Moved to TypePad

The blog has moved to TypePad. Hope to see you there.

TypePad Blog.

Looking Ahead

AS more and more individuals catch on to the social wave, what will this mean for the early leaders? Enjoying the early success generally creates two categories. Some continue to envision what is next while others take the rewards, if they in fact were realized financially, and step away.

Since its inception commercially, the web has relied upon those that continue to push. At the heart of progress in this area is also the return on investment. Today's Web 2.0 tools and expectations are providing the greatest metrics the industry has ever enjoyed. This is a key enabler.

So where does this all lead to? Businesses will continue to experiment with blogs, AdWords, PPC programs and tinker with all these social tools. Those that figure it out and take the risk are those that will reap the rewards and then move on to the next phase of the Web. Sign me up for both. Exciting times.

Content is King

The great blogs, the great websites, the great e-letters and the great information sources have a very simple strategy - develop and share content. This should not be news to anyone, but it is unfortunately.

Do you have an editorial team or a patchwork effort? It seems patchwork is the 80 of the 80/20 rule these days. This is backwards for companies recognizing that content is king, or as Gerry McGovern and Rob Norton put it "Content Critical".

A great example of the 20 of 80/20 is SAS. They have a "Marketing Editorial" team that develops, are you ready, CONTENT. They have it right and will benefit greatly from this effort.



What is your 80/20? As more companies look to the web for returns or success, content is critical. The development of it must be king.

Blogs and Intranets

In many companies the intranet serves as the primary window the executive voice. In most of these companies it is likely a text on an LCD display.

Isn't there something better? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Blogs are safe to a large degree inside the company. If you are willing to listen to some feedback from employees, and let others read it alongside you, blogs are a viable solution. In a time when many employees get their information from the company notebooks they carry round the world or the local office, why not put your message in front of them using a medium that resonates with them?

You won't engage everyone. Some employees like to read long laborious memos. Some like to print them and save them for future reference. Blogs may not reach these folks. They DO reach the percentage of your population that wants to move forward, engage in the dialogue and get behind something that moves them forward as part of something bigger. Blogs are for these employees.

Take a tour of a few videos and vendors.




TypePad

Wordpress

Corporate Blogs

Is the interest in corporate blogs an oxymoron in general? It seems that way. Here is why.

Corporations are notoriously faceless (bad branding), and many that have a face/personality are still so concerned with keeping the secret sauce within the walls of the company. I appreciate why having worked in large corporations for 11 years.

Here's how they can find the balance between keeping the secret seasonings for KFC (formerly the large corporation known as Kentucky FRIED Chicken- good branding move) and reaching the growing audience looking to corporate blogs, also more broadly referred to as (shhh), social media.

1. Stop cranking out just press releases about corporate earnings and new executives - instead talk to your shareholders and customers in a blog that describes what you are doing that makes customers happy and coming back, which in turn makes more money, which....makes shareholders happy. Start here with David Meerman Scott's book.
   
2. Create a voice for your company through your interesting employees. It does not have to be only the CEO - especially if he/she is dull and predictable. Instead, put the blog software in the hands of your marketing team and give them access to the product development or franchise owners. This is where the customers are closest, and where the relevant content will be found. This is what your customers may be looking to hear about. Try Sun's employee blog.
   
3. Keep going. This is not a fad. This is how media is evolving. Pick a generations letter, X, Y, Z - they are going to be interacting in some ways online. They are cancelling newspapers and buying computers and mobile devices. Yes, your mom and dad are getting online. They are realizing Word is not what you make but the program.
4. Speak to the problems your customers are seeking answers. Corporate communications teams are great at times for running what football commentators call the "reverse". They (I) have you look the left long enough to forget what is happening to the right (the runner heading toward the end zone). Instead, speak to your woes. People are looking for transparency. If they don't find it with you, they find it elsewhere. We are creatures of basic needs, fulfilling our need for honesty is becoming a foundation of our lives.

This is not easy. I am not convinced of the best methods. The take away is to start. Start now. Keep at it. The people around you are turning on to these new tools and the momentum will help carry your ideas along. Be the prepared one, instead of the researcher when your company or organization steps in the arena of social media.

IBM came to this realization 3 years ago. Aren't you ready?

Chinese Proverbs - Wisdom for Social

Some wisdom is timeless. Chinese proverbs generally fall into this category as they have been tested over time for soundness.

A foundation of social media is sharing. Marketers provide some information valuable to the public in return for their contact information. On the surface it is a fair exchange. Prospective clients are qualified at a basic level and the client gains the information that interested them.

A fool judges people by the presents they give him.

So how does someone ensure they are connecting with the right company or individual? At times the contact info is harmless ,but at times it can be a long process to break when the "wrong" person gets your information. The calls and email are persistent, at times even after a "not interested, thank you". This breaks the foundation of why social media is so exciting.

Please resist the urge to hand out contact information to just anyone. A rule of thumb is to provide it only to those that you would like to speak with by phone. Don't be fooled by charm and "too good to be true" nature of free downloads and white papers. Some are genuine, some are not worth the hassle.

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.