One of the really important things to consider when pondering your social media strategy the differences between ego-centric and object-centric networks. There have been some very good posts on this subject and I list them below – but here’s our abridged take on the subject:

Ego-centric Networks

• Represented by sites like Facebook and Myspace
• User profiles are the main focus
• Advertising and marketing in this environment is more difficult (communities can be averse to intrusive marketing pitches).
• Sites may be subject to trends/fads as the dynamics of the community change

Object-centric Networks

• Represented by sites like Flickr and Youtube
• Content is the main focus
• Content spam and keyword hijacking can be problematic
• Sites are less subject to trends or fads as they are essentially content storage utilities

Some very good posts on the subject:

Fred Stutzman: Social Network Transitions, Joshua Porter: Will Flickr and Youtube outlast Myspace and Facebook?, and Michele Martin: Egocentric vs. Object Centric Networks: I Think I Know the Problem With Ning.