About five years ago, when Webster's Dictionary first recognised the word ‘blog', people took it as a sign that blogging had truly arrived. Today, blogging is so mainstream it is almost passé.

What's been getting a lot of media attention and industry buzz for the past year is social media. Unlike blogs which took a relatively long time to become mainstream, social media has arrived far quicker.

NONE First, allow me to define ‘social media', which is often lumped with ‘Web 2.0' and ‘new media'. Indeed these phrases are often used interchangeably, which is a mistake because - although related - they are not one and the same.

The phrase ‘new media' has been around the longest. In its broadest sense, it could refer to any form of digital media (which include VCDs and SMS). However, I take it to mean any form of digital content that can be delivered through the Internet.

‘Web 2.0' refers to the interactive web. In the early days, the web was a one-way street. There was no interaction. The earliest manifestation of Web 2.0 would be blogs.

Fostering relationships

‘Social media' refers to a form of interactive web that also fosters relationships. Facebook , Twitter and Friendster are obvious examples but even services like Flickr and YouTube can be classified as social media as they foster both interaction and community-building.

In a nutshell, new media encompasses all forms of online content, while Web 2.0 is a subset of new media that is interactive in nature. And social media is a subset of Web 2.0 that encourages relationship-building.

So, what makes me say that social media is now ready for prime time? Well, the just released 2010 edition of the AP Stylebook - an Associated Press publication which calls itself "the journalist's bible" - includes six pages devoted to social media guidelines.

earth "We found ourselves in the course of doing our jobs, asking and answering fundamental questions about social media in journalism: What does social media include? How do we use it?" Lauren McCullough, AP's manager of social networks told Poynter.org. "We thought the Stylebook was a good vehicle to put some really basic guidelines out there for journalists to reference and consider."

Guidelines for the future

The new Social Media Guidelines section includes information and policies on using tools like Facebook and Twitter , how journalists can apply them to their work and how to verify sources found through them.

Also included are 42 separate entries on such terms as app, blogs, click-throughs, friend and unfriend, metadata, RSS, search engine optimisation, smart phone, trending, widget and Wiki .

korean internet computer users AP formulated these guidelines by soliciting questions through its AP Stylebook website and AP Stylebook Twitter account. When I last checked, they chalked over 46,000 followers.

First published in 1953, and now updated annually, the AP Stylebook is the gold standard not just for journalists and editors but also for students and people working in advertising, public relations and corporate communications.

I myself refer to the AP Stylebook for guidance on how to spell certain IT-related words, and generally agree with their recommendations.

For example, although most refer to electronic mail as ‘email', I still prefer AP's recommendation to spell it as ‘e-mail'. AP also recommends ‘e-book' and ‘e-reader' be spelled with a hyphen.

The stylebook also defines a number of acronyms used in instant messaging, such as ‘ROFL', and ‘BRB'.

One intriguing acronym caught my eye: ‘POS'. According to the stylebook, it refers to "parent over shoulder", used by teenagers to tell friends they are chatting with that a parent is approaching. I bet you didn't know that one. I confess, I didn't.

OON YEOH is a new media practitioner who was the first Malaysian journalist to blog (via Malaysiakini ) way back in 2003. He has worked in both print and online media and has experience in the mobile sector as well. His upcoming book on social media will be published by MPH in July. He invites you to connect with him via Twitter and Facebook .