Back in June, I spoke at Edelmans' New Media Academic Summit where I had the opportunity to meet many professors who are engaged in teaching the next generation of new media experts. (I was there to be on a panel with my friend, Steve Rubel, speaking about the topic New Media 2012 - you can see a synposis and also video of that session.)

I believe that social media (things like blogging, podcasting, video, collaboration, and social networks) delivers actual, tangible results to businesses and individuals, if done with a purpose. The trick of it all is working within a strategy. It

The research contained below is focused specifically on social network sites (or "social networking" sites). Some of this is connected to social media, social software, Web2.0, social bookmarking, educational technologies, communities research, etc. but this is not the organizing focus and not everything related to these other topics is included here.

The Essential Guide to Social Media is a "quick start" overview of how to listen and participate in social media and new media marketing.

The first role is the Social Computing Strategist, the second is the Community Manager, although the titles vary, and sometimes it

According to a rather speculative report by research firm ABI Research, location-based social networks like Brightkite, GyPSii, Pelago and Loopt could reach revenues as high as $3.3 billion by 2013. The report, however, also warns that the business models might differ from what most analysts are expecting today. According to ABI research, most of these networks will make their money from licensing and revenue-sharing with network providers or handset manufacturers.

Over the past year I have been covering Facebook and social networks obsessively. The more I write and the more I read, the more complex the social web becomes. The social web is the part of the internet where people socialize and interact with each other. It can be as simple as forums but the social web has come to embody a limitless number of tools from instant messaging to blogs to micro-blogs to social networks to lifestreaming services and more.

Shirky

Let's make the social media audience bigger. Let's get more readers, more engaged commentators, and more bloggers. Let's permeate into even more sectors of interest. Let's aim for every adult in the world to be an active reader of blogs.