The "Fairness" Doctrine and Social Media-Impending Collision

In the wisdom of Ronald Reagan, the original Fairness Doctrine was vetoed as a largely unfair statute in 1987. Since then it has found little support, until lately. The premise of the statute, read for yourself, is outdated and does not support free speech. This is especially true in a mainstream media climate where liberal programming outnumbers conservative programming by approximately 10 to 1 (Fox News being the sole conservative broadcast). Reintroduction of this statute walls in a single set of ideas as fact. The foundation of the statute is based on a media landscape of 60 plus years ago, a virual eternity in terms of media development.

Social media, the greatest expression of free speech and connectivity, is built upon the premise that people and organizations can reach out to one another in the pursuit of common ideas. As this new medium grows, free speech and the expression of diverse ideas (from both sides of the aisle).



Social Media in Plain English by Common Craft

Passage of such a short-sighted and limiting statute is not good for technology development and the growth of American culture.

Social Media for dummies

I have so many questions about social media, and more importantly about the web as it continues to evolve. Common Craft has provided a very easy to understand tutorial about a few of the answers to these questions.

You Tube

The great thing is that as many questions that I had a year ago, they are easily answered with some work. So many new questions...

Tribes

Several years ago Tim Sanders a book entitled "Love is the Killer App". At the time it seemed like just a great idea. I realized recently that this book was a prelude to why social networks are succeeding. People have a basic desire to connect. Technology has made this possible in a way never before available to such a wide net (the world).







Seth Godin has captured this movement incredibly well in his new book and social network - Tribes. Image downloaded from www.triiibes.com to promote the idea.

Pepsi and the Impending Presidency

How to popular brands evolve with the direction of the wind blowing?

Take Pepsi. A proposed logo bears a striking similarity to the Obama campaign logo.

Compare.

Pepsi logo on Seth Godin's blog



Obama logo






Patriotism or pandering? Call it as you see it. My candidate is gearing up for 2012.

Your social media solution is calling

I have not figured out Twitter for business. I see how it works, but I am trying to find a good way to utilize it. My Twitter account is not getting me very far. I can follow a few colleagues and peers. Try this video and recommendation. You Tube.

I turned to Yammer. This is more robust and has potential. It will take some time to be sure. Security is a concern.


Then comes along Basecamp. Another intriguing idea, but more time is needed to dig in. Seems like a great project management tool for the web 2.0 crowd.



Social media is here. Have you figured this out yet? The world is opening up while shrinking at the same time.

Free does not exist in most cases

"Receive your free gift with your first order", "Get back $200 free", "Free with your paid order". These are all gimmicks by marketers to sell you something else. They work. If they did not, marketers would stop using the word free.

We all want something for free, but it does not exactly exist in commercial settings. The free is a convenient way of packaging the "free" item or service with the paid item at a price that covers both items. A second method is the "loss leader", a basic concept every business student learns in the Business 101. The marketer offers an item below cost to draw a customer in with the hope that they will buy the actual targeted item, thus making the sale and absorbing the loss on the first item. This may seem complex, but you see it regularly. Does a supermarket advertise a sale on regular Twinkies (discounted) and display it with a new "improved" version with 1/3 less fat (at the normal price)? This is a loss leader to get you to buy the new Twinkies. Some call this "bait and switch" made famous by less than car dealers who are less than honest - not a wise marketing plan overall in the long run.

Free is for me? As long as you realize you are not usually getting something for free. Once in awhile you may. More often than not free is full price. Your choice is to decide whether you wan the packaged deal.

Social Networks- What's the value for B2B

As we all hear more and more about social networks revolutionizing business, we may think back to the late 90's when the original web (Web 1.0) promised the same thing. What is different this time around is that we have learned a thing or two about optimism and hype. We are not all dumping money into the latest idea to sell ice cream at skating rinks via the web.

Businesses are now staring to connect the dots that make up the social network puzzle. I have not figured it all out, not even close. I am leaning toward the wealth of information available to "join the community". This is the beauty of Web 2.0. The web is welcoming you in to learn and get involved.

Take a look/listen to a few sources leading the way:

Seth Godin

Internet Strategy Forum

Tribes

Seth Godin has recently published a book about the onset of social networks. A must read for those that appreciate Seth's work and those that are eager to put all the Web 2.0 questions in one book.

http://www.triiibes.com/ to learn more about the idea

http://www.squidoo.com/triiibesbooks - to see the book

Web 2.0 - What?

Web 1.0 or just the "web" is the foundation of the commerical web as most folks know it. Web 2.0 is simply the evolution of the web to include a social networking tools and greater functionality.

I am one of the majority of web users that had "the web" in hand when its big brother arrived. Web 2.0 is an exciting evolution and a tremendous opportunity.