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Blogs Still Chasing Mainstream Media

Scott Adcox — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:24:37 +0000

Kirk Lapointe has some interesting results from a Cornell Study

As for the notion that the blogosphere originates stories that mainstream then adopts, the study found that only 3.5 per cent of stories started in social media.

I’ll buy that. I think what the blogosphere, and especially Twitter, does best is disperse the information. And really, I think that sums up the financial issues the MSM is experiencing right now…

The dollars are in the delivery of the information, not in the information itself.

The only difference between the web and print is that the preferred medium of delivery used to be owned by the same people gathering the facts and writing the stories.Similar Posts:

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Post Of The Week

Trace Sharp — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:25:59 +0000

Jim Voorhies gives about the best advice I’ve read in awhile to companies as well as politicians.

Yep, I’m writing you a letter just like I did REI when they screwed up. Some of you are already doing it. You’re ignoring the new media “opportunities.” And you’re getting sliced and diced out there. Politicians are too.

I know, things move soooo fast here. It seems like you can’t keep up. Well, you can’t. But you have to know what’s going on. You have to do something quickly. You cannot ignore this new media stuff and expect to survive it. There are three basic rules:

First, you have to make sure you know what’s going on in the innertubular lands. You ought to have people who do nothing but check out Twitter and YouTube and The Consumerist and Facebook for you. Yes, I’m saying you need to pay people to do this for you. And these people need to have their speed dials set to your best and brightest communications people. Yep, you’re going to be paying someone to surf the Internet. Get used to it. Plus, they need to use and understand these media places. That’s important.

Second, you need to chill out a little. Don’t blow up as soon as someone posts something hateful about your company. Stop and think. People do get carried away because the web can be pretty anonymous. People can fill in their email address as joe@Ihatebobscompanybecauseitsucks.com but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a real email address or a web site. The web goes from asleep to hysterical in a nanosecond. Remember, stop and think.

Third, be a player in your own Internet life. You (or your best and brightest communications people) have to be involved and you have to be honest. You have to be willing to say “we screwed up for you and I apologize.” Use the medium by responding in the same place where you got slammed. Do not try to bull your way out.

Jim is right on target here. If you aren’t managing your online persona, you can bet someone will be and it may not jive with your mission or your message. Shouldn’t these companies and political entities be controlling their own message?

Instead of cleaning up messes, engage on the front end. People are much more forgiving when there is a conversation.Similar Posts:

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Twitter A Bigger Threat Than Blogs To Newspapers?

Scott Adcox — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:37:24 +0000

Here’s an interesting opinion piece in the Miami Herald on the difficulties newspaper management is having with social media, especially Twitter. On one hand, they want to encourage engagement. On the other hand, they don’t want to give away the store.

Not only has that horse left the barn, but the barn is burning down. Twitter will be embraced as no less indispensable to reporters than their phones, but it does carry risk — and not the loss of control that news bosses worry about but the illusion of connectedness.

As I’ve said before, I can appreciate how tricky this situation is. How do you find a way to use Twitter and other tools to tease your product without giving away your product? And can you really set up strict guidelines that dictate this, or do you have to trust the common sense of your people?Similar Posts:

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She Is Right You Know

Trace Sharp — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:30:08 +0000

Cathy at Domestic Psychology has a winner. I won’t spoil it for you, just go there.

And she was spot on about the new Star Trek too.

Just saying.Similar Posts:

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University Blogging

Trace Sharp — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:14:49 +0000

A comprehensive breakdown from Nathan at Compassion in Politics on social media in a university setting.

From HR to marketing to networking, social media is revolutionizing how we communicate with each other. Whether you represent your universities marketing department or perhaps a law school or business school department, its imperative that you start engaging strategically in social media. For instance the New Society for Communication Research highlights recent research by a research fellow and professor of marketing from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth:

Go read what he dug up. It’s very well done.Similar Posts:

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You Need A Web Guru

Trace Sharp — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:30:46 +0000

And I can’t help but agree.

The web has fast become the most efficient tool for building interactions and relationships between the world and your business. No matter if you are a national brand or a fresh startup, using the web successfully is vital to your success. It is the ultimate marketing tool, we know this – however integrating it with your business model itself can prove an even greater opportunity.

This speaks to the importance of having someone on your team, in house that is a web guru and social media evangelist.

I believe that if people are going to delve into the World Wide Webs having someone who understands the importance of social media and geniunely enjoys it is a great asset.

Go read the 14 reasons why your company needs this and you’ll see why.

H/T HammockInc via Twitter

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‘It’s Because I’m Listening’

Trace Sharp — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:17:52 +0000

From Summer Huggins at Hammock:

Statesman editors witnessed the power of social media during Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Robert created a Twitter account specifically for tracking the hurricane, an account that also pointed followers to the Statesman‘s coverage of the storm online, generating more than 300,000 hits from Twitter alone. Robert joked that those numbers got him a “play-on-Twitter-free pass” with his bosses. Since then, Robert has used Twitter to engage with followers and readers to create real-time weather maps and cute-dog galleries and to work directly with the community on breaking news stories.

Why the success?

“It’s because I’m listening,” Robert says.

Summer is writing about the “Old Media Rises From the Dead.” Sponsored by Austin’s Social Media Club, it combined several media outlets and offered a panel discussion on adapting news to a social media shift.

This is key. Today on Twitter, we see celebrities vying for followers but how many people do they follow. Same goes for some, not all, news organizations.

The most important thing in social media is the conversation. Journalists, public relations people, businesses or even politicians will garner loyalty if the participate in the conversation.

Her post is a must read.

Photo credit

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Have You Established Your Audience?

Trace Sharp — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:56:29 +0000

Jay Deragon asks the question.

Everyone is either chasing, participating in or gathering an audience. Having an audience fulfills many different purposes. Whether two or three people or millions, unless your a monk your engaging with audiences everyday.

Historically media has chased audiences to attract them to propositions aimed at gaining or creating economic traction. There is a wide range of media and communication studies regarding models about the term “audience” and its role in any kind of mediated communication. These studies are ongoing and with the mass adoption of social media the dynamics of “audiences” are changing including what and how to attract them and create an affinity to them for multiple purposes.

His thoughtful post presents a base on what we are looking at, where we have come from and where we are headed.

Read the rest at Relationship Economy.Similar Posts:

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Hiring A Social Media Expert

Trace Sharp — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:39:07 +0000

Katie Allison Granju breaks down the title of a social media consultant.

In other words, if a social media consultant’s only interest in and experience with the field comes as a result of trying to earn a living off of telling other people how to do this thing, well, I would see that as a real weakness. Personal engagement in social media is the boot camp for a good social media “expert.” It’s where you learn the ins and outs and nuances of how online communities grow and contract and evolve over time. It’s how you learn to tactfully negotiate flamewars and deal with trolls. Your personal blog is your laboratory for playing around with what really works in building a readership and following.

I see a lot of social media marketers being “that guy” who barges into preexisting conversations without any sensitivity to the things that make that social media space unique and special. Online communities have personalities and inside jokes and dialects that are highly specific to them. A social media “expert” who has cut his or her teeth with meaningful personal experience knows this intuitively, and thus brings a really big advantage.

Online community is all about conversation and connection. Joining the conversation in a smart, appropriate way, and building those connections is really both an art and a science. It requires very good listening skills, and the ability to show respect to the people who are already in the room, so to speak.

I think her post is one of the best I’ve read about the anatomy of an online conversation. But she hits on something very important. If you are just tossing stuff out online on various platforms and not engaging in the conversation, then, and I can only speak for myself, you lose me.Similar Posts:

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What Is Your Definition Of Social Media?

Trace Sharp — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:04:45 +0000

The question of the day is I’d like to hear from our readers their definition of social media.

I keep hearing different definitions, and I find that a lot of people are utilizing the term, social media strategist, as their job description.

What is your definition of social media and what do you think elevates a person in being a social media professional?

Give us your feedback in the comments and we will break down your ideas in an overview later this week.Similar Posts:

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