10e20 Blog

After yesterday’s blog post announcing my new role as a blogger for Search Engine Roundtable with Barry Schwartz, I can’t help but wonder, is this a “goodbye?” I’m being wished good luck on my future endeavors, which is difficult for me to really grasp (and comprehend) as I feel very much part of the 10e20 community and our blog, and truthfully, I don’t feel that I am going that far away from it. It’s interesting to realize that this is an industry where the virtual office is not an incredibly outrageous work environment, and the reality of that vision is apparent in the emphasis on social media and online communities.

More and more Internet Marketers are beginning to realize that “search engine optimization” is just one piece of the pie for site rankings. Emerging trends, such as keeping up with those social networks, is of extreme importance, and some could even argue that social networking is more important than SEO. But on a personal level among search marketers, it helps individuals keep in touch, learn what’s interesting to them (in many different capacities), and really get to know the person beyond their job description and their communication with clients.

I also know that Internet Marketers focus on “marketing” through these networks. But there’s a lot more to networks than just marketing. It’s about establishing contact, making friends, and following the people you admire. Social networks were built to make the online world more personable and approachable. When the Internet was first created, a bunch of websites had a presence online (and in our minds). Now, it goes beyond websites: we have a presence. What’s important to us? What are our values? How can I learn from you? How can you learn from me? On social networks, it’s not about each man learning for himself. It’s about sharing and the collective.

Today, our definition of “going online” is not the same as it was just a few years ago. Back then, it was IM, email, or research. Now, it’s about all of the above, but more importantly, it’s enhanced communication, stronger ties, and uniting people from all parts of the world. As we continue to see users flourish in these communities and new users participate, it may be too early to deduce that social networking is only a fad. As more and more people sign onto the popular sites like Facebook (I just got a friend request from a newcomer as I was writing up this blog post), I know that is only the beginning.