Thanks for your comment and your kind words. There’s certainly a conflict of interest between Social Media channels “paying the bills” (and investors) while keeping their users happy. It doesn’t appear to be an easy probelm to solve either, and frankly, I don’t envy those who are trying

The next few years on the internet will be very interesting indeed.

Cheers,

~George

So pleasing to see someone put all this down in writing. Too often folks are happy to say “it will work” or “it won’t work”, without actually expressing why. You are completely correct in your argument that social media only becomes a force prior to anyone wanting to make money from it, and that the very notion runs directly opposed to the concept. Users are more resistant because they want places away from the commercialisation of the net, and whilst the creators cannot be faulted for wanting to earn money from their successful products, those looking to throw money in must firstly understand that their very presence runs the risk of destroying what they desire.

Excellent piece.

I think the jury is out on whether users realise they’re clicking on a PPC ad. My anecdotal evidence suggests less tech-savvy users consider the top 3 “yellow box” ads to be part of the natural SERPS. Either way, as the general public adjusts to using Google etc, their ability at screening ads will probably increase.

I’d be interested to see the examples of success with social media marketing – especially if can be directly tied to sales (I come from a strict Direct Response background so like to know the cause/effect figures).

I can see the benefits of Social Media as a tool to reinforce marketing messages from other media. However, I’m dubious of its use as a standalone marketing tool to generate sales (without spamming).

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it.

~George