When you hear the term social media, what do you think? Due to the word “media”, many people think of “news media” or “social news”. This is understandable because this word has always been tied to the news. And believe me, you are not alone. This is because social news is social media, but there are also many other ways. Well then, what exactly are social media and how can they benefit you?

Social media means relating and interacting with others by creating, sharing and exchanging thoughts and ideas through comments, posting photos and / or videos. On these sites, you can socialize with others while sliding your business link from time to time. Is there nothing wrong with some friendly advertising? So where are these social media sites? Well, I can almost guarantee that you have been using one or more for some time. Below is a description and examples of some of these sites:

Social networks: This type of site connects people posting their lives and what they are doing. You can post about your business and share a link. This helps drive traffic to your site, especially when other people share your business link with friends. Create a profile add friends and post status updates. Interacting with others involves commenting on their status, playing games, and joining with other groups you create. (Examples: Facebook, Hi5, Last.FM).

Social Bookmarking: This concept allows users to save bookmarks online, not just on their computers. This opened the door for companies to advertise by posting their links on the site. Some disapprove of this by saying their spam, others still allow it. How it works? Register an account, bookmark your own site, and start browsing and bookmarking sites tagged by others. In turn, they can click on your links to see them. Having your business website is the key. (Examples: Del.icio.us, Simpy, Blinklist).

Social photo and video sharing: Create an account, upload photos and / or videos, and share with friends and family. Depending on your type of business, or even if you don’t have one, these sites may catch your eye. Linking other social media sites to get people to view them is helpful. (Examples: YouTube, Flickr).

Social news: A collection of articles written by people like you. Interact with others on the site by commenting and voting on published articles. If you’re a writer, these sites are a good place to get your work noticed. (Examples: Digg, Redditt, Propeller).

Social blogs: Blogs that allow viewers comments and / or discussions about the blog itself. (Examples: Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress).

Social media can help your business, so register and advertise as many as possible. Keep in mind that any webpage that allows interaction with others and publishing on the page itself falls under the social media category. Therefore, do not limit yourself to the above sites.

It’s hard to believe, but email is starting to become a thing of the past. Social networks continue to dominate online communication. Why spend time attaching a photo to an email when you could just post it on your Facebook page? Why have an email address when you can have your own personal URL? Why email a customer about your company’s promotions when you can count on thousands at once? Because? Because? and more Why? The list goes on and when you think a lot you might start wondering … I dare say … Why use email? While this question may be overkill now, it may soon be a question you will ask others. Statistics show that Facebook is by far the most popular service for sharing content online. 24% of all shared content is through Facebook. This easily surpasses 11.1% of emails. Even Twitter, which started just 3 years ago, is as popular on a sharing service as Email.

What I mean is, if you’re not on the circuit, come in! You may wonder, am I too late? or am i too old to start sharing on social platforms? or is the whole world constantly tracking me? The answer is no. Social media can be used by all age groups and you can personally choose what you want to share and who you want to share it with. Below is a list of the top 10 social media sites I suggest using and why.

Who? Facebook

Because? With over 250 million users, Facebook can connect you to just about anyone or anything. Use Facebook to get in touch with friends from around the world and stay up to date on their lives. Plus, promote your business and brand by using Facebook Pages to engage with “fans” and display feature updates on your wall. If you already know Facebook, I suggest delving into many of the advanced features and functions that Facebook offers, as they can certainly help you gain an even greater presence for you or your business. Get started with Facebook Essentials and check out these tips on Facebook fan pages.

Who? Twitter

Because? “Nice to tweet you!” It is becoming a common phrase these days. Twitter has absorbed almost 10% of all content shared online. Using Twitter to engage with others and provide frequent updates about your life and business can be extremely beneficial. For example, let customers know via Twitter that you just opened a new office or discount product and even share a new home for sale. But don’t forget to interact with other people … this is not a one way communication tool. If used correctly, Twitter can network you with large numbers of people … quickly! For more information, see great tips on creating Twitter followers or read about using Twitter to grow your business.

Who? Stumbleupon

Because? Best known for its “Stumble Toolbar”, which takes you across the web, StumbleUpon is great for discovering sites and sharing them among the community. Use StumbleUpon to find sites you never knew existed that might be useful to you. Also use stumble to add and promote web pages that the community can rate and review as they stumble across the web. The more rankings a webpage gets, the more likely StumbleUpon will send traffic in the form of new Stumblers. For more tips on StumbleUpon, see Writing on StumbleUpon and Generating Traffic with StumbleUpon.