In the world of social media, I believe that there are five Cs which can help to mandate success beyond the initial buzz of just being a part of the blogosphere. They are:
1) Contacts
2) Content
3) Continuity
4) Controversy (this is more debatable)
5) Currency
Note that not every social media platform need to embrace each point to succeed. There may be exceptions to each case. However, they do generally help to improve one's hit rate and following over a period of time.
Let me explain these points in detail:
Contacts
The most important point about social media technologies and networks is the socialising aspect. People do need people, and it is important to be a part of a community - or many communities - if one wants to succeed in social media. One of the most active communities in Singapore's social media space belongs to that of Ping.sg, where members meet regularly to fraternise and fellowship both offline and online. The friendships and relationships forged present immense value for social media purveyors in whatever platform that they use - blogs, podcasts, facebook, twitter, myspace, and so on.
Content
Other than having a truckload of friends, one also needs to have interesting and engaging content on one's blog or social media "real estate". This can either be entertaining, thought provoking, intellectually stimulating or just plain helpful. Content can be in various forms - text, photos, videos, audio files, flash games. What's important though is that the content should be rich and full of the creator's personality embodied in them, as opposed to being a dispassionate corporate spiel.
Continuity
You can't succeed in social media without having the stamina to stay the course, come hell or high water. Personally, I found this a difficult challenge as there are many things in life which can rob you of your blogging rhythm. In fact, I found that after going on a blogging hiatus for about a month or so, I lost many of my readers and linkers and have to painstakingly build them up again. The moral of the story is that you have to be consistent in putting up posts so that your readers can follow you regularly.
Controversy
This is probably the most debatable point and one which needs to be managed with care. It is easier for personal bloggers to embrace the hottest topic of the day and provide their own sensational spin on it compared to corporate bloggers. However, in order to stand out from the crowd, one needs to be somewhat daring and different. Otherwise, it is very easy to get lost in the huge ocean of close to 100 million blogs and a gazillion facebook, myspace and friendster accounts.
Currency
Finally, one has to keep up with the times and tune in to what's hot, hip and happening. What are the digital denizens discussing about lately? What is the news of the day? Nobody likes to read a blog when the topic covered is stale, and this is why it is important to always maintain currency and expediency. Of course, there are exceptions - like Yesterday.sg - which is focused entirely on memories and ramblings from the past. However, even old news can be made new if given a twist that is relevant in this day and age.Labels: blogging, social media