Are group-buying sites social?
Mirna Bard over at SmartBlogs.com poses the question: are social-buying sites (Groupon, Living Social, etc.) part of social media?
My opinion is that they are not. Groupon, et al., use social media/networks to grow and prosper, but it in and of themselves aren’t part of social media for two reasons:
It doesn’t have a user-facing network. I don’t have a network of friends based around Groupon.
It doesn’t have user-generated content. Groupon doesn’t allow me to create/share/distribute anything.
These services are basically a giant email newsletters and nothing more. Hugely successful and wildly lucrative email newsletters, but email newsletters nonetheless. Any social interactions regarding Groupon happen through email or social media, but Groupon in and of itself doesn’t fall under that category.
Dissenting opinion
Carlee and I were discussing this yesterday and she disagrees with me. We decided we’d each write a post justifying our relative positions in a Social Media Battle Royale(TM) and in the hopes of getting a good discussion going in the comments.
Carlee’s post will be up tomorrow (Jan. 28) but don’t let that stop you from telling me I’m right, today.
I agree with the author. Just because something utilizes social media, doesn’t mean it IS social media. Sites like groupon are essentially social media parasites, but in a good way. Like a parasite, the groupons of the world draw their “life” from their social media “hosts” and in return, they pass good deals around, increase traffic on sites like twitter, etc. Sort of like a symbiotic relationship.
Easiest way to determine if something can be considered social media: isolate it. If email and facebook and twitter and any other of the myriad social networks didn’t exist, could Groupon still function? If the answer is no, it’s a parasite, not a host.
@averageben I like the symbiotic concept as well as your test. Thanks for the comment.
I agree that the deal sharing aspect can be “part” of a community, but it’s facilitated somewhere else. Posting or telling others what you just bought to Twitter/Facebook/sharing with friends/emailing/phone calls/etc.
Deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are generating a lot of buzz, but coupon sites have been around a long time and I don’t see them being considered social media and most of them have a forum or “community” element.
Not sure I would classify email as a social medium, but I think the deal sites could exist without social media. They benefit from social media, but I believe they could survive without it.
I agree with Dave, that they are not stand alone social networks.
Great post! Businesses nationwide are using Group Buying sites like Groupon and LivingSocial to reach new customers in a new demographic. Here’s a Social Buying blog I found that tackles the same subject, so I thought I’d share. Thanks again!