Friday, August 19, 2016

Social Media ... Changing How Society Communicates

There is no doubt "social media" has changed how society communicates today! Both the scope and pace of information dissemination are drastically different from just a few years ago. Consequently, as communication and information travel faster, the world seems to get smaller and smaller. An argument can certainly be made for this being positive, and negative. However, for many social media is a primary communication method.

if you are not a Millennial you might be thinking, "what exactly is social media? The best way to explain the term is to break it down. "Social" refers to interacting with other people by sharing and receiving information and "media" refers to an instrument of communication, such as a newspaper, television or the Internet. After breaking down the term down, a basic definition is easy to assemble.  "Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information."

Traditional or regular media is a one-way street where you simply read or watch and have minimal feedback opportunity. On the other hand, social media is Internet based and is a two-way street. Social media doesn't just give information, it allows instant interaction. The interaction can be as simple as a "like", a "share", a "retweet", or it could be in a more traditional method, a "comment"

In the golf business, prior to social media, to keep members or players informed facilities were limited to personal interaction or traditional communication methods such as a hard copy newsletter or a letter sent by U.S. Mail. Social media has drastically changed how the golf industry communicates with clients.

At Olde Florida Golf Club, I utilize numerous social media tools to keep members, players or other interested individuals informed of what is occurring on the golf course or in the industry. One method is this Blog, which I periodically post a fairly lengthy seasonal or project update. I also provide additional information through different social media outlets, often daily. Some of the social media tools that I utilize more frequently than Blogger include Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Google+ and Swarm. Links to all of my social media outlets can be found on my Website: https://www.darrenjdavisgcs.com