The Balance Quest

Most people with access to a computer these days are acquainted with social networking sites. Over the past few years, Facebook and MySpace have become household names. Every day, these sites grow more and more in popularity. Huge numbers of people sign up regularly to be a part of it. Still, some people wonder why. People want to know just what are the benefits of social media networking for a user.

The most difficult aspect of marketing is not deciding on a message or image, but rather, the distribution of the message to key marketing groups. Radio ads, television ads, print ads, and billboards have all been used in the past to promote products, political candidates, and foundations. The trouble with these ads is that there is very little control over who actually interacts with them. Advertisers can attempt to place ads targeting children during children’s programs, but sometimes the demographics don’t always watch or listen to what the advertising agencies expect them to.

The creators and administrators of these websites see the benefit in terms of cash. For many of these sites, the start up cost was minimal. For the price of some server space, and a little skill, programmers were able to set up social networking sites on the cheap. Established sites aren’t cheap anymore though. Now many of the same sites started out of basements are selling for millions of dollars, and turn millions of dollars in profits annually. For many of the college age kids who start these sites, this means an early retirement.

However, they don’t just give users the ability to meet people right around the corner, but also to meet people on the other side of the world. Many of these sites have built in translators, making it so that you don’t even have to speak the same language as someone to befriend them. A person living in Massachusetts could befriend a Russian based on a commonly listed interest. For many users of these sites, life without them is unimaginable. They make managing friendships, appointments, and activities easy and seamless

Social media advertisers also see huge benefits from the sites. That’s because these sites take care of the hardest part of advertising for them: finding the client. They don’t have to run a radio ad for a product and hope that the right person hears it. Thanks to social networking sites, they can have their ad appear right on the page of people who fit key demographics. A company that sells saddle soap can send an ad to anyone who lists “horseback riding” under their activities or hobbies. The result is the ability to achieve previously unknown efficiency with ease.

Even political candidates and celebrities have seen benefits from the sites. Politicians can create a page and use it to educate the public on their platform. Celebrities can use the sites to keep fans up to date on their most recent movies or concerts. People who want to disseminate information can rapidly disseminate it, and people who want to gather it can rapidly gather it.

When the internet first became a household commodity, there were all sorts of outrageous promises that came with it. It would change the way we do things, change our very beings. In many ways, these promises were right, but the internet was such a big place, and information was so randomly dispersed, that for many it was easier just not to bother with it. Social networking sites organize all the people on the web, and help to bring to fruition all the internet’s promises.