Still think social media is a fad?

I've seen videos like this before (see below - this related one comes to mind), but it's good to see an updated version with the latest stats -- considering how rapidly things are changing, videos like these need to be updated constantly.

It's easy to get a little jaded about social media these days, even if you've pretty much signed on with it. New platforms seem to emerge every day, each one claiming to be the Next Big Thing. Should you jump on that bandwagon? Or should you hold out until the business case is more clear?

The key is to remember ALWAYS that it is NOT about the platform (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs), it's about the fundamental shift in how we communicate that these platforms represent.

Any new platform that advances that shift in a meaningful way -- for enough users -- is going to have an impact. So when you start to feel skeptical (or overly enthusiastic), try to look beyond the shiny new box, and see if you can peer inside to see how the conversation is being transformed... and accelerated.

Hat tip to Todd Van Hoosear (@vanhoosear) for the link to the above video by Socialnomics09, which Todd played in his talk at the Association of College Unions International region 1 conference in Connecticut this weekend (Todd's full slidedeck can be seen here on Slideshare).