“I’m too old for social media.”

“Twitter’s for kids.”

“Nobody needs to know what I’m doing all the time.”

I hear these all the time. ALL the time.

People over a certain age (let’s call it 50 years old) automatically disqualifying themselves from social networking.

My responses to the above statements:

1) Bullshit.

2) Trix are for kids, Twitter is for everyone.

3) Then don’t tell people what you are doing all the time.

The truth is that social media is immensely powerful…and frightening.

Heck, if an educated politician can Tweet a pic of his…uh…little tweeter, imagine what a senior citizen can do!?!

All mostly-kidding aside, to NOT embrace the social media is like turning away the mail, the phone and newspapers, all tied together.

Some of the smartest, savviest social marketers are closer to 60 than 30. If you know how to connect with people, you can connect with people on any platform.

But still, some people don’t see the point of it all.

So here’s what you tell those people:

1) Are you too old to learn and connect?

2) People only see what you put up. So don’t tell them you’re in the bathroom.

3) Maybe Facebook and Twitter aren’t for you. Have you looked into LinkedIn?

4) You do know companies give away free stuff online, right?

5) Social media isn’t a fad. Between Facebook and Twitter alone, there are over 1 BILLION accounts worldwide.

6) Again, please don’t tell everyone when you are in the bathroom.

What else would you tell an older person who refuses to even explore social media?

Guest Post by Kaelan Richards

These days, social media seems to be everywhere— from grandparents signing up for Facebook, to Fortune 500 companies joining Twitter, to elected officials inadvertently ending their careers with a mistakenly sent tweet. It seems like a whole new world, with exciting possibilities and endless opportunities for expression and interaction with others. But is it really anything new?

Throughout history, people have sought to express themselves and communicate with others. Cave drawings, smoke signals, Morse code— these are all forms of communication and methods for broadcasting one person’s thoughts to another, simplistic though they may be. As technologies evolved, easier and more effective methods of communications developed as well, and communication became easier. I remember the day my dad came home with one of the first cell phones, and how amazed we were… today, the sight of one of those grey shoebox-like phones is enough to make the people who remember them laugh. Compare it to a brand-new iPhone, and the stark reality of how far we’ve come (in just 15 years or so) is astonishing.

So why is social media suddenly so popular, and why the buzz around it? It’s just another form of communication, in a world where 6 billion people talk to each other all day, every day. What is it about social media that’s so attractive yet scary to so many? I’d argue that what it comes down to is reach and accountability. Cavemen in France didn’t need to worry about their mothers seeing cave drawings of them lounging in the sun when they were supposed to be hunting for food. These cavemen could draw in a cave their mothers never visited, or argue someone else drew the incriminating images. But in today’s modern world, all a parent needs to do is follow their kid on Twitter to see when, where and what exactly they’re up to.

Potential problems?

In today’s world, hundreds of millions of people in countries around the world have access to social media platforms that span continents. It’s easy to tweet someone in South Africa, Australia, Russia or India and get a reply within minutes—that ease of accessibility, where the barriers that once stood in the way of truly global communication have fallen away. But the layers of anonymity that were the hallmarks of previous forms of communication (such as the lazy cavemen, or even pre-caller ID) have thinned as well. Privacy has been a casualty of the social media, and the implications of this frighten many people and corporations.

Social media has, by providing everyone with a voice, ensured that their voices are heard—and not always in a good way.  Just this week, a student in the UK was sentenced to 56 days in jail because of racist tweets he sent out about Fabrice Muamba, a soccer player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who collapsed of cardiac arrest during a game (but survived). As social networking sites have gone mainstream and become credible sources of information, this kind of absolute accountability on a social networking platform is the new reality. Over the next few years, governments and corporations will more clearly define the laws of social networking, and the global landscape will continue to change.

Social media isn’t anything new—it’s just the easiest, yet most accessible, form of communication the world has ever seen. And it’s still evolving, as more and more people and organizations decide to be involved. The next few years will be exciting for social media as technologies continue to improve, accessibility grows, and millions more people join the social networks.

Several months ago, I announced here that I would be an adjunct professor at American University in their weekend Master’s degree program.

And, faster than you can say “syllabus,” the course starts on Saturday!

I’m ridiculously excited it start teaching – even more so after I met most of the students a few weeks ago at a university event.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll be hearing from the students in this space, as they discuss their own unique takes on the social media world. So…be kind to them!

On the agenda for the first class:

- Defining Social Media

- Social Media 101

- Creating The Class Blogroll

- Social Media Through the Ages

- Discussion Social Media and the Grateful Dead

- Extended Case Study: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), featuring Zack Ryder

There has been a ton of talk recently about the copyright issues surrounding exploding inboard network Pinterest.

This text comes from Pintere’s own Terms of Service:

“YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES AND SITE CONTENT REMAINS WITH YOU.”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-copyright-issues-lawyer-2012-2?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Business+Insider+Select&utm_campaign=BI+Select+Recurring+2012-02-28#ixzz1nxYCzVYJ

YIKES, he said, in all caps.

I’m not a lawyer. I don’t even play one on TV.

But I am online marketer.

Let me say this: If you, as a content owner, hate/fear Pinterest, then, by extension, you must also hate/fear search engines, actual bulletin boards and making money.

You see, Pinterest is the fastest growing referral site on the Internet, already driving more traffic than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ combined.

The entire platform of Pinterest is based around people sharing CLICKABLE LINKS to images and videos they find interesting from around the web.

Where, oh where is the copyright problem?

Are you so worried about controlling every aspect and mention of your brand that you will get the legal system involved in people driving traffic to your website?

For years, people have claimed we trust our neighbors and friend more than advertising. And if that is true, Pinterest is the next step in that evolution as a colorful, organized recommendation engine

I know the law is the law, but, in my opinion, a brand would be foolish to pursue legal action against fans driving positive traffic to their website.

Companies should find ways to take advantage of Pinterest’s ridiculous popularity and intriguing functionality and allow fans to evangelize for them.

Disclaimer: I’m Jewish. Please forgive any theological inaccuracies that may be included here. This post is meant as a respectful discussion.

Pope Benedict XVI is Tweeting!

Whereas some people may dial down social media for Lent, the Pope will be Tweeting every day, according to Vatican Radio.

You can click the link for the details, because, honestly, they aren’t pertinent to this discussion.

Here goes.

Is the Pope Tweeting daily a shark-jumping moment in social media or a validation of it’s power?

Shark-jumping is a reference to the episode of “Happy Days” where the Fonz water-skis over an actual shark. While wearing a leather jacket.

That’s been pointed as the moment that the show “lost it” and was never the same.

And that’s exactly where the popular term came from. You learn something every day, right?

So is the Pope Tweeting for Lent that moment for Twitter?

Or does it demonstrate that one of the more ancient institutions has recognized the reach and influence of the social network?

I’ll take the latter – that this is a muscle-flexing moment in Twitter’s history.

I discussed last year that Tweets were the currency of social discussion. So it appears that the Catholic church is buying-in…and HUGE.

There are religious TV and radio programs – and even international networks. There are religious newspapers and magazines and websites.

So a Papal message on Twitter is just the next step in the messenger finding the target audience.

Are people on an international scale (not local ministers, rabbis, etc) ready to receive religious direction and inspiration from a Twitter account? We’re about to find out.

Facebook Timeline for Brands is coming. And soon.

The 850-million use social network is expected to announce details of their new Timeline for Brands roll-out on Feb. 29.

This comes not long after Timeline for Profiles was made available worldwide.

To make such a seismic shift to their entire platform – both personal and brand pages – means Facebook strongly believes in what this new functionality has to offer.

And since Timeline was a major change to profiles, there is a lot of stress over what will happen to brand pages.

Which leads me to my #1 Tip for Brands to Prepare for Facebook Timeline:

RELAX.

As of this moment, there is nothing to do.

No firm facts have leaked out, meaning marketers have no idea what this new functionality will provide, from benefits, challenges, capabilities and loses.

However, we’ll find out what Facebook has in store soon enough.

And there will be a period to plan and implement before the switch is finally flipped. Remember how nearly every online marketer had Timeline for their profile months before the global roll-out?

I’ll be watching the virtual announcement – and I’ve set aside time Wednesday and Thursday to process and adjust.

The Facebook platform will be changing drastically – that much we know.

But until we know exactly what changes will be made, my only piece of advice is to relax.

And then, when the announcement comes, we can freak out together.