My social media experiences over the past decade have allowed me to observe developments from multiple perspectives. From these experiences I’ve gleaned one significant consideration as you look to 2010 for your social media needs — technology is not King, the user is!

Many social media development efforts today appear to be suffering from tech-heavy focuses that in the end, could lose them their audience and their purposefulness. It is much the same affliction that the main stream media has experienced over the years — an overindulgence of self-purported purposefulness, and a lack of focus on the client-driven, audience-centered developments that put them on top to begin with. Although content is purported to be king in this digital day and age, it certainly cannot trump audience needs, wants and desires. To allow this to happen is certain death.

A perfect analogy for this amazing development is this: imagine a man realizes there is a huge demand for cashmere sweaters. Not just any sweater, but bright orange, pink and green cashmere sweaters. He recognizes this need by observation of his target audience, and begins efforts to develop, market and sell these sweaters based on feedback from the folks who have the need or want.

A year later he hears about a new machine that can hand-knit wool sweaters very efficiently and effectively, and can create various designs, including stripes and other decorative features.

In his zeal to develop the most technologically advanced sweater manufacturing business around he focuses all his energy and resources on developing the manufacturing processes and improving the technological developments of the plant.  In the process he loses sight of his past client connections and the wants and desires of his target audience. Instead of meeting with representatives of his clientele for their ideas and suggestions, he forges ahead confident that new developments are the best way toward the future.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that his efforts will be a huge failure. By closing the door to his target market he loses the perspective of those who will keep him in business. And by looking to technological change and development as the way to business success he loses sight of the fact that even in the digital age, the customer is still always King. In the end their vote is what matters most. Does your product answer their questions? Does it solve their problems? Does it fill a need, or even a deep desire? If not, it is of no use no matter how “technologically sound” it may be.

Social media developments that lose site of their target audience as a result of technological developments and focus risk the same fate. Once you close the door that links you to your audience, you lose an avenue of information that is imperative for success. The audience, most especially in the social media world, wants to speak to you — they want their voice to be heard, and they don’t want to be told what does, and doesn’t, work for them. If their voice is ignored they will vote their opinions with the click of a mouse — to the next website that will listen.