226: The number of brands on a growing list of social media marketing examples. Just under two weeks ago, I posted a list of about 120 examples of brands either using social media for marketing or being impacted by users exerting influence in the channel. Since then, the list has almost doubled based on the contributions of individuals who added additional insight. I'm grateful for the power of word-of-mouth and generosity of those who have shared.


The reason I started the list is that for the past few months, I've been continually asking myself, "What is social media?" I find the Wikipedia entry lacking, which you'd think would be authoritative on this, if any subject. I must admit that after hours of building and maintaining this list, I'm left with more questions than answers.
Paul Dunay asked the key question on this blog about a month that gets right to the heart of the matter: "Is Podcasting Social Media?" I don't think his question was ever definitively answered.
When I look at the list of 226 examples, blogging is the most common activity (52% of companies), followed by social networks (47%), microblogging (20%), and online video (18%). Then when I check the references, many are sadly no more than [an analogy that can't be used safely anymore because of political reasons].
Let's get back to Paul's question, but let me ask it in a different way: When marketers use social media for marketing purposes, do the "social" aspects of the channel dissipate? Why do so many social media marketing efforts look so much like traditional marketing stuff with a "2.0" sticker slapped on top?