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There are many industries that are starting to prosper due to the social media revolution.  In Napa Valley, CA, many wineries are now turning to social media to promote their products.  Even small wineries have used Facebook to bring new customers to test out their free samples.  However, the smartest wineries are finding more innovative ways to leverage social media to take a product that has been around for thousands of years into the Information Era. Critics have felt that the Internet was the death of the music industry.  When people could download almost every song they could ever want for free, the record industry lost billions.  Now, the same revolution that almost destroyed the industry may also make it more successful than ever. According to the article Could Social Networking Sites Save the Music Industry , young audiences need validation for their taste in music.  For years, they have gone to file sharing sites that have done nothing but take from the industry.  Now, social networking sites offer free music, but they provide it in a way that offers value back to the industry.  It is really the best of both worlds. Some sites have made social media one of their biggest strategies for promotion.  One of the newest programs is the Global Attack Mixtape Series , which is using social media to promote great artists from around the world.  They currently represent at least a hundred artists and the word is spreading fast thanks to sites such as Facebook, Stumbleupon, Digg and Twitter.  It is impossible to tell how big social media can make projects like Global Attack. Even more practical industries such as healthcare are using social media to change the way they do business.  Doctors have started using Twitter to communicate procedures.  Other social networking sites are used to train students and keep people informed about developments in the industry.  Websites such as Inspire have used social media for the expressed purpose of helping patients and medical professionals share their experiences and make medical services more effective. Social media is a new trend that has already shaped the way businesses market.  Many entrepreneurs are awed by how social media can help them market their business.  They measure the effectiveness of the industry on a micro scale. The truth is that this trend is bigger than we can probably fathom.  It is shaping businesses and saving industries that seemed doomed to fail.  It helps businesses that were aging or fading find a new image and appeal to a younger audience.  It may be my imagination, but it seems like there are more younger people attending wine tasting events now.  I may be reading too much into this, but it might have something to do with the fact that they are trying to appeal to the younger generation’s desire to stay in touch on Facebook. Social media does not seem to be a fad to me.  The trend that is shaping business will probably become even more powerful.  Smart industries will find ways to ride it out and use it to its fullest potential.  Personally, I hope to be in one of the industries that gets to go along for the ride. Kalen Smith is the founder of Engineer-a-Business, a provider of business-to-business services and informational products for developing technology businesses. Read more about Kalen here .