Reflections on Social Media

Facebook. Twitter. Myspace. Friendster. Linkedin.

I remember a time not so long ago when social media felt more like an unknown frontier than a necessity for a serious journalist.

I did stories on the dangers of Myspace for unsuspecting teens, and even more stories warning that what people posted Internet could haunt them later in life. As my college and high school friends joined Myspace and the Facebook, I abstained. I didn't know how it could fit into my public and private lives. I stayed away.

But in the last year, things have really changed.

Maybe it's the proliferation of Twitter, or the allure of Facebook. Maybe its just that being online is a part of being modern.

Somewhere along the way, I got swept up in the social media tidal wave too. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and this blog. Suddenly, I'm everywhere online.

I'm not the only one.

In the last six months or so, there's been an explosion of police, school districts, attorneys, politicians, public servants, public works, and government agencies that have made social media a big part of their daily operations. It's common now to see these groups "tweet" on their Twitter accounts, or post updates on Facebook fan pages.

Social media has been such a part of daily operations for the groups that I decided to do a story on it. I think you'll find my interviews pretty interesting. It airs tonight, February 8th, on the FOX19 Ten O'Clock News.

And the bottom line is, social media is here to stay.