Nothing has changed except for the tools.

Since no one else with a blog has ever written a post about social media or social networking, I figured I'd step up.

OK. I lied. There are over 80 million Google results for the term social networking. There are countless self proclaimed "gurus", free ebooks, expensive twitter seminars, and dummies books about the topic. I go to a conference without hearing about social media mastery, Facebook 101, or how social media is changing the world of student housing. I've even presented some of these sessions, yet...

I call bullsh!t.

Nothing has really changed except for the tools. Most of the "gurus" understand the tools, but many miss the point.

I admit, I am a bigger geek than most. I get excited about the newest Facebook feature, the shiny new Twitter app, and the next real time social media application. I just checked in on Brightkite. This blog entry will automatically turn into a tweet. My runs are mapped and logged by my phone and recorded on Facebook through MapMyRun.

I get excited about geeky stuff, but at the end of the day, these are just new tools for an age-old principle. People want to connect. People want relationships. People need people.

What does this mean? I learn a lot from these gurus, and so should you. You must keep up with the latest social media strategies. Look at the cool stuff being done all over the industry. You must innovate. You must keep up and keep others chasing you down. But you must not miss the point. Don't miss the relationship. Don't forget things really haven't changed. From telegrams to twitter or pigeons to Pidgin, the need for connection is constant. The tools are just helping us get there in different ways.