Social Media Field Guide Introduction- Part1

Social media is everywhere. It has grabbed hold of internet culture and slowly crept into demographics that span across all boundaries, with Facebook reporting its fastest growing segment to be 45-60 year olds currently. Who would have thought ? Facebook is a household name, YouTube videos have been viewed by billions, and the President is Twittering.

There are so many parts to social media that it can be a little overwhelming to understand all the different sites and how they work. We are going to provide you with a rundown on the social media giants we all know, as well as those you don't. This is your 2009 Social Media Field Guide.

According to Wikipedia, " Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that are intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences, typically via the Internet and mobile communications networks". Social media is usely associated wth technology programs that are used to promote communication and information sharing. Social media consists of blogs, forums, podcasts, wikis, online video, music & photo sharing sites and more. Here is your field guide to the social media world.

***Industry Definitions From Wikipedia; Powered by Wikipedia

(Part 2 - Click here)

.

Boxee VS ZillionTV

Boxee is causing a storm in the set top Internet TV market. Boxee is a social media center. With Boxee you can play videos, music and pictures from your PC or from the Internet. You can also share with your friends what albums you're listening to, what movies and TV shows you're watching, send recommendations and more. It is currently used through Xbox360 and AppleTV hacks, but the company has already put out public ''feelers'' as to the receptiveness of developing their own box, and it should be here by summer.

Zilliontv is the latest device promising iTV glory. It is backed by different major studios and launching with lots of press. Here is what they have to say about themselves.

"ZillionTV is harnessing the power of the Internet to transform the television experience. Entertainment lovers can enjoy instant, on-demand access to their favorite programs ranging from new and classic TV shows to movies, sports, music, and more — all subscription-free and delivered directly to their TV sets. ZillionTV also engages TV lovers in an exciting new way by empowering them with the choice to select personal advertising preferences and providing a unique opportunity for innovative commerce directly through the TV in partnership with Visa, a leader in global payment processing."

Don't know what Boxee or Zilliontv are?

Boxee and Zilliontv are part of the new growing family of set top iTV devices. Both boxes stream content to televisions, the difference lies as always in the design interface and the levels of access to media sources. Boxee seems to just get everything right. They ran in semi-stealth mode until recently and they are already approaching 300,000 users. We will have to see how ZillionTV does when it rolls out later in 2009 as it is un-released. Set top Internet TV boxes are going to once again change our viewing experience at home in the very near future, as the Internet and Television comes even closer to becoming one.