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Shannon Paul
Shannon Paul currently works in New Media with the NHL Detroit Red Wings as a creator of web-based content and digital marketing strategy. She is responsible for fostering relationships across the social web for the organization and the team.
Shannon began her career as an intern with the NBA Detroit Pistons Community Relations department before making her way back into the sports industry in her current position. Her professional background is in traditional public relations but her interest in social media communication dates back to her time as a student when she created an independent study program aimed at building and exploring the impact of blogs on mass communication.
Today Shannon is bringing research and insights on
Who’s Online Anyway?
Maybe everyone still isn’t online, but the gap is certainly closing, and it turns out we’re not all the same.
Of the 138 million people, age 13 and older, with broadband Internet connections in the U.S., 105 million (76 percent) are active contributors to the Web via social media, according to a study conducted earlier this year by Netpop Research.
The problem with identifying who’s online isn’t a matter of behavior, but of semantics. A lot of people regularly contribute to the social web without realizing that they’re contributing to the social web.
Case in point: if you ask someone who’s not a marketer or web development professional whether or not they participate in social media and they’ll probably look at you like you have two heads.
However, ask them whether they’ve ever uploaded a photo or passed on a YouTube video to a friend and you’ll likely get a definite yes.
Add to this communication gap a tendency for marketers and/or businesses to treat the populations online as if we are all the same and you’ll soon realize that identifying an audience as “online” simply isn’t enough.
I referenced the same study mentioned above for a recent post on my blog about the differences between the populations on MySpace versus Facebook, but the differences don’t end there.
The study utilized the following five population segments to differentiate the variety of broadband users.
- Social Clickers rely on the Internet to maintain relationships with friends and family and to seek out new friends. A generational divide runs through this group, yet all Social Clickers share a desired to connect and communicate with others online.
- Content Kings pursue a wide range of diversions available on the web. Deciding when, where and how to access entertainment, Content Kings create their own entertainment experiences. Content Kings see the Internet primarily as an entertainment source, and spend an overwhelming amount of their time online in the pursuit of fun.
- Everyday Pros use the web quickly and efficiently. They are less likely to express their ideas online, nor are they interested in engaging with others. Everyday Pros focus on accomplishing mundane activities online, like checking stocks and managing their bank accounts. Everyday pros are short on time and disinclined to linger online.
- Fast Trackers flock to the web to get their daily dose of news, sports, and weather. With a constant need to stay up-to-date, this group use a mix of major and specialized sites to get what they need. Focused and efficient, Fast Trackers spend half of their time online pursuing the facts, news and information they crave.
- Online Insiders do more of everything there is to do online. They know about the Internet and see themselves essentially “living online.” Online Insiders divide their online time more evenly across major areas of online involvement.
As a supplement to this post, I recently discovered this new slide deck posted by the busy researchers at Netpop on Slideshare that helps explain the differences in the types of users you’re likely to encounter on the social web.
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Hey there, Ms. Paul!
Welcome to the ‘hood!
Wow! What an outstanding introduction! Shannon, you really laid out some great info.
Hey Becky,
Shannon said she’d be here in 5 minutes. It’s game night, maybe that’s why she sent so much. 🙂
Becky,
Which one of those Internet people do you think you are?
hmm, I guess I’m an Online Insider.
Alright, I made it! Thanks for the warm welcome, Becky and Liz… by the way, I always send SO much. 🙂
Me too, Glenda!
Shannon,
Which one of those Internet People are you?
I’m surprised by the percent w/ broadband. I thought the digital divide was still more of an issue.
lol Liz, don’t you live in your broadband cable?
Glenda – this is actually a statistic that estimates the number of broadband households at 138 million — the 76 percent indicates that OF that 138 million, 76 percent participate in social media. The digital divide is real — I’ve seen some stats that though that indicate it’s narrowing, at least in the U.S.
Guess I have to be an Online Insider, too. But it was interesting to think of people I know who fit the other categories.
If we’re going to talk broadband penetration and digital divide, I’m going to have to bring my rural soapbox!
Nice to meet you. I’m on online insider for sure.. And I agree that Sobcon is all about the connections.
Becky, my guess is that most of us would be considered online insiders since the very activity we’re participating in is characteristic of that group. Like you, however, I can identify a lot of people I know fitting other categories. The problem a lot of times with businesses is that we’re all lumped together, but I think these characteristics would require different methods of outreach to be effective.
Lumped together sure is the operative point. This past weekend the mommy bloggers were complaining that “Not all mommy bloggers are alike.”
I’m not crazy about the term Online Insider but “living online” sounds about right, so… but further to the point about the digital divide, I think it’s a lot more challenging to be an Online Insider (or otherwise heavily engaged online) when you’re on dial-up.
(Says she who’s been on high-speed for something like 18 months, and even so has weather-related issues with rural wireless antenna…)
That’s so true – especially with Mom Bloggers. There is so much variety in their voices, content and approach. I think we keep preaching one-on-one relationships, but deep down, most marketers/communicators and businesses are subconsciously looking for a way to mechanize and standardize that process. Ironic, no?
Hi Shannon. Great to see you here.
Something tells me we’ve got a lot of Online Insiders here. That describes me best too. I think if you have a blog, it probably fits.
Michelle, nice to meet you, too! Todd, I’m sure you’re right. Online Insiders all around. 🙂 I don’t know how rjleaman does it with dial-up. My friend Mack qualifies as an online insider with dial-up, too. That is definitely an exercise in patience! Thanks all for chiming in. 🙂
I’m trying to figure out if I know any Social Clickers.
Liz, I think most of my Facebook friends from high school and the majority of the women in my family qualify as social clickers.
Shannon, how do you figure out what audience to target?
I know it’s very specific to each business, but I’m not really sure how to get started. What questions do I ask myself about my business and my products and potential customers?
Shannon, I love the title of your blog, the “Very Official Blog”! 🙂
Todd, that’s a good question. I think it varies. Sometimes the answer is as simple as asking your existing customers what they do online (gently of course). Sometimes it’s about looking at search habits of people who come to your website as well as the incoming links. Go within social networks and search for relevant terms related to what you do. See who’s there, listen to them and ask questions. I think once you start to identify groups and individuals related to what you do, the questions come naturally. I hope this helps!
Thanks, Becky! It was a hasty move on my part that just kind of stuck. I’m glad now though. Honestly, I like it, too!
Thanks, Shannon. you got me thinking… 🙂