What MySpace Has To Teach Us

Kelly Fryer

According to Comscore, online social networking (i.e. My Space, Facebook, etc.) is growing like crazy, going global, and here to stay. How is - or should this be - shaping the way you and your organization function? Look at this data:

Social networking behemoth MySpace.com attracted more than 114 million global visitors age 15 and older in June 2007, representing a 72-percent increase versus year ago. Facebook.com experienced even stronger growth during that same time frame, jumping 270 percent to 52.2 million visitors.

For sure, if we want to be relevant, we need to be present in this online universe in a meaningful way. This is where millions of people are hanging out these days. Hanging out there with them is the 21st century rendition of dropping by the corner coffee shop everyday. But there is more to it than just slapping up a Facebook page.

We ought to be asking ourselves: Who ARE these people?! What does their online life tell us about what's important to them? And how will this reshape the way we do what we do? Here are 2 lessons we better learn...and quick...if we want to connect with people in this newly networked culture:

1. People want to be heard. They're broadcasting their likes, dislikes, opinions, hopes, dreams, fears, and deepest thougts on-line. They think they have something to offer. They demand to be taken seriously. The day when one person (the pastor, the CEO, and "boss") is the only one who gets to have a voice is SO over.

2. People in this culture value relationships. People matter to them and they want to matter to people. There is nothing fake about this virtual world. They won't accept fake from those of us in the "real" world, either.

Online social networks are here to stay. And they are shaping our culture in profound ways. How are you and your organization responding?