Like different breeds of dogs, Influencers have unique traits that are better suited to meet specific goals.  Among Influencer breeds are Activists, Connectors, Impactors and Trend Setters.  Each type of Influencer has a distinct role to play in executing a successful social media strategy.  Knowing your own strengths as an Influencer as well as those of the influencers you work with can give you a fundamental advantage in your marketplace.

For example, if your goals are related to increasing your companies ROI, then Connectors and Impacters will offer important opportunities to engage other key people and resources. If you’re rolling out a new tech product, then Trend Setters would be the first group of Influencers that you’d want to reach. Trend Setters are predictably “early-adopters” of innovative products. They like to be in “the know” first, while the Connectors and Impactors take the lead in sharing information with the broader community. Throw in the Activists, who initiate real change by recognizing where progress can have the greatest impact, and together you have a dynamic network of people who collectively drive change, but alone each has less influence on singular outcomes.

Read the full article here.

It is an interesting time for social media.  Fifteen years ago bulletin boards and  forums were the only platforms available.  Three to five years ago blogs, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook were carving out a niche.  This week Google announced Buzz which was added to the internet social landscape along with Twitter, Side Wiki, Wave, SlideShare, Vidler, Vimeo, UStream, Ning, MyBlogLog, FriendFeed, etc.

The entire web is getting more social by the second and user generated content is king.

Social media is still looked at as a fad by some, a necessary business tool with unproven value by others and a deeper way to discover great people to have great relationships with by millions.  Marketers and PR folks are racing to figure out how to use the tools, but are mostly using old school tactics and ignoring the strategy needed for long term gains.

A handful of companies are actually using social media to authentically deliver better customer service, listen to people and make their businesses and bottom lines better.  A mountain of critics who don’t use or understand social media are still ignorantly claiming that it’s stupid because it’s just people announcing when they go to the bathroom.  (Note to self  – don’t criticize what I don’t understand.  And definitely don’t do it as if I have a clue about what I’m talking about or I’ll look like an idiot.)

The revolution in communication is being ignored while the focus is on the revolutionary technology.  After the mainstream called social media stupid for five years, the pendulum swung to claiming that it’s the new great hope for advertising, marketing and PR.  Now we are now making our way to the middle.  This is where we start to realize that daily use of social media is like daily use of a cell phone or a car.  It’s just part of how we live today.

Websites have become media properties (which most have not realized yet), publishing is  now dominated by individual passionate influencers, and social media is lubricating a massive transition from top dogs having power to passionate participants creating what matters to the public.

In five years the term social media may fade away because we’ll wake up to realize that: 1.People are inherently social (well over 75% of your day is spent communicating with other people), and 2.  All media has become social (even CNN and newspapers use blogs, Twitter, etc. to connect with viewers and readers).

Calling media ‘social media’ is like calling water ‘wet water’.  The more you use it, the more you’ll live it and the more connected, tuned in and turned on you’ll be.

If you are still worried about your information being on the web, get over it.  Google your phone number and you’ll see your name and address with a link to Google Maps.

That information has been online for at least a couple of years.  Has it hurt you? I doubt it.  You’d be better served to set up a Google profile so that people will read information about you that you would like them to see.

Currently 74.2% of the American population is online.  That leaves about 80 million people who are still not using the interwebs, but their information is most likely on the interwebs even though they’re late adopters.

The opportunities of being ubiquitous online are so far beyond the risks that it’s hard not to laugh when people express fear of baddies on the internets.  Do they exist? Yes.  Just like you’ll find a sex offender in your neighborhood if you search for them.  Have they shown up at your door lately? Probably not.

Yes they’re a threat, but the perceived threat is huge compared to the actual chance of a real threat.  Trying to be invisible online is about as effective as moving to a remote cave to be protected from a sex offender since they’re in every metropolitan neighborhood.  Studies since 2005 have repeatedly shown that identity theft, the largest privacy concern for most people, happens less often, is less harmful and is less costly online rather than offline.

Evidence continually points to the fact that being online, being able to be found and building your personal brand are incredibly beneficial and those who are ignoring this are doing so at their own peril.  The web is evolving into being the social web and those who embrace connecting to Influencers and becoming Influencers will be the ones to enjoy the most personal and professional benefits from this shift.

As Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, recently said at the Crunchies conference, “Public is the new social norm.”

About a year ago the big prediction was that mobile platforms were going to break out in 2009.  Their influence grew, but outside of Asia, the world is still way behind in utilizing the full potential of what’s available now for mobile computing much less what’s around the corner.

The latest 2010 breakthrough prediction is that next year is the year that social media ROI will finally be measurable.  This will be a great leap forward for advertisers if it comes true.  It will also solidify the shift from traditional media domination of ad buys over to a large increase in those funds moving to work with individual online influencers.

My company predicts that, based on our extensive research, 2011 will be the Year of The Influencer.  Therefore, it’s not a surprise that I agree that 2010 will be the year that social media ROI can finally be measured.  One reason why I expect that to happen is that we’re one of the companies working hard to build the structures to make it happen.

Aside from that, the biggest question about social media in 2009, especially from people new to the field, was “what’s the ROI on a social media marketing campaign?”  The analytical tools like Klout, Radian6, Twitter Grader and Filtrbox are getting sharper by the day in measuring online influence in ways that actually matter to answer that question.

Brands are just starting to seek out channel partnerships and influencers who can be brand advocates.  In the last six months this space has become white hot and is currently in it’s infancy.

Remember that ‘Twitter’ was declared the most used word in 2009 and ‘influencer’ may be on it’s heels for that title in 2010 or 2011.  When those two words create the return on investment everyone’s looking for, then the evolution of media power from traditional media to social media will begin it’s second phase fueled by multiple models of profitability.

One of the decisions that has consistently altered my life to be better was the choice to surround myself with people that are smarter and more interesting than myself.

I’m fortunate to live in a city full of smart, fun and creative people. This makes it easier to never be the smartest person in the room, but you can do this no matter where you live.

When I first started seeking out people smarter than myself I felt a slight insecurity, but it was not as persuasive as the positive powerful feeling of stretching myself.  In my case, I went deep into tech geek culture with venture capitalists, angel funders, entrepreneurs, socially conscious business people and coders who practically speak in another language when they talk about technology.

There is a phrase I like that says, “Fear is simply excitement without the breath.”  It’s a little hokey and may not be true, but reminds me to get over anxiety when I’m afraid and just do what I’m afraid of.  One of those big fears for me was meeting new people.

Anyone who has only known me the last few years would never believe that I was an introvert because now I’m almost hyper-social.  But it took conscious effort to leave the shyness at the door.  The rewards from not only meeting people, but specifically meeting interesting smart people, has been invaluable.

Besides learning and laughing daily by knowing these people, we have helped each other find jobs, connect to business partners and share resources that have had mutual benefit to our personal and professional lives.

If you’re mostly hanging around people beneath your level of knowledge, experience and financial wealth, you’ll have a hard time creating great experiences because you’ll have to create a lot of it alone.  I’m not saying it can’t happen, or that it’s what everyone wants, but I find life to be much fuller in direct proportion to the time I spend with inspiring, smart, interesting and helpful people.

My Twitter friends have been an exponential boon in my growth in these areas because I’ve found and been found by so many amazing people around the globe.  Social media has opened access for us to millions of people you could never have had the time and energy to connect with otherwise.  Now we are changing the world for the better together.

As you build your online presence realize that we are moving into the Year of the Influencer in 2010 or 2011.  I’ll write more on this in the coming months, but what matters is that you don’t need a lot of money or power to do great things or to meet great people.

To become an influencer or to enjoy the rewards that come from connecting to influencers who share their knowledge, experience and resources only takes passion and action.  After investing some quality time sharing what’s great about you & what you’re passionate about with other great people the snowball rolls down the hill.

Technology and the psychological shift towards more transparent and integrous modes of doing business are creating a revolution.  One of the main reasons this is happening so quickly is that smart people are freely sharing their time and efforts with other high quality smart and interesting people online.  As these people (including you) meet, converse and collaborate, it’s ushering in a new world that’s benefiting all of us.

The next time you’re at a party, a networking event, on Twitter, or anywhere that other people are present, I invite you to seek out the people who seem more interesting and smarter than you.  Then introduce yourself, mention what you found interesting about them, ask them good questions, listen to what they have to share and notice how good you feel after connecting with them.