Social media blogger Chris Brogan recently wrote about the idea of “microfame” and the power of social media to make people “famous” on any of a number of levels. Chris Brogan for example has become “famous” in the world of social media as an expert in the latest trends and developments. Likewise, I have a friend (offline) who has become “famous” within his small Facebook circle because of his profile pictures (currently John Travolta circa Sat. Night Fever) and updates.

The point is that we now have a very powerful platform to connect and express ourselves in ways that weren’t possible just five years ago. However, while it is much easier today to become “famous,” this fame doesn’t necessarly mean opportunity. According to Brogan,

We have this distribution mechanism, this platform, this potential to share ideas that matter, that brings us a further opportunity.

But fame isn’t trust, and the real goal, in my estimation, would be to develop trust, build relationships, and earn the attention of people in our circles of interest. That’s what matters.

As more and more self proclaimed “marketing gurus” and “social media marketing experts” jump into the world of social networking, it quickly becomes obvious that while they may have thousands of friends on Facebook or friends on Twitter, what good is it if they don’t provide something of value.

As my Twitter following grows, I’m finding that I’m being followed more and more by people with 10s of thousands of followers and I’ve followed some of them in return. However, I’m quickly finding many of the twitter users with the most followers have the least to say. I even followed one who has “twitted” about nothing more than how many followers she has and an occasional comment about coffee or something.

I’m also finding, that as I follow more and more people on Twitter, the less I’m actually reading on Twitter. I know which twitter users I enjoy, those who I talk to and those who provide valuable information. The rest get screened until I find value in something they provide.

The same is happening to my Facebook account. As the list of Friend’s grow, I tend to look for those I am interested in reading about and letting the rest go by. As the numbers grow, it’s the only way to manage these networks.

Without providing value, internet “fame” is worthless. People quickly learn how to screen the noise and even worse, label the spammers as such.

And yet there are so many out there that don’t get this basic concept. Take a look on almost any LinkedIn group and you’ll see people looking to blindly expand their network. There are now a number of Twitter applications that do nothing more then bring the classic pyramid scheme to Twitter to build followers. If you’re looking to add a random collection of followers quick, they may work well.

The RNC leadership even got into it a few weeks back bragging about who had the most “friends” on facebook culminating in the absurd challenge, “I’ll meet you on Facebook any day.”

From a business perspective, a large network is of no value unless the members of your network see value in what you bring to the table. By consistently providing value and conversing on a level of transparency and trust, the network will respond. Your network will grow, it will be much easier to spread content (with your name attached) and ultimately, bring in more customers.

What does your business bring to the table? Have you considered a white paper? White papers provide valuable information and can establish your company as an expert in the industry. Contact Jim Lodico to see how he can help you harness the power of white papers today.

Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter are taking on many of the functions once completed by email. In the same way text messaging changed the way we use cell phones, Twitters and “status updates” are changing the way we communicate online.

Here are seven reasons social media will make email obsolete.

7. Email takes too much time

Nothing like opening the morning email to find 100 or more emails awaiting your attention. Just sorting them can take up the better part of a morning – least bit reading and responding. While email has made communication easier, it has also made our lives much busier.

6. Email Etiquette demands are greater then with social media tools

Email etiquette stems from traditional letter writing. Salutations and signatures are somewhat expected – at least upon first contact in an email string. Tools such as Twitter, with it’s 140 character limit, don’t allow for such formalities.

5. Email discussions can be hard to follow

Email discussions can often become so long and unwieldy as they get passed from one participant to another that those late to the discussion have no chance of catching up. Add to that the failed “reply to all” and you are soon missing important elements of the discussion.

The basic structure of a forum with the topic posted at the top of the string makes the conversation much easier to follow. Remember how the email user group used to be so popular? Now the discussion takes place in forums.

4. Social Media allows quick communication to the group

Social Media sites make it much easier to broadcast messages to the group. Instead of emailing pictures of the children to each and every family member, they are now easily posted on Facebook pages or Flickr albums.

Businesses are using social media to broadcast content to massive audiences in ways email does not allow.

3. Email can’t accommodate larger files or group access

Ever try to send a video by email? Video hosting services such as YouTube eliminate the bandwidth constraints of many email servers. Forums also allow users to post files needed by the entire group. No need to email each document individually.

2. Social Media Tools are quick and to the point

When you are limited to 140 characters (Twitter), you’ve got to be concise. Get to the point, respond, move on. Twitter also has the advantage of both broadcasting to the group or responding to the individual.

1. NO SPAM!

At least not yet. Spam is one of the biggest reasons many dread opening their morning email. Even with the best filters, it still gets through. Worse yet, spam filters often block the messages we need to see.

Unlike email, social media sites allow us to choose who sends us messages. While social media makes it easier to broadcast to the group, it also makes it easier not to listen.

So while email will always have it’s place, many are finding social media tools filling in for the shortcomings of email.

One of the great things about FaceBook is its ability to spread information or items of interest quick. When a Facebook member becomes a “fan” of something, links a blog post or video of interest, or sends a gift, it can be quickly passed among thousands of Facebook members in a matter of moments.

Realizing the popularity of their post election front page announcing “Obama,” the New York Times created a FaceBook “gift” consistiong of a photo of the cover for Facebook fans to pass around to their Facebook “friends.” Naturally, the gift linked directly to the New York Times FaceBook page.

According to a memo released by the NY Times, the Times reached more than 68.3 million people through the campaign and tripled their number of fans bringing the total to more than 164,000 fans following the NY Times online. By November 19th, the fan base had grown to more than 181,000 fans. More than 400,000 Obama “gifts” were passed around by FaceBook users and the NY Times FaceBook page received more than 34,000 comments.

Total cost to the NY Times? About nothing. That is the beauty of FaceBook and other social media sites. Everything is spread through word of mouth advertising. Add to that a growing “fan base” in which to spread their message and you quickly see the power of a social media tool such as FaceBook.