Why I Think Social Media is Cool

I hung out with Rob May at BlogWorld Expo a lot, and found out that he really likes Fat Tire. I went to school in Colorado and had access to Fat Tire for the four years I was out there.

I thought it was all right, but nothing really to write home about…

So I’m at a Rite Aid Friday after work, picking up some prescriptions (sidenote: Rite Aid has a totally underrated beer selection, who knew?) and I see some Fat Tire, of all things. I remembered Rob was a fan of it so I took a picture, sent it to him on Twitter and forgot about it.

The next day when I’m checking Twitter, I see a response from Rob and also a response from two other friends, Brendan and Joe, who apparently love the Fat Tire as well…

Do we have a community? Thoughts of this Seth Godin post come to mind.

Three P Words on What’s Cool About This

Let’s go through the checklist, shall we:

photo I could have called, e-mailed or texted Rob, but I don’t think it would have had the same effect than seeing the beers on a Rite Aid shelf. That’s actually social media, ladies and gentleman. I took an amateur photo on my phone at a pharmacy/convenience store and shared it with a friend…

public I could have called, e-mailed or texted Rob, but then the communication would have only been received by him. Brendan and Joe wouldn’t have known about it until they were over at Rob’s house and he offered them one. Now they know when he does, simply because I knew he liked it and had the tools to easily share information with him publicly.

power I could have called, e-mailed or texted Rob, but then I wouldn’t know that Brendan and Joe liked Fat Tire a lot as well. I’m not saying that I do things because other people do them, but social proof does exist. Getting three enthusiastic responses about a beer that I had discarded actually made me think that I should probably give it another try just to see if I had been too harsh. That’s powerful.

What Do You Think?

I think this is why some people, including myself, get really excited about social media. Am I being a tool, or are you on board the social media train? Do you share pertinent information with friends in a way that other friends can see it too? Please let me know in the comments below.