Social media are online digital mediated technologies that facilitates the generation or sharing/ exchange of information, opinions, career goals, and various forms of expression through virtual communities and online networks. Social Media platforms are used by people around the globe to engage with each other in social communication such as blogging, micro-blogging, forums, micro-blogging, discussion boards and community websites. Social Media also refers to the tools, applications and services that make communicating on the Internet easier for users. Examples of Social Media tools are blogs, micro-blogging services, discussion boards, social networking sites, photo and video sharing, news aggregators, instant messaging and wikis

Social media provide an interactive forum for people to express themselves. This is because these sites are designed to allow “push” communications from one user to another. These communications are usually in the form of posting, sharing and voting. The push communications can be done with text messages, emails or Instant Messenger (IM). Some sites, such as Twitter, allow two-way conversations between users.

Blogs are among the most common forms of social media. Blogs provide an easy way for internet users to publish content. There are many blog platforms available such as Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, Weebly, WordPress and Blogger. The major advantages of having your own blog include increasing traffic, creating credibility and a sense of expertise, promoting your brand and creating a place for conversations and interaction. A blog is ideal for bloggers because it helps them make money, attract new customers, increase search engine ranking and establish a place for interaction.

Community sites are online sites that offer groups or communities to get together online. They include message boards, chat rooms, blogs, and peer to peer lending sites. These sites are popular for providing a venue for people to share and discuss ideas, experiences, ideas and concerns. They are also ideal for those who want to create contacts and share files.

Social networking sites are a type of social media, which allows you to connect to other members of a similar interest. You can chat, vote and post on news stories, videos, pictures and other content. Social networking sites include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Friendster, Delicious, YouTube, StumbleUpon and Tumbler. These sites have attracted millions of users from around the globe. These sites are ideal for promoting your business because they allow you to reach the global audience.

Social media has changed the way people communicate and get their comments and opinion about products and services. It is important to use social media in marketing so you can build an online following. Social media provides a platform for sharing and building relationships. The key to using social media in marketing is being consistent in your message and providing great value to your followers. Consistency in messaging allows your followers to form trust in you and will help you gain their trust.