Social media and social networking do have some overlap, but they really aren't the same thing. Sarah Hartshorn discussed the differences between the two concepts in a way that makes the difference clear. For easier reading, I organized its article in the table below.
Social Media
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Social Networks
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Purpose
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Social
media is a way to transmit, or share information with a broad audience.
Everyone has the opportunity to create and distribute. All you really need is
an internet connection and you're off to the races.
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Social
networking is an act of engagement. Groups of people with common interests,
or like-minds, associate together on social networking sites and build
relationships through community.
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Communication Style
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Social
media is more akin to a communication channel. It's a format that delivers a
message. Like television, radio or newspaper, social media isn't a location
that you visit. Social media is simply a system that disseminates information
‘to' others.
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With
social networking, communication is two-way. Depending on the topic, subject
matter or atmosphere, people congregate to join others with similar
experiences and backgrounds. Conversations are at the core of social
networking and through them relationships are developed.
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Return to investment
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It
can be difficult to obtain precise numbers for determining the ROI from
social media. How do you put a numeric value on the buzz and excitement of
online conversations about your brand, product or service? This doesn't mean
that ROI is null, it just means that the tactics used to measure are
different. For instance, influence, or the depth of conversation and what the
conversations are about, can be used to gauge ROI.
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Social
networking's ROI is a bit more obvious. If the overall traffic to your
website is on the rise and you're diligently increasing your social
networking base, you probably could attribute the rise in online visitors to
your social efforts.
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Timely Response
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Social
media is hard work and it takes time. You can't automate individual
conversations and unless you're a well-known and established brand, building
a following doesn't happen overnight. Social media is definitely a marathon
and not a sprint.
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Because
social networking is direct communication between you and the people that you
choose connect with, your conversations are richer, more purposeful and more
personal. Your network exponentially grows as you meet and get introduced to
others.
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Asking or Telling
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A
big no-no on with social media is skewing or manipulating comments, likes,
diggs, stumbles or other data, for your own benefit (personal or business).
Asking friends, family, co-workers or anyone else to cast a vote just to cast
it, doesn't do anyone much good for anyone and it can quickly become a PR
nightmare if word leaks out about dishonest practices.
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With social networking, you can tell your peers
about your new business or blog and discuss how to make it a success. The
conversations that you create can convert many people into loyal fans, so
it's worth investing the time.
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