What Is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social Anxiety Disorder can cause a person who suffers from it to feel an overwhelming sentiment of anxiety, a persistent and intense fear of being watched and judged by others and a trepidation of being around people to name a few. Social Anxiety, also known as a “Social Phobia” can be as debilitating to cause a person to retreat to being alone with the inability to work, go to school or being out in public.

There is a steady struggle between the people they “see” themselves as becoming and the “dark passenger” that rids them of anxiety and fear. This unrelenting fight usually occurs on a daily basis which can cause a person who endures SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder) unable to cope, yet fully aware of what is happening to them.

Social Anxiety Disorder invades more people than we are aware of, and although it is considered a Mental Health Disorder, the stigma usually wrapped in the “if we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist” mentality of our society, precedes to keep a perpetual cycle of silence.

Fortunately, there are ways of coping with this disorder. One of the most popular is cognitive behavioral therapy, which consists of the core, exposure therapy. This type of therapy helps the person to overcome what frightens them by exposing them to their fears through various stages. This is said to build confidence, coping techniques and to create constructive responses.

How Social Media May Help

Social Media is the interconnections of human beings from the comforts of their “safe zones”, whether it is work or home or where ever else we choose to interact online. Through this newest way of communication, people are in control unlike ever before.

Social Networks are birthed daily and those that have grown to see true popularity have surprised many people on how effective socializing online has become an important part of our culture. Social Media has even persuaded other mediums to take part in its expanding phenomenon.

Clearly, Social Media is no longer considered a fad and has intercepted the way we want to relate to other people and how we want to do it. Given that, we the people see how much we can manage the way we connect with other people while enabling us to feed our innate human behavior.

Since people who are diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder feel most comfortable alone, this does not imply that it is what they want. Rather, people who suffer from SAD, yearn to interact and to make friends.

Perhaps, Social Media can serve an even greater purpose by slowly integrating socializing online to a person with this type of unrest. We could even speculate that perhaps, one of the many reasons Social Media has become so popular is due to the massive amount of people plagued by this disorder. Besides its convenience and global reach, Social Media can also play an important role to help heal those who suffer from the silence of this all too common turmoil.

Ever since the beginning of time, people have gone in search of a sense of belonging and of other human interactions, it is abnormal for our species to want to be alone all of the time. We are social creatures after all.

Mixing Social Media and Social Anxiety Disorder could be a great start to begin a coping process that eases a person into forming connections with people; they would otherwise shy away from in offline situations. It could also help increase their feeling of hope, ease off the depression associated with SAD, and slowly build confidence by being in control of when they have the ability to socialize. Social Media could be the first step to lesson the feeling of loneliness and heighten their emotions of belonging or being “a part” of something. This could begin the demise of the “dark passenger” and contribute to gaining a sense of control over the person they deservingly see themselves to be.

Could Social Media play a role in helping those who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder? Or do you think this is a recipe for disaster?

Here is an interesting Infograph with Facts and Stats about Social Anxiety Disorder

There are 50 new social media sites created every day. That’s not a fact based on anything factual, just  a fact based on the concept that the creation of new ones never cease.

To make a map of the social media landscape would be to create something that is likely outdated in a few months (weeks?) but that’s exactly what the folks over at Overdrive Interactive did. This tremendous resource might not be easy to read at first, but once you see the beauty of the organization and visualizations, you may realize it’s an invaluable tool.

Obviously, you’ll want to click on the image to enlarge it.

I learned how to drive 36 million pageviews to web properties through social media platforms by employing three levels of adoption. The Social Trinity is the foundation of a social media policy that allows you to use communication tools on digital networks for the purpose of building your own community. Once you gain an understanding of the true value of each contact feature on a digital network, you can adapt the use of social platforms, formulate your social media strategy, and communicate with your target communities and to make them part of your own community.

The Social Trinity

1. Identify all points of exposure for your digital assets.
2. Identify all points of private contact.
3. Study popular sections and past successful campaigns launched on the digital network.

For instance on Twitter, a point of exposure can be an @reply, hashtag, comment on a wall, link to external website over which you have control. Points have exposure leave your footprint on an action performed on a social network. When you @reply a person your conversation exchange is viewed by everybody who follows you and that person and people who find your conversation through a search engine query. Naturally, the more you @reply people the more you are exposed to their followings. Similarly, on Digg when you vote for content, you leave a link pointing back to your profile; thus the the more you Digg the more exposure you receive to your digital asset on Digg – your profile.

Points of private contact will allow you to work out collaborative arrangements with other users of the platform. Peripherally, you should also learn how the culture on the digital network shapes the way private means of contact are used. I know of many people with large followings that typically ignore direct messages; an alternative way of contact would be to follow the link in a Twitter user’s profile to load up a person’s blog or other website that may have an email or other point of contact to which a person may pay more attention. Some people more frequently use the Facebook private messaging system.

Some platforms have popular sections such as the Digg front page and Twitter trending topics. You could study these popular submissions and adapt your submissions to cater to the community members’ interests. When popular entries are hard to find, google terms such as ‘twitter case study’ or ‘[social network]‘ + ‘case study’ or ‘[popular tactic]‘ like ‘contests, sweepstakes, viral campaigns.’ Once you learn of popular and successful campaigns you can try a similar campaign adapted to cater to your target community; you use your points of exposure and points of private contact to communicate with other people on the platform required to execute your campaign.

Neal Rodriguez discusses social media marketing tactics he has executed to meet his and his clients’ business objectives on nealrodriguez.com. Subscribe to Neal’s feed to stay abreast of his updates.

The use of Social Media has become so common that it has been integrated into our Social Norm. Even the way we speak has changed and the English language is conforming to words such as unfriending, retweeting, and a wide range of other terminology that may surprise the unknowing anti-cyber space spectator.

We have come to accept that our mom and dad’s are using the same form of entertainment as us; and have watched the evolution of spaces, cluttered in glitter and auto-played tunes such as MySpace – to days of blue and white with an array of accessibilities and faces with the “you have no reason to leave” Facebook look.

In this new aged society that is ever populating itself online, us friendly humans have made a declaration of saving each other’s cattle in Farmville, conforming to 140 characters of “What should I have for breakfast? I am thinking eggs and bacon or some jelly on toast…no maybe some cereal or perhaps an English muffin ..Help!” and watching videos of a cat playing a keyboard.

For us salivating socialite’s we yearn for two way conversations – a way to be acknowledged of our online identity. Gone are the days of hiding under an alias and asking “a/s/l?” We have opened ourselves up to the notion that sharing is caring and are even making our offline worlds collide with our online ones.

It is an amazing transformation of communication that has aligned the world just so, that we can tolerate our neighbor, friend a person based on their personality and not on a picture and allow the Internet to invade our personal stash of information. Social Media has shown that kindness can be shared amongst a stranger in a tweet, possibly the same one which whom we would never speak to on the street. Celebrities will now interact with us common folk and other Media’s rush to earn their dollar while information on Social Network’s are given away free.

No longer do we fret over a friend updating their status while we eat, or fear that connecting with another human online soul will make us out to be a creepy old man wearing boxers in his mother’s basement. We are from all walks of life and have birthed a nation of conversationalists, which has taken a global effort, perhaps the only global collaboration we may see in our lifetime.

So I raise my mouse to yours and celebrate our ever-growing project of human interaction, to erasing unheard messages, liking shared wisdom and answering what I should have for breakfast. This is an intertwined love affair with Social Media, for no matter where we roam; we will have access to our online home.

Cheers to all you social savvy inventors who contribute to social networks of the Webisphere, you have taken the me out of Social Media and turned it upside down; and have arisen what I like to call, Social WEdia.

We need help. This is a story that needs to be done properly with strong research and unbiased execution.

There are two possible headlines, and they can even be combined into point-counterpoint style if appropriate.

• Facebook’s is Successful Because of Mark Zuckerberg
• Facebook is Successful In Spite of Mark Zuckerberg

Those are the choices.

Success is definitely being judged by sheer size at this point. Financial, influential, and historical success are debatable, but nobody can deny that Facebook is huge and growing. Despite a planned “Quit Facebook Day” yesterday, the numbers continue to rise and more people joined yesterday than deleted.

If you know someone who car write all or part of this piece, please email JD Rucker. I would do it myself, but again I want this piece to be done the justice it deserves. It’s a good question and there are conflicting facts, including:

1. 500 million users on a site created by a guy who admittedly didn’t really know what he was doing and may still not
2. Outrage over privacy, yet very little action being take by the users
3. Nobody claims to want to join but eventually everyone does

The list can go on forever, so I want a person or people willing to put the effort in and come up with compelling, researched information about one side, the other, or both.

THANK YOU!

In a society that wants to be more social and asking for ways to make the world a smaller place, we haven’t taken much time to ensure our privacy.

We are indulging in social networks such as Twitter, Stumbleupon, YouTube, Facebook and many other social sites that have been provided to us for free.

Free? Maybe that is where the answer lies and we have mistaken that free is never really the case, like the old saying goes, “Nothing in Life is free”. With every action there is a reaction in the waiting and we are slowly starting to scratch our heads with curiosity of why our time spent on the web is not so private.

Sharing Personal Information Publicly IS No Longer Personal

In the days when the Internet first began, there was fear of it; fear of talking to people and putting any type of personal information – was something we were not willing to do. It was the case of common sense, however, with the Internet’s growth creating easy access from the comforts of home such as; online shopping, gaming, and especially social media. We seemed to have left our common sense to the waste side and now are furious that our personal information that we publicly share is no longer personal. With that said, today we should not fear, but instead make sure we continuously stay educated.

As the most popular social network continues to break down boundaries that is unforeseen to us. Facebook has challenged us with not providing information up front or as easily accessible as we would hope for them to do. With insurmountable discussion’s questioning its methods and scaring many who use the social network to consider leaving the site. Is it really Facebook’s fault?

But it’s FREE

Facebook has nearly 500 million active users on a free site where we have the ability to chat with friends, family and play games. Join pages, create pages, and enjoy a variety of applications. We can share videos, pictures, and links and the list goes on. All of this and more are available to us without paying so much as our internet bill every month.

Facebook is foremost a business and in order to keep it free for us, they must find a way to monetize. They use third-party sites to create advertising on Facebook. Those third party sites pull information from your profile and pages to make the ads you see more relevant to your location and interests.

Facebook has made a statement that they want to make the Internet’s default to be social, isn’t that what we want? As Facebook continues to step outside of its box they will continue to utilize your information to monetize the site. They are looking for ways to make the advertisements and websites to be more social by using developer’s to create what we as a society have asked for.

Yes, Facebook could make it easier on us if every change they made that affected our privacy was announced to us and for some, given the ability to opt out if they chose to. However, how will it stay free, if we all opted out? It wouldn’t. The reality is, we need to use our own common sense when using any platform on the Internet and not share anything that you don’t want seen or used since it is not only a Facebook issue, it’s an Internet issue. If you want to leave Facebook, that is your choice, although, missing out on the one site that is most likely going to change the way we communicate on the Internet forever, may not be the best of decisions.

The responsibility is up to you to continue staying in the know of what is going on with whatever platform you use and to do your best to inform others. We cannot expect a free site to tell us what we can do to help demonetize them. This doesn’t mean that we have to agree with the workings of Facebook’s choices, nor do we have to like it. It is what it is, and we shouldn’t act so surprised or appalled that we cannot have our cake and eat it too, for the reality is, the more Social we get, the less private we’ll become.

With that said, here are some steps you can do to stay in the know about Facebook and your Privacy:

• Facebook Privacy Changes: Won’t Make You Less Social, Just More Savvy

• Your Facebook Privacy

Do you think Facebook has crossed the line or are we overreacting?

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Read more News about Facebook on Soshable.

Why Businesses Should Create a Partnership with Social Media

You are not alone if you are confused by the overwhelming social media take over. Many businesses feel like they are being held hostage by the variety of networks that are integrated into their news, spoken word and old-fashioned inbox. It being 2010, it is time to jump aboard the Social Media train and collaborate with the communication revolution.

Social media has become an important key player in the way we live our lives. For most, it is about Tweeting in the morning instead of reading the comic section in the newspaper, or about updating their Facebook status to ask their friends what they should even have to eat. It is a constant stream of input, crowd sourcing and connectivity that is unlike anything before its time.

People have demanded a faster way to meet others and to have a homeroom that incorporates people they knew or know as well. It is about sharing moments that would have been left unsaid, about being a fly on the wall from reading other peoples walls, literally.

Social Media is a town hall meeting that never ends. People get to voice their thoughts and receive instant feedback. They also get to find other like-minded people and have the influence to begin trending topics and form pages dedicated to animals, businesses, and people. It gives a comfort that there are more people out there like them and so people attach themselves to a particular social network they feel as though they fit in the most.

This is why it has become a necessity to begin a partnership between your business and Social Media. First and foremost, it is where the people are. Secondly, it is where your competition is and thirdly, it is where you’re company’s future lies.

Whether you decide that now is the time to get on board with social media or not, you must realize that in order for your business to remain successful, there will be a time in which you will have to decide. Television and Radio are not going to disappear; however, they have become secondary to the power of social networks. Why is that? It is due to the ability to share with others instead of shoving something in someone’s sight. Advertisements are still valid and don’t see a forth coming end in sight, although their effectiveness may have dimmed. People have made it clear that they want a dialogue and to have questions or inquiries answered in a reasonable amount of time.

With that said, there still lies confusion on how to use social media for business and even harder to take the sell out of the salesman. Even if you begin to use social media for your business, keep in mind, there is a right and wrong way of using it to your advantage. As difficult as it may seem at first glance, it really comes down to two things, using common sense and displaying credibility.

Making Sense of Social Media

The best way to communicate with potential buyers is to first ask yourself how you would like to be spoken to. After evaluating the answer, I am sure your conclusion does not resolve into long links of inventory…right? Instead, I am sure you would rather be acknowledged as a human being, perhaps wished upon you a good day, a knowledgeable article about the products of the company you have interest in or even an incentive to entice you to not only become a fan but to want to share with your friends the great business you have joined. It truly is that simple. It is about switching off the sales pitch and turning on a smile. Customer service has always led to customer satisfaction and this is where your social media success will begin.

Social media is not about setting up links and wishing for the best, or getting to it when you can; it is about integrating this medium into your business as a partnership, until then it won’t make sense. You need to come up with a Social media plan that incorporates your employee’s time, social abilities and then unleash them onto your social networks. You need to keep current and relevant information at the finger tips of your acquired fans and earn their respect by sharing the people within the business. The fans will readily have your contact information within the page so they don’t need a constant stream of what there is to be purchased, unless you come up with a clever or creative way to share it.

Your business’s social networks need to be implemented into your business meetings and daily routine in order to keep on top of them and not letting them go to the waste side. As time consuming as it may sound it is crucial to building an online community that will have the possibilities of turning into leads.

What the heck is Socialbility?

It may surprise you to know that by being social, and dividing up fun facts, informative articles, community events and employee activities will be what earns your business’s credibility. People like businesses that show a good mood within their text and by keeping their page actively enjoyable more so than sharing what is on sale or what new product they have. Yes, those are important too, but not if that is all you have to offer. Be social and credibility will evolve, hence socialbility. Don’t hide behind your business, in social media; it is like hiding behind a window, your fans will see right through you.

Your presentation is of importance as well so be creative with what you are allocated and to use URL Shortner’s to keep your site looking clean and fresh. If you stick to the two words in Social Media by being friendly and sharing content that is in a variety of formats, you will make sense to your fans and earn sociability in no time.

Erin Ryan has a passion for Social Media and is currently working within the industry as a Social Media Specialist. Contact Erin on Twitter @4u2wear2

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Read more on this social media blog.

This is a guest post by Nate Bagley.

One of the biggest problems currently facing many major Social Media sites (aside from trolls) is monetization. They thrive on VC and Angel funding while trying to find a way to be cash flow positive without turning off scores of users with intrusive ads. The most obvious example of this is the Twitters.

Twitter has yet to turn a profit, because they are avoiding “selling out” by diluting the value of their amazing service with a bombardment of ads or making their service subscription based. The simplicity of the site, however, doesn’t allow for many other monetization opportunities.

Unfortunately the data generated by Twitter isn’t valuable enough to be sold. Twitter Search allows companies to obtain a real-time sampling of the sentiment surrounding their brand. They get a taste as to what people are saying, but the information is rarely measurable or actionable. Data that can’t be measured is virtually useless.

The value of Facebook, on the other hand, is not only the sheer number of pre-pubescent digital farmers, mobsters and vampires using the site, but the amount of data they make freely accessible to advertisers. Facebook’s Ad Platform allows advertisers to target incredibly specific demographics, narrowing them down by age, location, gender, political affiliation, religion, relationships status and even entertainment preferences. They have taken hypertargeting to a whole new level, and have done so without infecting their website with an overabundance of crappy ads.

Location based sites like Foursquare and Gowalla are pushing the envelope of innovation and breaking new ground yet again. If they play their cards right, they can avoid the awkward financial walk of shame experienced by Twitter by offering an incredibly unique data set to their clients.

Foursquare is already pouncing on this opportunity by offering an analytics service to clients. Foursquare’s analytics platform includes information regarding where customers are coming from, peak hours of business, and the gender and frequency of returning customers.

In my opinion, Foursquare’s vision will have an industry-changing impact when they take their analytics service to the next level by implementing a survey feedback tool. Customer feedback surveys allow businesses to get detailed, real time information regarding quality and speed of service, cleanliness, friendliness of staff, etc.

Rewarding customers with a popsicle or a Dr. Pepper for helping improve the systems and service of their favorite establishments with real-time, relevant data helps build relationships, form a community and is essentially the future of social media. (You’d be surprised what some of us would do for a free Dr. Pepper.)

The Customer Feedback Managment Industry is a very fragmented, multi-billion dollar market. These location based sites are the future of the industry, and most people don’t have the foresight to see it. Before you know it, Social Media is going to dramatically shift hundreds of industries once again, and those who aren’t prepared are going to get left behind.

The fact of the matter is that Social Media is still in its youth. We are still learning how to measure its influence and impact. As the Social Media world evolves, and companies like Foursquare develop tools that provide real value, Social Media will become mainstream and essential to a business’ long term success.

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Nate Bagley is a Communications Major at Utah Valley University, and will be graduating April 2010. He has over 3 years of experience in SEO, PPC and Social Media marketing.

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Read more social media strategy on this social media blog.

It can be argued that those of us who tweet links to content on the web are the most annoying of Twitter users. That is the “category” that I fit in, so it makes sense that I would exclude my personal type from this list.

Otherwise, there are probably dozens of other types that are just as annoying.  This is, of course, a partial list, but we’ll be expanding the post once more annoying Twitter types come to light. In the meantime, here’s the first 14. Post any that we missed in the comments or tweet at us with your suggestions.

1. The FOREX Spammer

With as much money as people are apparently making on FOREX, it’s amazing that they have time to work their Twitter accounts.

2. The Linkjacker

When you post links to stories, you really should make sure that everyone can see what the story says rather than link to your own site and expect people to click through from your site to the source content. Just a thought.

3. The YELLLLLLERRRRRR

IF YOU TWEET, EMAIL, IM, OR DO ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION IN ALL CAPS, IT MEANS THAT YOU’RE YELLING WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY!!!!!! MAKE SURE THAT WHAT YOU YELL IS WORTH YELLING!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!

4. The Twitter Gamer

Unlike many, I have nothing against the games on Twitter like SpyMaster, Mafia, Ninja, whatever. I actually play SpyMaster in the background. However, there’s more to Tweeting than posting your last gaming action. For those not in the game, it can get rather mundane if all you post is who you’ve assassinated, what weapons you’ve purchased, and how we can join your clan/family/ring/dojo.

5. The “Get 100 Followers a Day” Spammer

Have you ever noticed that most of the accounts that Tweet about being able to pick up hundreds of Twitter followers per day only have 84 followers?

6. The Celeb Who Has 2 million People Following their 3 Tweets Per Month

I know. Everyone loves Oprah. You can’t say anything bad about her because she is perfection boxed up into human form. Still, what are her 2 million followers doing? She doesn’t talk to any of them. She rarely tweets at all (going on a month of inactivity).  It reminds me of the people who followed Forrest Gump on his runs across the country. They were there, waiting for him to say something magical, and it never came.

7. Porn Spammers

It’s the Internet. Porn is everywhere. Why would anyone go to Twitter to find it? Answer: they don’t.

8. The Repeater Tweeter

These are amongst my favorites. You see them in your stream – the people who have something so important to say that they have to say it over and over again in case you missed it 30 seconds before.

9. The Random Tweeter of the Utterly Mundane

I know Twitter in its purest form is supposed to be somewhat mundane, but some people take it way too far.

10. The MLM Spammer

Everyone has to make a living, and because Twitter is about networking it has become a natural fit for the MLM crowd. That doesn’t make it any less annoying.

11. The Quoter of Witty Wisdom

Some of the best quotes I’ve ever seen came from Twitter. I have been known to throw out some of my faves myself. Still, that shouldn’t be ALL that you tweet, should it?

12. The Super-Fan

Everyone idolizes someone whether they admit it or not. I feel bad and somewhat uncomfortable when I see those who are doing anything they can to get a reply from those they idolize. What will they do if they get a response?

13. The Account Named After A Twitter Action

That’s nice. What are you going to Tweet about? “Following @0boy back because he followed me!”,  “Following @soshable back because he followed me, too!”, etc.

14. The Tweeter of the Same Link 500 Different Ways

They have one link they’re pushing. It’s the only thing they will ever tweet about, so if you’re really, really interesting in everything pertaining to that link, please follow these people. You won’t be disappointed.

15. The White Teether

I never knew about this one until @bobf_vstpgh pointed them out to me. Once I did a search, I discovered that there seems to be a growing number of people Tweeting about white teeth! Who would have known?

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I know there are more of them out there. Let me know via comment here, @soshable or @0boy if you know of any other annoying Twitter user types.

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Read more about Twitter on this Social Media Blog.

This is Part II of an interview with Richard Valenta, CEO of TK Carsites, an automotive internet marketing firm. You should read Part I: Social Media for Car Dealers first.

“The simple fact is companies no longer control their brand. People control their brand.”

There’s no better way to start this second part of the interview than with a statement like that. It’s true. Very few people trust advertising anymore, while a huge percentage do trust consumer reviews and opinions. With sites like RipOffReport and DealerRater offering venues for people to vent about their bad experience, it makes sense that car dealers should start taking social media seriously.

“The customers control their brand,” Valenta said. “And the faster they can get themselves into the social media sphere or social networking sphere, the better it’s going to be for them long-term.”

Having the ability to let people discuss their experiences, both good and bad, openly in public areas such as Facebook, Twitter, and dealership blogs allows dealers the opportunity to respond and potentially remedy bad situations. Otherwise, people will find places to “vent” where the dealer has no control or method of response.

“This is not going to change; it’s a new revolution.”

At one time, many business owners, car dealers included, would avoid the Internet, claiming that it was a fad that would go away eventually. As hard as that is to imagine now, just a few years ago many car dealer websites we simple billboards that told gave visitors and address and telephone number. No inventory. No lead forms. No method of contact or incentive to surf. If you wanted to contact them, pick up the phone or come in.

Social media is being followed by the same perceptions by many, and as with the Internet, search engines, and other ‘fads” that were destined to die for many, social media will continue to grow until dealers are forced in. The difference between social media and other forms of marketing is that time is important – the sooner you get involved, the better your chances are for success.

“The people that do business with you, the people that want to do business with you, the people that are considering you, are going to control your brand and whether it be through sites that you don’t control such as DealerRater and the different review sites, or sites you do control, such as setting up your own MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, what have you, blogs, that sort of thing, one way or another that brand is going to be controlled by your customers.”

This is important, not just from an engagement perspective, but also from a search engine reputation management perspective.

“Advertising and branding used to be a one-way street.”

“You controlled your brand; it was a one-way street,” Valenta continued. “Now it’s a two-way street. Now customers can come back and let the world know their experience with you. That’s where the Internet can either be your worst enemy or your best friend. And by getting involved with your customers through social media and other avenues on the Internet, you now can protect your brand and actually use it to your benefit.”

“The dealers that aren’t going to embrace this; the dealers that still think that their brand is a one-way street for their advertising and marketing are the ones who are going to end up losing, especially if they get customer complaints and that sort of thing, such as people going on and posting a negative review on a site such as DealerRater and it ends up being ranked number two for their name on Google. Those kinds of things will kill a brand.”

As car dealers learn to integrate social media into their current marketing, branding, and reputation management efforts, or whether they begin to dedicate individuals or departments to handle it for them, they will learn that there are pitfalls. Frankly, it’s not as easy as most other forms of marketing, which makes it challenging to do right. When asked, what car dealers should do, Valenta finished with:

“Take advantage of it, get entrenched, learn it and utilize it to your advantage. They need to be doing it, and they need to do it right. Social media is not simply a place to go advertise; it doesn’t work. Interactive communication in a social setting.”

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Read more about Automotive Social Media on this Social Media Blog.