Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?

We are definitely in the Generation Now and you have to be oblivious to believe that Social Media is not the new precedent in marketing.

Click here to watch a video about critical statistics from Socialnomics.

Here are 37 additional facts that may influence your opinion…

1. By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network
2. Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web
3. One out of eight couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media
4. Years to Reach 50 millions Users:  Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months
5. If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia
6. Yet, some sources say China’s QZone is larger with over 300 million using their services (Facebook’s ban in China plays into this)
7. .comScore indicates that Russia has the most engage social media audience with visitors spending 6.6 hours and viewing 1,307 pages per visitor per month – Vkontakte.ru is the #1 social network
8. The 2009 US Department of Education study revealed that on average, online students out performed those receiving face-to-face instruction
9. One in sx higher education students are enrolled in online curriculum
10. The % of companies using LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees….80%
11. The fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 year-old females
12. Ashton Kutcher and Ellen Degeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Ireland, Norway and Panama
13. Over 80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices…people update anywhere, anytime…imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?
14. Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé…In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen
15. What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook…
16. The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube
17. Wikipedia has over 13 million articles…some studies show it’s more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica…78% of these articles are non-English
18. There are now over 200,000,000 Blogs published online
19. About 54% = Number of bloggers who post content or tweet daily
20. Because of the speed in which social media enables communication, word of mouth now becomes world of mouth
21. If you were paid a $1 for every time an article was posted on Wikipedia you would earn $156.23 per hour
22. Facebook USERS translated the site from English to Spanish via a Wiki in less than 4 weeks and cost Facebook $0
23. Just about 25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content
24. Roughly 34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands
25. People care more about how their social graph ranks products and services  than how Google ranks them
26. About 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations
27. Only 14% trust advertisements
28. Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI
29. Over 90% of people that can TiVo ads do
30. Hulu has grown from 63 million total streams in April 2008 to 373 million in April 2009
31. Roughly 25% of all Americans in the past month said they watched a short video…on their phone
32. According to Jeff Bezos 35% of book sales on Amazon are for the Kindle when available
33. Exactly 24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation because we no longer search for the news, the news finds us.
34. In the near future we will no longer search for  products and services they will find us via social media
35. More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook…daily.
36. Successful companies in social media act more like Dale Carnegie and less like David Ogilvy Listening first, selling second
37. Successful companies in social media act more like party planners, aggregators, and content providers than traditional advertiser

Also see a Social Media Poll and let everyone know how much time you spend a day on Social Media. Leave your comments below as to where you think Social Media is going and how it can help your business.

Garrett Pierson is Founder and President of New Generation Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in search engine optimization, social media, website conversion, and success.

He is the creator of Building Social Equity 2.0 a “SEO Meets Social Media” training course.

Geneen Roth

Listen to the Replay…

During this 60-minute Virtual Book Tour, Geneen reveals her insights on how anyone can improve their relationship with food and hunger.

If you, or a loved-one has ever struggled with over-eating, this book offers a fresh new way to overcome psychological challenges with food.

Click here to add this book to your library.

Fresh from the Article Marketing Round Table I led at the recent Glazer-Kennedy Super Conference in Dallas, here is one of the FAQs I got:

Q: Once I have created my article(s), how do I get traffic to my articles?

A: I really like this question, because there are just so many great answers to it. I’ve got room for only 3 in this article, and here they are:

1) EzineArticles.com – One of the first things I learned about getting traffic on the Internet is this:

“Don’t chase after traffic. Find out where the traffic is going and get your information in front of it.”

When you get your articles on EzineArticles.com you are getting yourself in front of over 30 + million unique visitors a month. These are folks searching in specific categories for your specific information. This is a great way to connect highly qualified prospects with your information and invite them back to your web site or blog.

Your goal should be to get as many articles up on this Article Directory as you can, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche or area of expertise.

2) OPT - This stands for “Other People’s Traffic” and you get it when you click here to read the rest of the article…

According to my colleague Greg Habstritt, if you’re a disengaged entrepreneur, then you’re probably exhausted.  And as an exhausted entrepreneur you probably face each day living into activities that are draining and unproductive.

The reason I bring it up is because if you want more money, more clients and more time-off from your business, then becoming an engaged entrepreneur means saying “No” more often.

Engaged entrepreneurs say “Yes” only to those daily activities, joint venture partners, seminars and educational products that are relevant to their immediate growth needs.

It’s never too late to surround yourself with engaged entrepreneurs and on June 4th – 6th, I’m co-hosting an event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (founded by Greg Habstritt) that celebrates engaged entrepreneurs.

If you’re reading this post in time and it makes sense for you to say “Yes” (and you’re willing to say “No” to whatever you had planned that weekend) then click here to watch an important video I prepared for you and 11 other very special entrepreneurs.

I ask myself that question more often now that online video content (when paired with social media marketing) seems to be the fastest, easiest and least costly way to attract targeted website traffic.

Each day I consciously hunt for new videos that have lots of views, comments and “word-of-mouse” appeal … and then I add them to my growing viral video swipe file for 2010.

And that’s why I’m reaching out to you now because if you and other marketers are willing to submit videos that have truckloads of word-of-mouse appeal, together we’ll build a world-class viral video swipe file in 2010.

Want to hear more?

Why I’m Doing This: I believe that once we have a few dozen viral videos to review and analyze, we can more quickly and easily recognize certain patterns and properties that make video content go viral.

If you’re game, then share the links to videos you’ve seen or created that have lots of comments and views.  Submit those link in the Reply/Comment section of this blog by Friday, May 7th.

Once I have over a dozen samples, I’ll host a free, live Teleseminar later in May designed as an “open discussion” on the topic and I’ll post the access information to that call on this blog.

Click here to see my most viewed video on my YouTube channel.

That video promoted Teleseminar Secrets back in 2008 and although it has over 12,000 views to date, I know I can do better because it wasn’t viral.

My aim in creating this viral video swipe file is two-fold:

1. Develop an ongoing public swipe file we all can benefit from
2. Deconstruct, streamline and remap viral content patterns

I have no idea if a viral video template is even possible, but I do know that if we have enough case studies and examples (with your help), we’ll all get to see at least a few patterns emerge.

As Rudyard Kipling once said, “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack”.

And that’s why I’m also reaching out to my own pack of marketers, thought leaders and online publishers to seek their wisdom on this very interesting topic.

I hope you’ll do the same.

Understand: I’m not seeking your conjecture or guesswork and I don’t just want your opinion. I want your experience.  So do your research and come back and present your “viral video” case study when you decided to participate.

Viral Written Content 

This post wouldn’t be complete without discussing written content and when it comes to the written word, Steve Pavlina is one of the best at writing blog posts that go viral.

He recently taught me that viral content has these 3 properties.

1. Shared (sticky with high pass along value)
2. Remembered (familiar topics with a new spin)
3. Valuable (high impact for a lasting impression)

According to Steve, the virility of content is largely determined by how “sticky” and “addictive” it is for the reader.  “To do that, the content must violate the reader’s expectations,” he adds.

One of his most viral posts is  How to Become an Early Riser.  That’s not the sort of topic I’d write about here, but that post definitely got lots of comments and traffic for Steve.

So are you ready to take the viral video swipe file challenge?  If you’ve read this far, I know you’re at least a little curious about what makes video content go viral.

Key Point: Once you have a viral video on your hands, the next obvious step is to accelerate the viewership by using powerful syndication tools such as Traffic Geyser co-developed by my buddy, Mike Koenigs.

Traffic Geyser is a proven traffic accelerator because it syndicates your video content with ONE PUSH of a button … assuming your video content is somewhat viral to begin with.

What To Do Now: Take the “Viral Video Swipe File Challenge” and share your findings with our “pack.”  I’ll take any and all submissions up until Friday, May 7th .

The question came from the notion that Social Media and Social Marketing are just about connecting with your friends. Well, it can be about that. But it is now about so much more!

Get Found. Get Viewed. Get Traffic. Get Profits

While Facebook may have started as something just for college students, it is now the number two website in the world. If the number of people who have Facebook accounts were a country, they would be the 4th largest country in the world.

And that is just one Social Marketing site. Let’s take a closer look at the value of strong online visibility.

Get Found – Because there are millions of sites on the Internet, the first and most important step is getting found. Having a strong online presence allows you to erect “multiple sign posts” leading to your information.

And here is the bottom line: Getting found is everything. In all the noise in your niche, when you get found, you are heads and tails above everyone else.

Get Viewed – The steps here are simple – once you get found, prospects can view your information contained in the signposts you have erected.

As prospects begin to consume your information and realize that you know what you are talking about, they begin to know, like and trust you. You can then direct them to other resources you may have, which leads to the next step.

Get Traffic – Click here to read the rest of the article…

This clever video was brought to my attention by my literary agent, Bonnie Solow, who also happens to be the literary agent for Harv Eker, Jack Canfield, Phil Town and others.

A lot is as stake in the book publishing world these days, so if you have a “traditional” book in your heart; or, if you’re in the process of getting your manuscript published, watch up to the 1 min, 7 sec mark – then notice what happens ;-)

You’ll be glad you did.

In the meantime, take a look at what my friend, Geneen Roth is up to lately … she has a new runaway best-selling book titled: Women Food And God.  I’m conducting a VBT with her in April … and you’ll get to see her on Oprah in May!

What To Do Now: Please comment and share how you feel the future of book publishing change the way we consume information in the next 10 years.  Be candid, brief and speak from your own experience.

Click here if you’re in a hurry to watch, comment and share the video.

I’m writing here from my own experience when I say, “Action Guides accelerate the learning of your students, clients, patients or customers!”

Do what it takes to invest your time and money to create and get Action Guides into the hands of your audiences and the watch your sales and profits will grow!

I give my students Action Guides even when there are thousands in the room such as Harv Eker’s Peak Potentials events.  Click here to learn more about Peak Potentials and why their events have so much impact for lifelong learners.

If you attend seminars, then you already know how any speaker who takes the time, energy and makes the investment to put an Action Guide into your handswill boost and cement your retention on the content being taught.

At this point, you may be saying to yourself:

“Alex I that…”

And if this is coming up for you, watch the video – twice – and comment, share and invite two other friends or colleagues to view it and get their opinion.  Fair enough?

What To Do Now: Click here to watch video – it’s Productivity Tip #28 – and comment and share your opinion about the power of Action Guides.  Next click on the video tab on my Fan page watch my other Productivity Tips.

I also encourage you to invite two other Facebook entrepreneurs to become fans so they too can get more done faster, better and with less effort.

Harvey Mackay

Listen to the Replay…

During this 60-minute Virtual Book Tour for his new book, "Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door" Harvey reveals his closely-guarded job search secrets no one else will tell you.

Get this book if you’re looking for a job, negotiating for a raise or just want to become more persuasive when dealing others anywhere, anytime. And check out Harvey’s unique unconditional money-back guarantee!

Click here to add this book to your library.

His email was disturbing because it was in response to an an email he received from my about my Virtual Book Tour with another buddy of mine, Harvey Mackay.

Here’s what Marc wrote me:

Alex, I wanted to let you know this right away … Gmail doesn’t show URLs with initial caps as link. This changed happened recently.  For a URL to be a link in Gmail it needs to contain:  1. the “www” and 2. all lowercase . Thought you should know.

Gee, thanks Marc … both  my emails for Harvey Mackay were in the queue and sent, so I couldn’t anything about it and I did get over 500 people on that VBT to listen in … but I wonder how many more people could have listened if I was aware of the recent change.

If you’re scratching you head right now say “Huh?” to yourself, then do yourself a favor and watch a 2 min. 5 sec video posted by Frank Bauer.  It’s the best explanation I’ve seen and he posted it back on Feb. 10th!

Click here for the video tutorial and please put a ton of comments on Frank’s blog and show him some love :-)  Tell him I sent you.  His “fluff-free” style of explaining the predicament that Google failed to announce is worth passing on.

What To Do Now: 1) Watch the VIDEO … 2) Comment and share … and as Frank says, 3) Have “an awesome day!”