These are tough questions to independently & objectively answer but one thing we can all agree on is that there’s no shortage of problems starting us straight in the face – pick one. It boils down to values, what are yours?

So why are we (generally, at large) still so fixated on learning, embracing, and even exploiting “social media” for such commercialized purposes? In this sense I think “social media” is still in infancy stage which might explain why we’re acting like infants;  it’s almost as though “social media” has become an oxymoron.

Make no mistake – the shift is happening: “social media” is growing up and maturing into a matter of practical social application. I see “social media” is a function of networked people, therefore, the network(s) themselves are evolving – which is a good sign.

Social Media for Social Change is a small example of an emerging trend: people using social tools to connect & collaborate with a deeper more humanistic purpose.

I am of the opinion that the next phase of “social media” will include more “social” and less “media.”

Marketers, advertisers, narcissists, ego’s, and the like should consider that “social media” (tools, networks, apps, platforms, etc.) are not created or driven by anything other than our human nature: that is, to be human.

While there is a place for humanity in the marketplace, our society/culture is still largely off balance-we’ve still got a ways to go before we find an equilibrium between capitalism and humanism within our society.

The good news is, based on my research and inclination for trends, I speculate that  we will be seeing a noticeable increase in the worthwhile & meaningful application of  “social media” tools.

And yes, there is plenty of financial opportunity in the next wave of “social media”, but it will be reserved for the most aggressive “social animals” who in and of themselves, represent merit & “social value”. In other words, the metrics will change from arbitrary variables (# of twitter followers) to meaningful social yardsticks – ie “how many people have I/we directly positively impacted today?”

Many individuals (including myself) and organizations stand to enrich themselves and the world around them by moving beyond the “media” and into the “social”; making a bunch of money in the process doesn’t hurt either, which is entirely possible if done correctly (read: people>money).

What if, in the future, our value is primarily based on our “social contribution”? What kind of effect would this have on our communities and the world at large?

If anyone disagrees or has thoughts on this subject, please share…

Project Title: 40 Ventures- a “seed fund & venture development enterprise”

Organizers: Marti Nyman & John Montague

Strategy: 5 companies per year are taken in on full time basis to an environment known as “the facility”.  Mentorships ensue with multi-party hands on development aimed at prepping the startup for first round VC/Angel 12 months forward. “The facility” and related resources will be based out of Minneapolis and application process begins fall ‘09 and the program is set to kick off Jan 1 2010.  According to Mr. Nyman, the fund target is 20 million over 8 years, intending to to inject 40 different ventures with initial seed capital in the 100-200k range.  Percentage of equity will be negotiable and shares issed are in fact, founders shares.

Inv Paramaters: light orgs; not working with med device, not looking for long regulatory approval cycle, saas (consumer, enterprise, commercial), social media, digital media, online retail, mobility, computing simplification, etc.

Notes: Startups will spend a longer time “in facility” than comparable models, ie- techstars,y combinator.

Need: Right team,  clarity of idea, viability of idea, reality of demand, clear understanding of how to go to market, capital efficiency model.

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