Suddenly it’s just there. And it went so fast. A whole new universe. Even if most of us missed the initial Big Bang, none of us can have missed the enormous expansion – an expansion that is still accelerating.

We’re talking, of course, about the new social media universe that’s starting to change, well, just about everything. Six years ago there was no MySpace, YouTube or Facebook. Today they are sought out by 250 million unique visitors every month. More video was uploaded to YouTube in the last two months than if three of the biggest networks in the US had been airing new content 24/7 since 1948.

You can find further examples of how fast this exciting new reality is developing on YouTube (of course) in a short presentation from The Economist together with XPLANE: Did you know. Version 4.

Another thing that’s apparent in this brave new world – apart from the sheer speed – is that when a phenomenon gets big, then it gets BIG. So it’s not so strange that many bloggers, experts and media gurus are trying to grasp, understand and explain what this new reality means – and eventually how it can be mastered.

At the same time as we are rushing into the future, we are inundated with advice and tips on how we can quickly find the best and smartest route forward. Despite the fact we can only guess how the new map really looks.

So it’s quite liberating to find one piece of advice that sticks out when you surf from one social media philosopher to the next: Think long term. Don’t be a speed freak. Take your time to establish and develop a relationship with customers and users that is relevant and that you can all live with long into the future. Remember, this is only the beginning.

PS This just in. Facebook alone has just reached 350 million users …