Preface to this brief Op-Ed series:
I have, and will continue to be critical of internet based technology, particularly social networking sites, which for practical purposes will include “blogs” alongside sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and/or Beer Advocate. Why? A reference to this article is as far as I’m will go in explanation at this point. Please keep in my that my irritation with such applications does not mean I render them useless or evil. Obviously I maintain a blog, am active on Twitter, and enjoy the perks of FaceBook; though I have to take a break from time to time, and I place a higher priority on Social Networking scenarios that are not web based…such as having a beer and a cigar with a few buddies in my backyard.
That being said, I want to explore how social networking is utilized/impacts the craft world.
Part One Social Network Growth:
Stating the obvious, Social Networking growth has been and continues to be exponential. I remembering hopping on a desktop back in 1993, logging on to a buddies AOL account, and attempting to chat (having donned a disguise as a 22 year old) with ladies. Oh how our giggling anticipation mounted as we waited two minutes for the screen to load. We did this once a month or so…remember, back in those days internet was like a cell phone plan…once your minutes were up you had to face an irritated father.
Now, 11% of all time spent online is spent on social networking sites. Time spent on FaceBook increased 700% in 2009 with an ever widening social array making up the consumer. My old professors now in their 70′s are looking me up. How many Grandparents do you remember being friends with on Xanga? Things are changing.
Blogging has reached is zenith. If you are reading this site, odds are you follow a few other “beer blogs.” Surely you’ve noticed an influx in the past year. We have. I can hardly keep up with all the blogs popping out of the woodwork on a daily basis. In the Spring of 2006 Technorati was tracking 35 million blogs. In 2007 72 million were being tracked, doubling (nearly) again to 133 million blogs in 2008.
In general 2009 saw an 82% increase in time spent online on social networking sites. Twitter is boasting over 50 million “tweets” per day. Did you know that only China and India have populations greater than Facebook? For more stats, visit this well sourced article.
We are so dependent upon these sites, we have to have them everywhere we go. Mobile social networking is experiencing a huge upswing. Facebook mobile saw 112% growth in 2009, and Twitter grew on mobile devices by 337%. In fact, this humble site is engineered to work with mobile devices.
The numbers do not lie. Our world has changed drastically in the past ten years. These as our social constructs change, so does industry. Companies and marketing firms note where the trends go and they follow. In upcoming posts, I hope to explore what impact this is having on the beer industry (note I left out the “craft” qualifier. The macros will fit in the discussion) and offer my two cents. But before I publish these future articles, take some time for introspection, as it will help your reading of these soon to come posts. How has social networking impacted your life? What is your opinion of these forms of community? Is your life better as a result? Worse?
By the way, portions of this blog article were written using my Motorola Droid. I’m a willing victim too.
Social Media is a huge part of my beer life. Whether it is through my blog, twitter account or what ever, I enjoy knowing who is drinking what, how it tastes, should I get it. Since my good friends moved out of the city, through social media, I was able to find some beer friends. People I saw at events, but didn’t know. now through twitter and blogs, they have become like and inner circle. It isn’t just going to the bar any more, social media went from virtual to actual.
It also brought me to your site which I love, as well as the 55 other blogs I follow. I am addicted to following blogs like most 18 year olds are to facebook.
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Thanks for the comment, Jason. Mike and I have both been pleasantly surprised at the relationships we’ve formed via this site and other social networking sites.
BTW…Sorry you weren’t on our blogroll…i just added you!
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It is all the better for me. Let me just share one example. Most beer bars or breweries are not “into” creating a fancy website and then doing daily or weekly updates. Understandably, they prefer to make beer.
But with Facebook or Twitter, they can do something brief and keep their fans in the loop. They get more time to brew and we ravenous beer afficionados hear about new kegs on draft or what new beer is being made.
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@Sean…thanks for weighing in…great points. I do follow more than a few breweries, just to keep up on the new releases.
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Hello, my name is Ashley Routson and I am a Social Mediaholic.
It is scary how much of my life revolves around Social Media. I am both proud and scared of the fact that I am the quintessential product of my generation — Generation Y …
Like you, I grew up on AIM. I used to lie to my parents that I was doing homework and stay on AIM until 1 or 2 am in high school. Which then made me super exhausted the next day … morning classes were not my best. I also loved being in chat rooms.
In college, I used to talk to people IN my dorm on AIM instead of just going to their room. Hell, I used to talk to my roommate online instead of in person.
Facebook was created while I was in college (2004 — towards the end of my college experience). My school was one of the first schools to get it. Its original purpose for creation was awesome. I could connect to all my fellow Ohio State students, upload my class schedule and find all the people in my classes so we could trade notes and create study groups … or organize parties
Needless to say, it has been rather interesting to watch Facebook change over the years. It is DRASTICALLY different than it was 6 years ago…
Now I have a blog and write for at least 2-3 other sites. Writing for me, though, is a trade. It is … well, one of my professional skills. My blog has become my brand. I am The Beer Wench — on the internet and now in real life.
But the greatest tool, the social media platform that has had the greatest impact on my life and my “Beer Wench” persona, is Twitter. Because of Twitter, I have traveled all over the country in the past year and a half — attending and organizing a plethora of beer, food and wine events. I have met over 350 of my Twitter followers in person. I have made so many friends and so many connections in the beer industry in such a short period of time.
For me, social media sites are by far THE BEST platforms for craft beer evangelism. I do not get paid for anything I do. In fact, with all the time and money I spend on these platforms I am actually PAYING the Internet to be a craft beer evangelist. And it is worth every penny. I am extremely passionate about the industry and want to give it as much voice as possible!
Viva La Beer Revolution!
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Whoah! Thanks for the thought out reply, Ashley…i haven’t seen a long one like that in a long time.
I have come to appreciate Twitter, but I think I’d appreciate it even more if it took me all over the US and the world.
You make an interesting comment: That you’ve met over 350 of your followers. I think that is an element of “social networking” that needs to be emphasized. Not allowing such platforms to degrade interpersonal and “real life” relationships, but supplement and develop them.
By the way…I barely have over 350 followers. Thanks for the comment!
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Wenchie pretty much nailed it. Not to mention, she’s THE Social Media Wh…. Mediaholic. Follow her blueprint for social media and you’ll be just fine.
I too, am a “Gen-Y’er” who has grown with the internet since its mainstream breakout (AOL, 14.4kbps dial-up modems FTW!) and have learned to adapt and accept each and every major change in the game. It’s all… well, mostly for the best. Especially in our line of work. Ok, so that line of work doesn’t pay the bills, but you get my point.
There’s a saying amongst us social media beer whores, “The internet is for porn, Twitter is for beer geeks.”
If not for Twitter in my world, there’d likely be:
no BeerInBaltimore.com
no local Tweetups (yes, face-to-face happy hours with my followers!)
no extra 20-50 people showing up to a local brewery/brewpub event
many, many people still ordering Bud Light at a craft beer bar
I still meet people in real life who come up to me and say, “Glad I finally met you in person! I love reading your Tweets!”
I reply, “Great, thanks! And how do you like the new layout of the website?”
“What website?”
Twitter trumps all.
And of course, Twitter is just a piece in the social media puzzle. I had someone say the same thing to me this weekend, but replace “Twitter” with “Facebook”… didn’t even know there was a main site.
There’s no bigger (and free!) marketing tool than social media outlets. If you can use outlets like Twitter and Facebook to your advantage and for your cause, you’re ahead of the curve. But the secret lies in – keeping people interested and being live all the time. At a craft beer bar, Tweeting what’s on tap… specials, etc… to “hey, I’m meeting up with the brewmaster of ______ in 2 hours at _____ bar, c’mon out and say hi!”…. it’s a really fun way to not only keep your followers entertained and happy, but also a great way for THOSE folks to tell a friend, who will tell more friends, who will tell….
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P.S: the social media angle also gives you a more ‘personal touch’ to the whole thing.
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[...] Note: It will be helpful to read part one of this series first. [...]
At this time it sounds like Drupal is the best blogging platform available right now.
(from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
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