Social media have transformed the way we communicate and consume and have become a very attractive space to launch new projects, though competition is increasing. This is one of the main conclusions of nonick, the conference held in Bilbao about social networks and online communities, the new trend of the Internet.

Social networks only have five years of life, but they have become a daily space for millions of people. Nonick was dedicated to exploring future possibilities for these tools, mainly from the point of view of entrepreneurship, but also as a phenomenon that has revolutionized daily life.

Jennifer Preston, social media editor of The New York Times, opened the sessions with an explanation of how social media are changing the way news are created and spread. Preston said that twitter, Youtube and specialized blogs are a basic tool for journalists, since user generated content is taking an increasing role in the generation of news. Another important change is that news do not die when printed on paper or issued in screens, since the Internet allows the stories to continue being updated.

One of the most expected speeches of the meeting came from Tuenti’s founder Zaryn Dentzel, an American entrepreneur based in Spain. He spoke about the importance of privacy on social networks, an area in which Facebook is not being very protective. Tuenti considers this issue as one of the keys to achieve a high level of confidence and a basis of the company, which complies with European regulation on this respect.

Dentzel also announced a new tool in the platform, Tuenti Sitios, which integrates shops, restaurants, bars and services rated by users. “We think that the Internet should be local and focused on everyday users”, explained Dentzel.

This is an interesting interview of Preston:

Tags: jennifer preston, zaryn dentzel