What is social media? Social media is a generic label describing the dynamic interaction among the global community, enabled by the use of web-based and mobile technological advancements. No precise definitions exist - in fact; social media and Internet are now readily interchangeable terms, which is sometimes called Web 2.0, 3.0, Web Squared, or just the Internet. This openness is one of social media's greatest strengths, but understanding its impact can be overwhelming and confusing. Social media represents a major shift in how you, your customers, competitors, and suppliers - in fact, everyone - uses the Internet. The main shift is how people actively interact in cyberspace, rather than just viewing pages. This sudden change has surprised many as it represents the Internet's ongoing evolution, helped by technology with new devices such as mobility, iPads and Internet on large flat screen televisions, by communication companies providing increasing access to broadband technology, and by new media companies providing new applications such as Facebook. Social Media in Business provides an overview of the opportunities social media offers to a business and a concrete plan to help managers and decision-makers, effectively, integrate social media platforms into their current organizational structure. What are the key aims of SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESS? 1. To provide a clear guide to social media in business for managers This book aims to help the manager to understand the opportunities and to create a common language of what social media means for your whole organization, not just the marketing and information technology (IT) parts of the business that tend to dominate the conversation around social media. Secondly, it provides a guide to a host of available social media applications and tools for business. Finally, the book presents an overview of the potential risks and impact of social media on your organization in a broader strategic sense. 2. To provide a practical framework for the introduction and implementation of social media that can be adapted to your organization - The 3-CORE Project Success System The framework introduced in this book is The 3-CORE Project Success System, based on three elements: Business Environment, Project Stages, and The Project Development Cycle. The key idea is that the framework can be adapted to your organizational context and is easy to use in training employees who may not be familiar with social media or project management. The Project Development Cycle is a tool developed by the author to help organizations meet the above objectives. In Social Media In Business, readers will discover: * Four Business Opportunities of Social Media * How Social Media has Developed over the Last Three Years * The Social Media Applications Guide * Five Social Media "Dark Sides" and Mitigation Strategies * The 3-CORE Project Success System * The Project Development Cycle Praise for SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESS "An invaluable guide to the marketing opportunities presented by social media and how to use them to best effect in business. This book tells you everything you need to know in a concise and easy to follow format.".