Who Moved My Audience? Part 2: Back to the Future

In this segment, New Media Evangelist Ron Ploof introduces how social media tools such as WordPress, iTunes and YouTube have removed the traditional economics of influence by placing publishing capabilities in the hands of anyone and everyone with an Internet connection.

These free tools have led to a major fragmentation in the audience, with people no longer relying on mass media for information. Instead, they self-select preferred sources of information such as blogs, social networks, podcasts and wikis, trusting the self-correcting mechanism of the wisdom of crowds to keep information accurate. Meanwhile, the lines between traditional media are blurring.

The question is, how does a company work with these fragmented audiences? Use these tools to listen and to engage directly with the audience. We’ve shifted back to a one-on-one communications method. The people who are part of these communities share a common interest. Find where your core audience is turning for information and earn your way into their circle of trust.

Tags: blogs, Facebook, follow, friend, iTunes, LinkedIn, podcasts, RSS, twitter, Wikipedia, word of mouth, WordPress, YouTube