Search Engine Optimization or SEO is an industry term for website management and simply means getting your site as easily index-able by Google (and the other search engines) as possible.  Figuring out the strategies on this front has spawned an entire industry of consultants who will help organizations on SEO. 

But that is passé.

SMO or Social Media Optimization is when your organization is fully tapped-in and optimized through other social portals like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.  It simply means you are managing your content in such a way that you bring it to the audience versus waiting for your readers to stumble upon your destination. 

Creating your own network by establishing a link between your site and other sites is the best survival method in news production.

The difficulty comes in the nuances.  Success is defined by using the tools available on social networking sites to your advantage. 

For instance, creating a channel on Youtube and hosting your video content through that community will raise the profile of your content and have individuals interacting with your brand in a whole new environment.

Sure, this approach to hosting your content yields the ownership of your content – your videos will be embeddable in any site.  However, if you tag, title and brand your content properly, your videos will carry your brand with them wherever they go. 

That is an example of having great SMO.