May 21, 2009 | blog
Funny how many questions have answer that start with those two words. This tends to be exceptionally true of the coporatization of social media.
- What if I call my boss a jerk on Twitter? It depends…
- What if we find bloggers defacing our product images? It depends…
- What if my company finds me posting on Facebook when I’m home sick? It depends…
- How do we monitor the blogosphere for our multiple brands? It depends…
The complexities of the requirements for big business and their employees is not as clear cut as it is for small, aggressive start-ups. In the end, the reality is that discretion is required on both sides; by the people who post or create media, and the people who read or consume media.
Feb 13, 2009 | blog
I’ve been wondering, has social media done anything really special for you?
Has it brought in more readers?
Has it increased your earnings?
Has it simplified your life?
Has it generated more sales leads?
Has it improved your customer service rating?
Has it save you more time?
Those are the questions I (and others) have about social media. The intangibles indicate yes on multiple fronts. The trick is how to measure that, and it’s different for everybody and every business.
Of course it’s worth the effort, but for you and your organization to succeed in your work, accurate metrics are needed. What have you found that works for you?
Photo credit: vaXzine
Feb 10, 2009 | blog
Is the era of traditional broadcast media nearing an end? You’ve heard and read that question and the supporting arguments for the last few years. You’ve also heard the rebuttals and talking points from either side of this intriguing debate.
What I posit is that these are simply “after the fact†arguments and that this particular corner was turned a few years ago.
It’s called convergence, and it usually occurs without much fanfare at the time of the actual change. Its usually afterward when people, companies, heck even governments, belatedly realize that they are no longer of any relative value to what they used to be.
Many new tings happening in the economy are pointing to the reality that we’re smack-dab in the middle of the re-adjustment to this new business environment. The number of companies looking into social media, and realizing the parallels to previous challenges. Exploring the new tools to old problems and the possibilities they offer to those willing to invest the time and money with open minds to the change that is occurring.
The recent NYTimes article $200 Laptops Break a Business Model is a great example of the awakening to this new reality. Consumers have change – and not just any consumer. The next big wave of consumers after the baby boomers. The consumers that are even now shaping the future economy has they have recent politics.
The future is much different from a consumers perspective. The tried and true models don’t always apply, especially where consumer electronics and consumable services are concerned. The challenge is to recognize that you’re business model is hopelessly stuck in the 20th century, look at how people are consuming your product, and adjust to meet them there.
I’ve argued, like many, that the recording industry (hey they make it easy to pick on them), should drop any pretense of rights management and offer every music track at $.25 (U.S.), make them so much ridiculously easy to buy that it’s too much work to pirate. Make them available in every format and simply realize profits through sheer volume rather than maintaining some false price-point per CD that they believe they need to hit. Turn around and make the CD-ROM a premium product that I would seek out for something special. Like the 1986 Bruce Springsteen album Live ‘75 to ‘85 boxed set – make it worth spending money on the extras, because whether you like it or not you can find all the tracks online.
Like many I often wonder if I even need a television any longer. Sure I veg out in front of an HD CSI:Miami marathon like anyone else might. However, I also am finding more and more of the media I REALLY want to watch online. From movies to TV shows, to music, and of course books, magazines, blogs, etc… All I really need is a big, fast, fat pipe into the Internet. Everything else just gets in the way.
To this end, big, fast, expensive computers are overkill for the needs of the average person who just wants to consume and participate in online media. The changes aren’t over either, but the biggest of them are now a matter of history that we can debate as we all like to do.
Photo credit: zizzybaloobah
My apologies for the long, somewhat redundant post, but I’m working my way back to a regular blogging schedule. This and several upcoming posts are part of that process. Things that I’ve needed to write about for months are just now coming out. Some are timely, some a bit behind the times, but all relevant to me. Thanks for reading.
Aug 28, 2008 | blog
It’s a new field where there are no experts; no real training for classification or certification, and it’s difficult for folks participating in it to explain how it works. It’s not a lawless field where anything goes, but the cowboys still roam the prairie where social media grazes. Christopher S. Penn describes the problem and the process quite well in his post How to Become a Social Media Expert, comparing social media to the nuances of martial arts training – pretty good analogy in my book.
Since there are no real experts with years of schooling and experience, how does a company find a community manager? Heck, how do they determine what they’re looking for – most companies really don’t even know exactly what they need. Several are starting to here “community manager†more in relation to social media, and I suppose it does make a bit of sense to the average hiring manager.
As I’ve been looking around in this space as a consultant myself, I’ve noticed a bit of mislabeling, and misunderstanding of what these positions do. They can range from being a glorified forum moderator, to the public figurehead of the company in social media circles. The vagueness and inconsistency is frustrating to both those looking to move into these jobs, and the companies who realize they need someone to fill this indefinable niche they have.
Normally, a company would hire a consultant to help define the needs, address the process, and sometimes assist in filling the role. The problem though is… aren’t consultants experts and there really aren’t any social media experts? Catch 22 huh?
Some firms are looking internally and finding candidates in their existing staff. This could be anyone from marketing, to information technologies, to human resources (and beyond). Sometimes it’s easy to get noticed and get in front of the right people. Other businesses are going for the big guns and hiring out consultants from the A-List to assist them in their social web endeavors.
At least, several of the A-List actually have participated in building, shaping, and forming the concepts of the social web through the work of Cluetrain and their own pieces through the years. This is a great place to start, even for organizations with small budgets – many of the thought leaders in social media give away really good information for companies to start from.
So in this nascent “industryâ€, there is confusion on both the side of organizational need and individual growth in social media. The next step for those mastering the dark arts of the social web is to be bold, go forth, do good things, and prove that you have the vision and understanding. Both to the founding concepts of Cluetrain and to the fiscal responsibilities of corporations that want to participate in, not control, the message.
Photo credit: .mw
Jun 2, 2008 | blog
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post on corporate blogging, and I thought it was high time to continue what I think may become a series. The needs of many companies are little different than the needs of an individual. However, the process in which most should approach blogging is as unique as the organizations themselves.
For the most part, it’s like most other business decisions. Decide what the purpose is and what the organization expects to achieve by doing it. Many businesses are not ready to use social media on external facing systems to engage customers. Some are almost ready to use it for internal continuous improvement processes that engage their employees. Both these models require that the organization accept negative feedback along with the praise, and that is a very bitter pill to swallow for anyone – businesses or individuals.
If you are an agent of change in your organization and are trying to figure out how to approach the business with a blogging or social media proposition, you need to understand how to present the idea. It’s not unlike trying to sell a new business strategy.
Here are a few tips on preparing to present blogging or other social media ideas to your company:
- Learn about social media by participating personally
- Research similar companies in size and target market to see how they’ve used social tools
- With these learning’s in mind, determine if it’s the right time for your company to invest in social media. Is the climate right, are they receptive to new ideas, are they looking to improve service?
- Identify areas, or even departments, within your company that could benefit by using select social media tools. Be specific about the benefits. Understand the negatives.
- Write a simple overview to capture these things and provide a structure for you to build a case for using social media to augment the business.
- Have samples ready to demonstrate, and be able to talk about how these new tools and ideas help solve real business problems.
There are many ways to pursue social technologies for your company, and many tools, services, and software to choose from. What works for one company, doesn’t always work for the next. Keep looking for the right fit, not necessarily the biggest, or most well known of them are best for your business.
What successes have you had in bringing social media to your company? Does your company actively engage in the social media space? What can you recommend to others who are exploring these tools for their company?
Photo credit: juhansosin
