Companies, if you're not already, get on a social site

We're a society driven by social interactions. Learning from people, taking, giving, listening, talking, connecting. I feel that way, but my generation has molded into a different kind of interacting. I don't remember a time where you mention someone that I don't know, and I say "oh wait, I'll just look him up on Facebook," or when you're interested in a company and you can directly connect with the VP or HR Director on LinkedIn.

I grew up with social media, where the Internet and new web 2.0 trends aren't 'foreign' to me. It's my language. However, recently a study from a Boston consultant firm, Cone found that almost "60 percent of Americans interact with companies on a social media website, and one in four interact more than once per week."

It's not just important to us Generation Y'ers anymore because 93% of Americans believe a company should have a precense in social media. To dive deeper, 85% believe a company should also interact with its customers via social media.

We still thrive on human interaction, it's just through a different medium...and companies, businesses, services, etc. should realize that the interaction will be pivotal to their success. It's a lucrative industry, but social media is exploding, growing, and changing even this very instant as I'm typing. So, hop on board--tweet away, blog about it, upload your video coverage to YouTube, and remember the important social interaction humans are looking for.

[The online survey was conducted September 11-12, 2008, by Opinion Research Corporation, among 1,092 adults comprising 525 men and 567 women 18 years of age and older. For more on the study click here.