Has social media killed the website?

By SARAH NADAV
 Just a few years ago the website was king.  If you wanted a presence online a website was just about the only way to go.  Now, you can create profiles on numerous social networking sites.  It would seem that the website along with google has become redundant, a dinosaur.  If people can find you and information about you on facebook then it begs the question: is there really a point in investing in a website?
This is a depressing thought for website designers, content managers and SEO (search engine optimizing) specialists and I imagine has many of them waking up in a cold sweat at night asking themselves the very same questions.
As things stand today I think that it is not actually true (at least not yet) because websites give something to people that no social networking site can give - complete freedom and control. From the design to the actual components of the site there is no one making you fit into any dimensions besides the size of a computer screen. On a social networking site you need to play by their rules, use the colors font and design that they give you to choose from because they all have their own agenda.  While it may just seem like fun for you, it is a calculated fun - a socially networked, wired and optimized “social” experience.
Your website can look anyway that you want it to (whether or not that is a good thing is between you and your designer). And if you are using social networking correctly it is not taking the place of your website - it is leading people to your website. Your website needs to be the sun in your social media universe with everything else revolving around it.
While the power of social media is only going to grow - the way it manifests is still anyone’s guess (remember myspace anyone?) So the lesson here is not to put your virtual eggs in just one basket.
Let’s say there is a really popular social networking website called fakebook.  You create a top notch fan page, build a huge fan base and everybody “likes” it.  Then one day the site crashes, or the company goes under or they decide to do something so evil that everyone closes their account - you have just lost everything and there is no way to get it back.
Social networking sites are like any other kind of socializing, essentially it is like going to a party.  You go, chat, network, share and hang out but that doesn’t mean that you should pack up your bags and move in.