2009: The Year Social Media Becomes Big Business in the UK
Or so it would seem.
It’s the season for predictions. From the BBC’s list of hotly tipped bands for 2009 to Wired’s list of tech predictions including a look at the wry miscalculations of yesteryear, this time of year it seems you can’t move for lists of predictions.
I’ll throw one into the mix for good measure. I think that 2009 will be the year social media makes its way into the enterprise in the UK.
Judging by the healthy interest in all things social media, from the British Chamber of Commerce recently launched Small Business Advice internet TV channel to research firm Hitwise’s recent report on Facebook accounting for 1 in every 22 UK Internet visits on Christmas Day 2008, it seems that corporate UK HQ is starting to wake up to the potential of using social media to engage with consumers on community websites.
It remains to be seen how well companies will execute in this new and rapidly evolving space. I for one will continue the study of social media usage amongst FTSE 100 companies, aiming to offer up a company profile a week rather than sporadically as was often the case last year. It seems so much more pertinent, this year.
For those more interested in finding out how to get started in social media, there are a number of opportunities coming up.
If you’re based in Manchester, next week’s Social Media Cafe Manchester, the first of the year, offers an unusual opportunity to learn about social media.
Using the unconference Barcamp approach in which attendees host sessions, a number of speakers will be sharing knowledge about a particular aspect of social media.
I will be presenting a Beginner’s Guide to Using Social Media, come along and find out more.
The other opportunity is the next Social Media Starter Course which takes place on 26th January. Register before 9th January to get an early bird 50% reduction on the price!
Best wishes for 2009. Go forth and prosper…
Image credit: www.yoursportsnightcap.com
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