What the heck is Social Media?

While I work in an interactive development agency, I still find my self a little lost sometimes with all of the new technology and online developments. Recently Chris Brogan wrote a great blog on how to help others understand social media, and I found that this was probably one of the most helpful blogs I've read in a long time. Instead of using the most technical terms for everything, Brogan uses Common Craft videos to go over the three main aspects of social media in the simplest terms. The first of the three is Understanding Blogs, the second is Understanding RSS, and the last of these is Understanding Social Networking. If you click on those links, it will take you directly to the video page from Common Craft - which, by the way, has such a plethora of videos that help you understand a wide range of topics in terms you're sure to understand. Even if you read blogs or have your MySpace or Facebook page, these videos are sure to shed some additional light on these subjects for you. Another great outlet Brogan covers is literature. He goes over a list of books that might be helpful for you, your friends, coworkers and even your boss. The most important in his list is The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger. You can also go to their website (www.cluetrain.com) and download/read the entire text for free. The last call to action in this blog is for others to share additional resources, books and sites that are helpful in understanding these subjects. What are some of the resources that you find helpful? Please feel free to share them with us!