Perspective: Social Media Matters

April 30, 2007 | Blogging

Twitter. Jaiku. MySpace. Facebook. StumbleUpon.  Ning. LinkedIn. Rojo. Newsvine. Netvibes. Bloglines. Flickr. Second Life. YouTube. Vox. LiveJournal. Memeorandum. Digg. Confabb. del.icio.us

Blogs. Feeds. RSS. Podcast. Videocast. Lifecasting. On-line communities. Wikis.Wikipedia.

And the list goes on. Every day, there’s something new to capture the imagination of the easily distracted 21st century netizen. And the horde at the bleeding edge flitters — and twitters — off to the next new thing that is going to revolutionize… well, something.

This blog is about marketing and communications. I tend to look at new technologies, techniques and tools through the filter of how or whether they will be useful in a marketing program. Since the utility of some (many?) of these new tools  is still unclear/undiscovered, my posts about them might lead one to believe that I think social media doesn’t matter.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Social media matters, and not just because some social media tools offer companies better, more authentic ways of communicating with their customers. Or because the tools are neat and geeky cool. Both true.

And certainly not, as some would have us think, because "everybody is reading blogs, so blogs are now the best, most valid form of business communication." The reality is, while the "rest of the world" is catching on and up, right now, still only 22% of adults read blogs at least monthly (Forrester report on Social Technographics). Most people still don’t get RSS. 

And as the saying goes, "Second Life? I’m still trying to figure out the first one!"

Bottom line: some social media "stuff" is already proving valuable to companies and their customers. The jury is still out on others. And there will certainly be more to come. .

But, even if our vision is still a bit murky, social media matters.

It’s okay if some things don’t have business value. As Kent Newsome points out, we shouldn’t confuse social networking with business networking.  Sometimes, things are just fun and that’s quite alright. 

Social media matters because it reflects a fundamental shift in society. A shift in how we converse, relate, even fight. In how we make and keep our friends, and maybe enemies. Changes in how we learn, in how teachers will teach. Changes in where we meet these friends. And in who they are.

Sure, not everyone is going to start wearing a head-camera 24/7. Thank goodness.

But look at how Facebook, the web-delivered, on steroids, adult version of (yes) the college facebook, has had a fundamental impact on both a local and the global community.  Just a social tool, said naysayers. Used by college kids and fodder for stalkers. Yet during the VA Tech nightmare, it was a source of both consolation and information for the VA Tech community in Blacksburg and around the world, as well as all those who were Hokies in their hearts and shared the community’s sorrow. And this is just one example. Similar things have happened in other communities, on MySpace and elsewhere.

And not just after public tragedies. In online communities throughout the blogosphere, you will regularly find people virtually celebrating the happy moments and sympathizing in the sad. As someone said (and I can’t remember where I read it so apologies in advance): These are not my virtual friends. These are my real friends.

This is real change, not superficial, echo chamber, dot.com hype.

Marketers must understand these social changes. Or fail at the task. How people  interact with each other, how we relate, is crucial information. If we don’t understand what’s going on with our prospect, how can we hope to develop meaningful products, meaningful communications? So even if you can’t see any possible use for all this social media "stuff" in YOUR marketing, which is a mistake BTW, you had better understand the social changes happening as a result. Even if you don’t use any social media tools yourself, social media still matters.

Now, granted, currently these shifts are still limited to the digitally-literate, primarily in the developed nations, but with $100 laptops for students in developing nations, we can reasonably hope that the technology adoption gap is going to be smaller than it ever has been in the past. In the not too distant future, there will be more digital natives than digital immigrants. Everywhere.

I can hope that when my 7 year old son gets a pen pal at school, he actually will keep in touch with him or her. Because it will be that much easier, thanks to virtual worlds and email and IM and whatever else comes along.

I can hope that as technology makes the world smaller, we can all make our own worlds bigger. What we have in common with someone, of whatever race, gender, nationality, will be more important than our inevitable differences.

Social media matters because it can enable real social change. If we let it.

So, while I will continue to be somewhat skeptical of individual tools and the companies behind them, "tools from the leading innovator of this or that, that promise to revolutionize communication or whatever the latest hype,"  it’s the hype that I question.

Not the conversation that’s happening around us. That matters, and it is why social media matters.

At least to me.

Tags: social media, web 2.0

Yes, it is all about CATS

April 28, 2007 | Douglas/Dogs, Humour

At New Comm Forum in March, one of the points on keynoter David Weinberger’s slides was that the Internet was not all about Cats.

Well, maybe. But it does seem like there are an awful lot of cats online. Some recent data points:

• when you sign up for StumbleUpon, you are offered an interest category for Cats, but not Dogs;
• this gem, LOLCat Builder, via Elisa Camahort:

In case you can’t quite tell, the animal emerging from the pet door is one of our scottie puppies. 

So take a break from twitting and go build your own clever cat image. And, don’t worry, if you don’t have a cat of your own, there are plenty of images to choose from

Because yes, it is all about cats.

Tags: cats, dogs, scottie, scottish terrier

Done the Impossible: RSS Explained

April 24, 2007 | RSS

Someone finally had to do it. Find a way to explain RSS that maybe, just maybe, everyone can understand.

From Common Craft, via Doug Haslam and Neville Hobson:

Click To Play

More Blogger Relations

Blogger relations, Blogging, PR

"A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet." — Irish proverb

Blogger relations has been a hot topic in the PR/marketing blogosphere over the past few days, starting with a post by customer marketing evangelist Ben McConnell that advised companies to stick with the folks, the customers, they already know rather than to reach out to bloggers they don’t know. Ouch. I definitely agree with Shel Holtz and Chip Griffin, both of whom disagreed with this notion.

Certainly, we should pay tremendous attention to our customer, and nurture that relationship, whether she has a blog or not. And absolutely, many companies have made an absolute hash of blogger relations. More on that in a minute.

But I cannot think of anything more valuable than making a new friend. Of introducing something of interest to a blogger, who is this strange meld of influencer and participant that makes for unique, and valuable, engagement.

You have to do it right, as Elise Bauer, Michelle Madhok and I discussed at our recent panel at BlogHer: read the blogs, understand what the bloggers are interested in, ask permission, give the bloggers something unique or exclusive, let them know they are important, don’t send press releases. And so on. Read our Do’s and Don’ts here.  {Note: McConnell subsequently updated his post, which brought his position pretty much in-line with the rest of us,  that establishing a relationship before "pitching" was the key.}

When companies do it right, they can make new friends. Some good blogger relations campaigns: GreenStone Media’s outreach in September 06 with Gloria Steinem, and the current Nikon DS80 campaign.

And when they don’t, it’s ugly. Microsoft’s Vista launch comes to mind. Ben McConnell and B.L. Ochman share some other examples.

When they don’t, they give everyone a bad name.

Somehow, somewhen, I ended up on a LIST. I think it is a list from Vocus, but haven’t confirmed that with them. And being on the list isn’t the problem per se. It’s the blog spam I’ve been getting. And I’m not even in the top marketing/PR blogs.

• Mass mailed pitches
• Press releases without pitches or cover notes of any kind. With buttons that lead me to… email links. Sometimes 3-4 in one day. From the same company. That never bothered to ascertain my interest. Umm?
• Regular updates from a NY PR agency on their client’s activities, when I’ve never been asked if I was interested or even blogged about the client. And the kicker, when I extended the courtesy of emailing to ask how and why I was in their database, no reply.
• Pitches about products, even though I rarely write about products. Web 2.0 services and silliness, yes, but I don’t review products. Perhaps the occasional book, but that’s pretty much it.
• Pitches telling me so and so is available to interview. I don’t do many interviews, although if I can get my podcast going, I’d do more. But see previous point, I rarely do product stuff.

Now, it is pretty clear that none of the senders of the above crap actually read this blog, or they wouldn’t have sent me the garbage they did. They’d know that I have high standards for the practice of blogger relations, which their "pitches" just don’t meet.

I am  tired of getting this stuff, and tired of these poor practices giving those who practice ethical blogger relations a bad name.

But, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Which is why I  haven’t named any names…yet.

However, starting May 1st, when I’ve been spammed three times by the same person, I plan to write about it. Naming names.

Fair warning, I think.

UPDATE: Going through my notes, I found one more comment I wanted to link to — Tom Murphy. Fitting I think, that I open the post with an Irish proverb and end with an Irish blogger.

Tags: blogger relations, ethics, public relations, PR

Viral Marketing: The Great Turtle Race

April 20, 2007 | Viral Marketing

Tip of the hat to Sandy for sending me The Great Turtle Race. This campaign, which supports efforts to protect the endangered leatherback turtle, chronicles the turtles’ annual migration from Costa Rica to the Galapagos Islands.

Remember the five Cs of viral marketing? The Great Turtle Race hits on all five. It has the cornerstone pieces of a compelling message, the cause to save the turtles, and an engaged community. And then they successfully weave together the three elements that make viral marketing buzz: contest, comedy and  charity.

Contest: the migration is cast as a race, and you can follow your chosen turtle. They’ll even email you updates. Go Genevieve!

Comedy: Amusing profiles of the turtles, "live action" commentary and leaderboard with host Mr. Leatherback. The turtles even have MySpace pages.

Charity: There’s plenty of information about the cause on the site, at all levels, kids to adult, and an easy way to donate. Why wouldn’t you?

All in all, a great viral marketing effort. Kudos to all involved.

Go Genevieve!

Tags: great turtle race, leatherback, leatherback turtle, viral marketing

Newspapers: Not just for birdcages and puppies

April 19, 2007 | Media

This has been a busy week, hence the radio silence. I have quite a few posts "burbling" for next week, but none ready for prime time yet.

However, I did want to share one thought about the future of print media. I actually started thinking about it last Friday morning when I attended a roundtable  with the new editor of the weekly community newspaper held by our local Chamber of Commerce. It became more relevant when I learned about the Steve Rubel-PC Mag-Jim Louderback silliness.

Of late, and from many corners, "we" (that would be pundits, publishers, bloggers, flacks and poets. Not me in the royal we sense) have been discussing the pending death of the newspaper and print media. To be replaced by the Internet, blogs, citizen journalism. Whatever. Maybe.

I think it is quite likely that the Internet and other "immediate" media (mobile phones for example) will shortly become a primary, if not the primary, source for breaking news. If they aren’t already in many communities. Replacing the current king, the TV. One boob tube for another really

But, I do not think that online media yet  replace some of the best things about traditional media. And not just because we have birdcages and puppies.

Which is why this is yet another prematurely reported media "death" along with the poor press release.

What are the best things? Newsprint on your fingers as you delve into the Sunday Times.  Understanding what the editor thought was THE story by what you see on the front page — whether it is the daily paper or the local weekly. Taking the paper to the beach, just because, and hoping it doesn’t blow away. Not to mention the other places people read print media where they just don’t tend to bring the computer. You know where I mean.

 The deeper thinking we find in monthly magazines and features. Columnists. Pictures. Ads. Yes, ads. Dirty little secret, but people like the ads. I always check the top right corner of page 3 of the NYT. The simple fact of the time we carve from our day to "read the paper" — it is different time than the time we spend online. At least for me.

Yes, we find a lot of great thinking in blogs. Some of the best, and often as good or better than the print media. But… there’s a discipline in a newspaper column, the limited number of words where every one counts. It’s something special. At least for me.

And as Robert French reminds us, if we are trying to reach farmers in Appalachia, we better look to traditional media.

Will we see the shrinking and possibly the eventual extinction of the metropolitan daily, with a few national papers and online surviving to serve the bulk of our news needs? Probably. Eventually. But my bet says that the local paper will last much longer. It serves a basic community need that bits and bytes just cannot. A regular citizen stands very little chance of seeing his, or his child’s, picture in the NYT or Time magazine. On or off line.Or even on TV.

But the local rag cares. And that matters. A lot. And if it is your kid, there’s no number of online printouts and links sent to friends that match the feel, the flavor of seeing it in print.

Back to Steve and Jim: So glad to hear you’ve patched it up but come on… I suppose it is a reminder that things said in Twitter aren’t private, but really, the exchange doesn’t merit the time spent on it by the collective PR and media blogosphere.

So, I’ll just leave you all with a suggestion. If by some chance you are getting a print publication (paid or comp) that you don’t have time or inclination to read, cancel the subscription. And if you can’t get off the comp list (it does happen folks, trust me), donate the publication. Take it to the local high school computer lab. Or the barber shop. Or a homeless shelter. Just because you don’t read it, for whatever reason, doesn’t mean someone else won’t be thrilled to get it. But don’t chuck it in the bin. Trees are far too precious for that.

On another note, thanks to Kent Newsome for his kind words. I am indeed thinking about my candidates for Thinking Blogger and will write next week.

Finally, my sympathy and prayers to those affected by the Virginia Tech tragedy. There are no words.

What I like Jaiku

April 13, 2007 | Blogging

(Background Music: What I Like About You, The Romantics)

What I like about Jaiku: ability to pull in RSS feeds from blogs as well as Twitter.

What’s missing: ability to send direct, private messages to your friends.

Tags: jaiku, twitter, social networking

So it goes

April 12, 2007 | Science Fiction

RIP Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 1922-2007

Badges, get your badges

April 11, 2007 | Ethics

Thanks to the WonderChicken, via Jeneane Sessum, I now have my very own badge.

Be sure to get yours today.

Tags: badges, stinking badges, code of conduct, blogger ethics, ethics

Twit, twit, twit

Blogging

We just can’t stop talking about Twitter. Even on Twitter.

How do I know? San Francisco web design firm Ideacodes released an interesting little mashup called Twitterverse on Monday. Basically, Twitterverse lets you track the most-talked about topics on Twitter (hat tip Bloggers Blog.)

Hhmm, I thought. That could be interesting. Marketers always want to know what folks are talking about.

Unfortunately, they won’t find out at Twitterverse. At least not yet. Unless of course they want to know that the most popular topic on Twitter is…. Twitter.

Putting that delicious irony aside, I do actually have a point

Twitterverse hints that perhaps we can extract business utility from Twitter. The ability to filter conversations and organize into groups (which I am sure people are working on as I type) could actually make Twitter a useful business tool.

Which it isn’t yet. Great for social networking. Terrific if you want to know who is around for a drink when you land at the big conference in Austin.

Useful for getting things done? Not so much. At least, not as far as I can tell.

But, while I am not a Twitvangelist like some of my colleagues, I’m not dismissing Twitter either. There’s definitely something "there, there." We’re just not there yet.

Tags: twitter, twitterverse