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Just Your Standard Bull

published: April 2nd 2010
by: Michael Sturgess

Google the phrase Social Media, and you will get the Wikipedia definition that reads “Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many).”
    Quite simply, millions of people are staying in touch with other people on the internet. They are using things like blogs, websites, Facebook, Google, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, to not only stay connected but to keep current on events around the globe. Who would have thought that things such as electronic mail, or email, or tools like Google, could lead us to where we are today?
    Last month, we shared with you that Southern Livestock Standard now has a fan page. In just over a month, the page has over 330 fans and is still growing. Originally, it was thought that it would mainly be used to keep people up to date on what the staff was doing, and by doing so, keep those that were interested up to date on certain current events like the “goings on” of the Houston Livestock Show. We also wanted to use it to point people towards articles we publish not only in Southern Livestock Standard, but on SouthernLivestock.com. It has worked well for both—in fact has probably surpassed our expectations in these areas.
    But it has also served our followers as another means of staying up to date on other topics like animals rights groups and their latest antics. In case you haven’t pick up on this, the internet is a hotbed for information concerning these groups, what they are trying to do and who their corporate sponsors are. The print media and even major network media usually have a problem with beating up on their advertisers, so you usually won’t find these issues published there—at least not at first.
    Some of you perhaps heard about the brew-ha-ha that was centered around Yellow Tail Wine and their corporate gift of $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). These and other topics come and go quickly, spreading like wildfire building momentum rapidly. Before you know it, thousands, if not millions of people across the country are outraged and spreading the news to their friends.
    So—does corporate America listen? You bet they do! According to information posted on the Advocates for Agriculture blog (http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/2010/02/ ok-farm-report-interview-about-yellow.html), Yellow Tail now says it will never donate money to HSUS again.
    No one believes that corporate America is an enemy to Agriculture. But sometimes they may not understand the full agendas of those whom they choose to support with contributions or donations. Our very own American auto manufacturers have to be reminded occasionally that American Agriculture is a major market for light duty trucks. The true reality is that Social Media has and will make publicly traded companies more accountable to the American public.
    And what about our government? If my guess is right, the age of Social Media may prove to make our government more accountable to its citizens as well. I know that many talk shows around the country would have you believe that they are spurring on the current Tea Party movement we hear about on the Fox network, but I am convinced that the age of Social Media has fueled the flames of this movement more than any other entity. And it may surely be the Social Media phenomenon that will have more to do with unseating the Democrats in November than all the conservative talk shows combined.
    It is said that Facebook added over 100 million users in less than nine months. I really don’t think that it is a large reach to say that Social Media will influence public opinion more than any other form of media in the near future. So how do we fit in? How do we stay relevant? We would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Our staff is currently going through a series of meetings where these very topics are being discussed. What is it that you, our readers, want to see in print, and what would you prefer to see on our web site?
    We invite your input—it means a great deal to us. Our future should leave no one behind but should also be more relevant to a larger audience. And the easiest way to send us your comments is the contact page on our website (http://www.southernlivestock.com/contact_us). Of course, you can also post them on the Southern Livestock Fan page on Facebook. Either way, we would love to hear from you!