What are the biggest trends in social media? At the recent DMA07 in Chicago, the Target Marketing Group asked that question of Geoff Ramsey, co-founder and CEO of eMarketer Inc., a market research and trend analysis company focusing on the Internet, e-business, online marketing, media and emerging technologies.

In a podcast posted here, Ramsey said the two social media trends that are transforming the entire marketing landscape are video and social networks.

Video

Ramsey said that while the public is very familiar with television and direct response ads and how they work, the Internet offers more variety.

"You can have short-form videos like [those] on YouTube, but you also have long-form [with] companies like Joost working with the big networks [to create] long-form content," he says.

Ramsey says that we are just now "beginning to figure out ways to make money on these things." "Or, from a marketer's perspective, 'how can I engage people to the extent that I can track it and measure it to the point of sale?,'" he adds.

Ramsey says he applauds Google for its purchase of YouTube and for the fact that it has developed overlay ads -- semi-transparent animated ads that overlay atop the bottom fifth of a video window for a few seconds when a user views a YouTube clip. But, he said the jury is still out if overlays are going to be the de facto standard in the world of video advertising.

What he does like about overlays, however, is that they really take into account the fundamental attitude of people online today, which is, "I'm in control."

"Overlays are a great way to let people know you are there ... And without taking me away from the content I came to in the first place, I can engage with that brand, possibly go and find out more about it and possibly even make a purchase if I want to. So that's an exciting opportunity."

Social Networks

Ramsey said that social networks basically are user-generated profile pages and that the concept of user-generated content is not new.

However, he says that what's different is that "We have now the tools as consumers to engage on a deeper or a broader level, in that instead of two or three people looking at my artwork or my music or my expression of my self, 20,000, 30,000, 50,0000 people can view it."

However, Ramsey said, "The question for marketers is, "How can I take advantage of that?'"

For more podcasts from the DMA07 Conference & Expo, visit the Target Marketing Web site at www.targetmarketingmag.com.