When I started this whole “thing” that I have imersed myself in almost four years ago, we called it “New Media” (vs. Traditional Media).  We also called it “marketing on the web, but not banner ads”.  (That was a tough sell).

Then it morphed into “Social Media” which has stuck for about two years now…until just recently.

We are now at the stage where corporations are jumping on this awesome band waggon and realizing that “whatever” Media is not a fad and it does not mean that they must have a bitchin’ MySpace site (unless the corporate CEO has a band & they still have pie-in-the-sky dreams of making it big…dude) but they must be involved.

So why the new name?
According to one definition from Webster Social means: involving allies or confederates. But my favorite one is: living and breeding in more or less organized communities. That’s right, we are living & breeding for a common goal.  It’s who you know, and the more you know & breed with (or give them an opportunity to breed for you) the more opportunities will come your way.  Replace “breed” with “market” and you will get my gist.

So what is “Emerging Technologies”?
Per the all knowing, Wikipedia:

Emerging technologies are those technical innovations which represent progressive developments within a field for competitive advantage;^[2] converging technologies represent previously distinct fields which are in some way moving towards stronger inter-connection and similar goals.

I feel as though companies think of the word “social” as a time suck. A waste of time.  What you do at 5:05 after you punch out and head to your local watering hole.  Or the voice in my head of some old crumudgen bald guy spouting “Son, you don’t go to work to be social…you go to work to pay the bills.”

@HollyEgg says: maybe social means “we don’t want to be human” in some companies defense, they’re so blarking boring they should be faceless.

Blarking Boring is hillarious but I am ok with “Emerging Techologies”…just get on board already!

When was the last time you made a deal where the ENTIRE conversation was 100% work.  Yea, it didn’t happen.  Why? We are social beings. We want to share, we want to converse. We buy, deal with, refer and promote those that we…..*gasp*…..can be social with.  Conversation is key. The more keys you have, the more deals you will close.