Mapping the Evolving Conversation Online

The online universe has exploded over the past 10 years and much like outer space, the universe online appears to be growing at a faster and faster rate.  With all this growth it can be hard for even the most dedicated marketing professionals to keep up with all the emerging new social properties and fading old stars as innovators build new platforms and fickle users switch their attention to the next new shiny object to catch their eyes.  So as with any journey into new and unfamiliar territory, what is need here is a good map!  Luckily Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas have devloped just such a map for us.

I came across The Conversation Prism a couple of weeks ago.  It is a beautiful kaleidoscopic view of the interactive media universe. It doesn't claim to be an exhaustive look at everything social, but it does provide an exceedingly comprehensive view.  I have found it very helpful in presentations on the changing vast landscape of interactive media.  It a great visual depiction of the large number of platforms out there beyond the basic 5 that everyone talks about (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn).  It is also a good reminder of how many existing online sites are evolving to add social components.

So now that you have a map why not go check some corner of the social universe where you haven't traveled before?  You never know what you might find there.