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While out shopping on the high street the other day, I couldn’t help raise a smile when overhearing a group of 40-something mums, shout to each other “I’ll facebook ya!”

It suddenly occurred to me that social networking, which I’ve always considered the preserve of educated professionals, students and office workers has gone mainstream. Even Coronation St has its own Facebook group, how long will it be before Emily, Rita and Norris swapping a gin ‘n’ tonic down the Rovers for a game of FarmVille on Facebook?       

What started out as a way of keeping in touch with friends - and getting back in contact with old ones - has taken on a whole new remit. In my Facebook experience, I’ve started noticing whole generations of families ‘facebooking’ each other, kids, parents, grandparents and I’m sure I’m not alone in the sudden influx of friend requests from cousins, aunties and uncles. Maybe this is family values re-invented?      

As Twitter celebrates its first entry into the Collins English Dictionary this month, I wonder if the social networking site will ever end up with such a mixed audience as Facebook?

This blog has got the scoop more than once on the emergence of twitter as a way for the entertainment industry to engage with fandom.  Andy Murray was one of the first to serve up insight bites from his life on the tennis pro-circuit.  More recently Stephen Fry  has amassed a gargantuan following whilst he travels through Africa filming ‘Last Chance to See’.

The latest “twend” (that’s a twitter trend…) is for tv shows to have a presence both to publicise the show, talk directly to viewers and to be first with the latest news “we plan to tweet stuff before it goes anywhere else” says the official twitter for ‘I’m A Celebrity …Get Me Out Of Here!”   Well it may be breaking news but it’s to an exclusive audience. There were less than 75 of us when the first episode of the season went live to a rather more substantial 8.9 million.

What the TV publicity machine doesn’t quite get yet is that the conversation has to be real, engaging and genuinely two way, something Mr Fry undoubtedly understands.   The authentic voice of an individual also carries more weight on the web that the call of the corporate even one “off the telly”. 

Other TV shows with a presence on Twitter include the X-Factor (59 followers)*, Coronation Street (41 followers)* and Emmerdale (just sweet sixteen)*.  It seems that it’s not quite over for ‘old media’ just yet.