Social Media's Rise & Influence

At this year's annual conference, "Social Media Bootcamp," the rise and influence of social media will be the main topic of discussion. Like it or not, fear it or not, social media's rise in 2008 was enormous and in 2009 it is expected to continue to grow in users and in demand. As a school district, communicating in non-traditional ways is more important than ever. Research shows that teenagers, parents and other key constituents within your communities are utilizing the internet as a routine part of their days. Below are some statistics about social media that showcase the rising influence of social media as an important communications and marketing channel:

• 394 million people watch video clips online
• 346 million read blogs
• 321 million read personal blogs
• 307 million visit a friend's social networking page
• 303 million share a video clip
• 272 million manage a profile on a social network
• 248 million upload photos
• 216 million download video podcasts
• 215 million download audio podcasts
• 184 million started a blog
• 183 million uploaded a video clip
• 160 million subscribed to an RSS feed

Had enough? Or still not convinced of the power of social media? Here are some stats about online/social media trends:

• Blog reading has risen 66% on a global scale in a year
• 60.3 million Americans have read a blog
• 36% of consumers will think more positively about an organization that blogs
• 32% of consumers trust bloggers' opinions on products and services
• 43% of online consumers belong to a social network
• 74% of social network users message friends as part of their daily routines
• 64% of teenagers ages 12-17 engage in at least one type of online content creation, up from 57% in 2004
• 87% of parents of teenagers are online
• More than 40% of women in their 40s have social networking profiles (it's not just for teens), with more than 70% of women with children ages 13-17 engaged in discussions on social networking

These are statistics and figures compiled by Universal McCann, Pew Research Center and SheSpeaks about online trends and social media usage. It is clear that social media has been embraced by teenagers and is now becoming more and more common for adults, especially parents and women. It is not just a fad, but a new form of communication. How do school districts become a part of the online conversation in effective and safe ways? These issues will be discussed during our Annual Conference.