This is also archived on the We ARE Media. What are Social Media? Social media comprise the vast array of communications vehicles including blogs, wikis, e-mail, and social networking sites that are powered by the Internet. Social media can be best understand by what they are NOT.

The strategic use of social media is about changing your perspective, not using new communication tools. Fortunately, in the past four years, many social marketers and change agents have emerged to fill in those gaps. Mostly how to use the new media in old ways. Somehow, it has become sooo – sinister, subversive, sexy?

The American Public Health Association seems to be in catch-up mode, and is now trying to quickly compile information about the use of social media by public health agencies and programs. Wikis. These are just a few of the social media applications that are changing our world and redefining how we communicate information.

Need to introduce your staff or anyone else to social media tools? The videos include: RSS, social media, social networking, social bookmarking, online photo sharing, blogs, podcasting, twitter, and wikis. Here’s the one on wikis to give you a taste. flickr/dorineruter.

What was clear is that social media is playing a bigger role in disaster preparedness and response than ever before. With a volunteer effort led by Andy Carvin of NPR, the work centered around a Ning social network called the Gustav Information Center and a related wiki.

I’m always blown away whenever I step outside of the social media fishbowl/community and step into reality. Google Docs is the ultimate tool for when you need wiki functionality, but don’t necessarily want to open it up to the public and/or you just have a short term initiative in mind. What is it? Show me how!

The authors of Groundswell (who also have day jobs at Forrester Research ) have put together this very helpful and straightforward methodology for planning your social media strategy; it's called POST. Note that choosing the technology( ies ) to power your social media program is THE LAST STEP in the process. Cheers!

Jacob Nielsen, the guru of usability testing, has a new Alertbox on Social Networking on Intranets that is worth the read. Companies are turning a blind eye to underground social software efforts until they prove their worth, and then sanctioning them within the enterprise. And concludes …social software isn't really about the tools.

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic shift in the emphasis of determinants of health and social behaviors from individuals to networks and communities. The world of social network theory introduces us to an entirely new set of concepts and ways of thinking about human behavior and the social forces that directly influence it.

Thanks to Dissident , a delightful blog discovery, I've also discovered the Common Craft Show and two video presentations -- the best I've ever seen for newbies on using RSS and Wikis. Click To Play Wikis in Plain English by Common Craft. They're also quite amusing. Click To Play RSS in Plain English by Common Craft.