Social media applications are web-based tools used to connect web users together and to foster two-way dialogues instead of the passive one-way experiences of the Web 1.0 past. The numbers of users on available social media apps is growing at a rapid pace. Some of these applications have become household names. They have also helped to revolutionize the way people find, access, share, and comment on any possible types of information.

In addition to the more ubiquitous social media applications, many others have also been deployed as developers hope to make their own profits from the current social media popularity. Some of these applications are targeted for a specific niche audience with certain interests. Other applications are geared more towards mobile Internet use rather than standard use on desktop or laptop computers. Microblogging applications have become an especially popular part of smartphone use. Many of them feature updating capabilities with GPS and video technology.

Social media applications have also moved away from being simple diversions to valuable platforms for many different types of businesses. Many companies use social media to keep their customers updated on the latest available products and services. They also use these kinds of applications to listen to customer feedback and to adjust their practices accordingly. News outlets have also discovered the power of social media for distributing the latest stories to readers and viewers who are not as likely to get their news from other sources such as printed newspapers or regular television broadcasts.

Website authors and bloggers who want to build significant readerships now need to include social media connections if they want to be successful. Popular social sites allow readers to follow their favorite sites without the need to type the URL of the site itself into their browsers every time. Most social media platforms have easy integration by adding a simple connection button to a site’s landing page. Some even allow site authors to customize the look of the buttons to coordinate with the colors and layout of their websites or blogs.

The use of social media has brought many changes to areas such as marketing, news coverage, and web-based communication. Widespread popularity has even led to the development of new job roles such as social media management, and this career area is projected to keep growing in various industries. As new types of web platforms keep evolving in the future, chances are excellent that social media will be an integrated part of them.

Do you use Social Media Applications to reach out to or keep in touch with your customers or fans? What do you like about being able to do that?