Friends of the Academy brings together all of us who believe in making time for great fellowship through the spirit of contribution through socializing, a sharing of thoughts, ideas and vision, amongst a like-minded fraternity who dearly cherish such noble indulgences that is becoming oblivious in the fast-paced world that we live in today. The extent to which the World Wide Web has influenced our lives, lifestyle and activities bear attention for what used to be perceived as only virtual has today become Reality as we get unconsciously sucked into this ubiquitous cyber hemisphere. Our deepest appreciation go to the many Friends we have out there who sacrifice time to continuously contribute to make our world a better place despite the challenges faced in today’s world where conditions change and competition grows. Uncertainty is the new normal, so what do we do? We move fast. We stay flexible. We stay nimble. WE ADAPT. The Internet has impacted us in so many ways – the way we do business, the source of our entertainment and of our research, and for many too, the source of our income! Local has indeed become Global as the world gets “flatter” by the day. Whatever paradigm shifts we experience in our social and work life, we should strive to live life to the fullest, like there is no tomorrow! Come and meet our friends!

The new buzz word that’s been zapping around the business circle these days is a two-worded phrase called social media, which interpreted in full stands for social media marketing, which is vehemently widely used as a business jargon today.

Although you may or may not have heard of this terminology, I would guess you certainly are a part of it already, if you ever sent and received text messages (SMS) on your cell-phone, or work on any Internet-based communication application like e-mail or just simply surfing the Net.

To the unfamiliar, social media sounds almost akin to social networking – well that too can be a large, contributing part supporting the development of social media marketing, which loosely translated, is a new approach towards doing business using appropriate web applications or social media tools that are readily and generally, freely available on the Internet.

If you are a regular user or surfer on the Internet you will have come across a myriad of words that are ubiquitous to the Net these days like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Blellow, Picasa, Plaxo, YouTube and a host of other equally enticing Internet-based conveyance that urge you to sign on.

For certain your mail box will sometimes be ‘spammed’ with a message like ‘so-and-so is following you on Twitter’, or you will have come across, while socializing at a cocktail evening, someone asking if you are on Facebook? “Excuse me, what was that?” you would coyly respond. Welcome to the world of social media marketing!

The purposeful use of new Internet tools to enhance one’s productivity in business and personal efficiency is something that we have all been engaged in, albeit unconsciously. Look at how text messaging on the cell-phone has become so common place, and for many, it is almost embarrassing to admit that one has not got a personal e-mail address?

Do not be overly concerned that such modern communication media has and will take over entirely the function of the pay phone, or the quaint phone booths (well most get vandalised these days or are plastered all over in graffiti) or that you will stop receiving traditional or ‘snail mail’. Your bills still keep coming, don’t they? You bet the omnipresent yellow or red mailboxes will still faithfully be around for many more years yet.

In London where I used to live, I have noticed tourists especially, would die for a picture taken with the ever-present red telephone booth in the background, to authenticate that the person in the photo was actually somewhere in England. The iconic red telephone booth, which is an intrinsic part of the English rural and urban landscape came into being in England way back in the very early days when the public telephone service was made readily available to the masses.

Social media marketing, a business fundamental itself is not taking over traditional methods of doing or running a business, rather it complements the whole mechanics of doing business today.

We have all come to acknowledge that the Internet has now become ingrained and very much a part of our social life; and to the many, especially the younger generation who form the majority global workforce today, have embraced the Internet and all its workings as an entrenched part of their social and business life.

Today we talk about Googling this or that, Skyping him or her, all new jargon of the 21st century which has become an inherent part of our vocabulary.

So what is this thing called Social Media or Social Media Marketing that is all the rave; yes even Presidents, Prime Ministers, Nobel Laureates and movie stars are all onboard – the ultimate bandwagon that many of us would want to get onto, but perhaps need some guidance on?

Well, here’s the drift. If you continue to follow my blog, I will tell you more.