A tsunami is caused by an earthquake deep in the ocean. The earthquake shifts the ocean bed and travels through the water creating a ripple effect. These ripples expand and move outward to an excess of 500 mph, faster than a commercial jet. There are signs on the shore lines that can alert us to an approaching tsunami. The first sign would be the vibration of the ground from the earthquake. This would be the furthest event before the tsunami reaches the shore. The second sign will show the water receding rapidly out toward the ocean or possibly darkening. This is caused by turbulent from the approaching wave. The third sign is on the crest of the horizon you can see a mix of white waves. At this point you should turn and run.

You are probably asking yourself what this has to do with social media. Social media is the major tsunami that will hit the business world with a power and speed unknown to man. But there are signs.

The first news paper was created in1658. It has grown and been part of all of our lives over these many years. Radio came along and enhanced the content of the newspaper in 1864, followed by the telephone in 1876. With the advent of the television the people have all the media available at their finger tips. All that was left was to combine the radio, news paper and telephone, it is called the TV. The TV entered the world of media in 1923. All of these communication medias took years to become part of our lives. It was very costly and not available for the masses. With patients, time and money, we wove these medias into our entertainment, business advertising and education.

In November 2008 there was a great quake deep in the underbelly of the internet that rocked the business world when Barack Obama raised 6.5 million dollars using social media.  The World Wide Web, as we know it, had a slow start.  It was slow, expensive and took time to develop into our business and social world. It looked a lot like a newspaper and a radio. In the last few years the speed and usage of the internet has increased dramatically and have reduced cost to the minimal. Interactivity has spawned the use of social media to our young and has become a part of everyday life. Still today there are a few businesses that are unsure what all the signs mean. Out in the far part of the ocean is a ripple that is growing and moving toward our shore line. It comes in the form of instant messages, community websites and blogs. You can feel the vibration and see the effects of how it is consuming our present media.

As of August of 2009, Readers Digest is planning to file chapter 11. News papers all over the country are barely keeping their heads above water. Radio stations are moving to the internet and not broadcasting over the air. Companies such as Direct TV, Comcast and AT&T are fighting for position while Hulu.com is growing by leaps and bounds.

Where is your business going. Are you still doing business as usual and not adjusting to the changes. I hear a lot of people are afraid of the internet and want nothing to do with it. People don’t seem to have the time to invest and develop a social media platform. The time to prepare is now. The waves are cresting over the horizon. If you are not ready for the major tsunami called social media…..

If you have any questions about social media for your business or just want to comment please do.