The new red light district online – it’s not where you think

Years ago, when I worked for a start-up web development firm, I wrote about everything – except porn, pills and casinos. Adult sites have always been an easy way to make money, but not exactly morally uplifting. On the other hand, social media is publicly enjoyed on buses, in classrooms and standing in line waiting for coffee.

But while social networking might be more a more socially acceptable pastime (and more popular than porn online says Reuters), it’s frustrating for businesses losing market share to it or the ones struggling to keep up. Newspapers, even ones that have been in business for a hundred years, have been unceremoniously kicked to the curb.

Social media is now where we find our friends, news and even the brands we love.

Giving it up for your peeps online

Don’t think your company is ready for a long term relationship with social media? After all, how can you buy a bed online? Shop for a car? Pick out an engagement ring?

In September on the Official Twitter Blog , they claimed more than 145 million subscribers. Two months later, the media reported a subscription base of 175 million. Facebook is even more impressive with more than 500 million users worldwide. That’s a lot of people talking and sharing and exploring.

Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, helps explain why he’s not afraid to expose himself in an article he wrote for the The Harvard Business Review.

“I get asked all the time, “How are you going to monetize this?” I think that’s the wrong question. The right question is “How am I going to deepen my relationship with customers and employees and deepen the conversation that goes on where they are?”

We’re all in business to make money, but long before the sale, it’s about playing nice and making friends. Community should be the number one driver for being on social media, but being a reliable source of information might be a close second.

As a consumer, I might not want to buy my mattress online, but I can learn about which one is best for my sore back and eliminate the stores that don’t carry brands recommended by my friends.  And make no mistake, I’ll spend a lot of money on a product recommended by a friend before I’ll believe an ad – and I’m not alone in my jaded view of untruths in advertising.

At a time when the average person receives more than 400 marketing and brand messages a day, social media might be the only way to make the brand message sticky.

Ditch the Spanx and just be yourself

Brian wrapped up his story brilliantly – it’s simply about sharing yourself and what’s important to you. Social media isn’t about a well-sculpted PR message or an assistant tweeting on your behalf.

“So as the holiday season approaches, I’ll be tweeting frequently. I’ll be talking about how pleased I am with the job our folks are doing. I’ll be talking about the hot products I’m most excited about. I’ll be sharing my impressions as I visit stores. And I’ll probably wax poetic about family and friends and other things I care about. The reality is that social media is where the national conversation is taking place today—and either you’re part of that conversation or you’re not.”

Are you part of the conversation online?

I’d love to hear how you’re using social media in your life. Leave a comment, friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. Let’s start talking!