The New York Times Jumps into Social Media. What's Wrong with This Picture?

Where Social Media has been a community of people exchanging information endlessly over the last 12 years**, The">http://www.nytimes.com/">The New York Times is working its way into the network (within its own network of journalists). TimesPeople">http://timespeople.nytimes.com/packages/addons/timespeople/">TimesPeople... is an online community composed of those reading the Times and recommending their favorite articles to other friends/followers, who then recommend your articles to their friends/followers.

Time Out!

This is beginning to look like an endless cycle of a one-track mind. In a time when we should be seeking additional sources of information, TimesPeople has now taken Social Media one step back - limiting the user to only recommend articles within The Times network. Social Media is not a socialist community! Then again, that's just my opinion.

Let's see what the experts say:

Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.- Wikipedia:">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media">Wikipedia: Social Media

At Forrester, we define Social Computing as: "A social structure in which technology puts power in communities, not institutions." and this is true for social networks, esp small and fast ones like Twitter.- Web Strategy by Jeremiah, "Twitter">http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/03/28/twitter-is-my-social-compu... Is My Social Computer. How it could extend to be yours"

The future of social media, I hope, isn't in more tools to help us spew more content. Instead, we need ideas and technology that can leverage all this available online content (including status and activity streams) to enhance real world social interactions.

The mobile device will be the center of this world. Forget using that device to simply publish content (although it is particularly suited to publish location data, photos and video content). Your mobile device should help you filter out people around you to bring mutually-interested people together. And it should also help you remember key information about the people you already know.- TechCrunch">http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/02/the-future-of-social-isnt-content-s..., "The Future of Social Isn't Content Spewing (I Hope)"

I started to see a trend while researching the definition of Social Media: Social Media is all in how we perceive it. Currently, there is not a standard norm to what Social Media is because it's still being developed. What I found were numerous explanations, contradictions, and predictions to what Social Media is, what it is not, and what it will be.

Here's what I think:

Social Media is like one big open-mind. It's an open source encyclopedia for current times that cannot be predicted or referenced as of yet. And instead of taking one thought for truth, we are looking at the many, making reference in our own index instead of latching on to the first one we read. Social media's like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Ping.fm, these media's are connecting users everywhere to experience what YOU are experiencing. It makes sense why Time">http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html">Time Magazine named YOU the Person of the Year in 2006. We have more influence over people than what is currently being perceived. The honest truth is that we are being truthfully honest. Because what's our motive to deceive other people? Rather we are giving others a different way to look at an idea or experience. And that to me is the beauty behind Social Media - this medium transparency we have unconsciously created within our communities (online and off).

I can only say it's safe to assume The NYT will be launching further phases to TimesPeople. Phase two might be Profiles or Groups. Phase three could be a rating or voting system. What I would like to see first and foremost is a Comments section - let the reader voice their opinion about the article they are recommending. It's not enough to just read an article anymore. Give readers an opportunity to voice opposition or to put support behind it.

But, hey? Don't take it from me. Get out there and seek other sources before you form an opinion. In any case go try out TimesPeople for yourself, and let people know what YOU think!

Your voice is more powerful than the journalist trapped in the times.

New York Times is a publicly traded company on the . Trading closed today at 15.77, down 9.86 from one year ago.

Side note: I am an avid Times reader, it's my go-to when I cannot sleep. In addition, I read/listen to NPR, BBC, magazines, numerous social blogs, and feeds.

**Social Media can date back to the 70's with message forums, but I'm suggesting Social Media began around the late 90's when the internet was becoming accessible among most US households.