"

Facebook personal and fan pages, activerain & blog, twitter, Linkedin, MySpace, YouTube, plus many forums such as AgentsOnline to your Blogger Blogs & Wordpress Blogs can be examples of Social Media - and done for free or very low costs.

Why should you be interested - can anyone tell me the demographics of the typical social media user and their income levels?

What is Social Media to you? What do you use? How do you use it?

I use all of the above minus MySpace. Many people I know switched from Myspace to Facebook, or just cancelled all together. Are many of you seeing the same thing? If not, are you finding MySpace to be useful?

NO - I agree. I need to setup and make better use of my blogs, twitter, Facebook pages, Linkedin, YouTube & AR.

I also have several ideas for future consideration - just because free can only work for them for so long. I had some stuff on Ning - then they started charging. Just like a pusher

Have you tried Google(ing) "social media user demographics"?

The new MySpace looks pretty cool but I haven't used it in ages. the old site was so buggy and annoying that I just stopped using it. Did they fix it in time to save it? I dunno.

I have people of ALL ages as Twitter and Facebook friends. Everyone from kids to people pushing 70 or 80 years old. Some are well to do, most are mainly middle class.

One thing's for sure--the computer savvy client spends time on the internet. As salespeople, we have to go where they go.

Social Media sites enable you to link or interact with people. Social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Linkedin and hi5 are some of the most popular examples for this. It is a good option for people to keep up to date with their friends, make new friends, share their views and thoughts etc.
Advertising in those social media site is a widely used online marketing method in present world.
It is also used as an effective way of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
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I think one thing to remember is that instead of just trying to "live in the moment" of social media, we should have a practice of staying current on its trends simply because it evolves so fast, by the time you think you understand how to profit from it, it has completely changed. One thing that I see as a prevailing trend is social network interaction residing purely on smartphones, so how do we adjust for that and stay ahead of the curve? To add to LizL's point, how do we get in front of people using social media through their iPhones or Androids, or whatever's the next "thing", in the coming years? I haven't been able to figure it out so far.

I'm a big fan of network marketing and social media. However, I think it's important to remember to transfer all of the computer contact from "Facebook" to face-time. I get your point, Peter, but I don't want to get SO hung up on staying ahead of the latest thing that I forget the important thing, which is to get that handshake.

To me, social media is my way of building networks and connecting with existing relationships. It allows me to keep track of trends as well.

For now, I use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. I also manage blogs and forum accounts.

Social media is one of the great medium through which we can share anything under our community.It is the best way to connect people and spread anything over the internet.

yes! Now it's 90% of buyers going online to search for their home and their agent! So it's plain that agents now need to learn to embrace the new media and become tech savvy!

Social Media, doesn't replace the traditional things we do to prospect and stay in touch with people! You still need to do all those things. It doesn't replase, it enhances! If you know how to do it, it works! Other than that, if you want to tell me that I'm wasthing my time and that "playing on the net" isn't beneficial, I'm not playing on facebook, I using it to my advantage...


fine and dandy, I'll take your business! (colleague quote)