Jul 14 2008

When Your Newspaper Is Written by Interns

July 14, 2008 – 9:50 am

The Washington Post is one of the most venerated newspapers in the country. Recently the paper was in the news for hiring former WSJ top gun Marcus Brauchli as the Post’s new editor in chief. As the linked NY Times story indicates, the move comes at a time when the Post is in major transition due to online competition, and Brauchli’s first call to action is to blend on and off-line. What the story didn’t tell you is another round of “buy-outs” were just executed at the Post, creating an opportunity for more interns to write your daily news.

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Increasingly over the past couple of years, that has been the Post’s practice: Replace the old with the brand spanking new. A farming system that takes green as could be green journalists, and backstops them with veteran editors. Now crack reporters have a few years of experience in their elderly late twenties and thirties. The Post hopes that the quality doesn’t suffer too much (interns image by the nickster).

Well it has, and people are noticing. Whether its reduced local business coverage or just shoddy reporting (believe me, PR people are the first to notice), the Post’s woes do mirror those of the industry as a whole. What began as a threat, is now changing the entire profession of journalism.

People like Andrew Keen complain about the quality of news going down, that the amateur cannot provide the same quality of news. Maybe they are now. In fact, because they don’t have the resources, increasingly old media (interns or pros) use social media to crowdsource story ideas.

Unlike Keen, I don’t look at the Post’s changes as the destruction of old media’s integrity. I do see a continuing trend where media is evolving due to the rise of the Fifth Estate, that old mass media forms have less of a place in fractured environments. That the two — the Fourth and Fifth Estates — are becoming increasingly tied together in a symbiotic relationship. And that yes, you never should have wholly trusted your newspaper, and that’s even more true now that an intern is writing it. At the same time, news outlets that evolve like the WSJ, FastCompany and Wired still have a place at the table.

The evolution continues. Where the pendulum ends up resting, no one knows. But one thing is apparent, the change continues and won’t stop until the full impact of digital media has run its course.

Additional Media:

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in PR Industry Trends | Comments (8)
Jul 11 2008

The Few vs. the Many

July 11, 2008 – 12:05 am

At many of the conferences I attend, I often hear the more fundamental social mediaites make proclamations that marketers have to be active in many social networks. That if you are not in FriendFeed, Plurk, BrightKite, Viddler, Utterz, Seesmic, Spock, yadda, yadda, yadda as well as all of the usual suspects then you are getting passed by (image: social networks hype cycle by fredcavazza).

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Most of this energy seems to revolve around personal branding and being a social media “rock star.” So now donned thought leaders by the following of several hundred or more, these individuals try to pass their secrets of success to companies, often under the guise of social media experts. But what about the actual advice?

Bullshit.

Yes, from a corporate standpoint, you need to have strong monitoring program so you are aware of what is being said about the company. Yes, you need to need to participate when issues arise. Yes, as a marketer you have to be familiar with a variety of general social networks.

But, personal branding is not corporate branding. Corporate branding is about a commitment, a very specific promise to a core group of stakeholders. Unless you are a mass consumer brand, it’s not likely that you need to become part of every social network. Instead, basic strategy dictates targeting towards communities of strategic importance: The few where most of your stakeholders are congregating. The rest are just a waste of time. It’s about building a community, not broadcasting messages.

In most cases pursuing every single possible Long Tail hit is really just a waste of time (Harvard Business Review just questioned the validity of Chris Anderson’s vaunted theory as a silver bullet solution). Why? Because if you are an IT services company, it’s probably not an effective use of time to play on MySpace to reach 50. Instead, serious activity on IT Toolbox with its 2 million members makes much more sense.

Even from a personal branding perspective, what are you trying to achieve? Popularity or community? Notoriety or relationships?

Personally, I get much more from being a relatively obscure Plurker with 100 friends than Twitter with the 2000+ following me (see what Plurkers said about this topic). Why? Because the community is small enough that I can have an actual conversation. Twitter is so out of hand after 500 or so that I can’t keep track of it anymore. It stopped being truly social after 1000.

Social media is about people. Customers are people. Social media marketing is about networking and community participation with the right few, from which relationships are developed, in turn creating results. Otherwise you are looking for the instant WOMM bullet. Attainable, but difficult in a media form that lends itself to organic development. Instead, own the right few social networks, and participate in the rest as monitoring necessitates.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (14)
Jul 10 2008

Podcast: MediaPhyter Jennifer Leggio Brings the Buzz!

July 10, 2008 – 4:50 pm

leggioheadshot MediaPhyter and ZDNet Blogger Jennifer Leggio (on Twitter, too) did a podcast interview for the Buzz Bin, and provided a veritable communications cocktail.  On the podcast we discussed:

Download the podcast today!

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (1)

Buzz Meter: Yoono

July 10, 2008 – 8:34 am

logo_yoono_large I decided to research tools that provide site organization and after careful consideration, Yoono was the winner. Yoono is an add-on for Firefox and allows constant updates and direct connection to micro-blog sites and social networks through the use of widgets in a side toolbar and the user’s profile page.

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In addition to supporting the following networks and instant messenger programs, Yoono allows users to view their friends’ pages, away messages, and even offers side pop-up notifications for updates from these sites:

One of the unique features is the ability to drag and drop news links into the side toolbar and categorizing the articles as funny, love it or hate it. Yoono also offers music from Last.fm Radio, top rated videos from sites like YouTube and Digg, and the ability to view friends’ photos.

Buzz Meter Ranking: 4 out of 4 Buzz Bees

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Positive: Installing Yoono was simple. The steps to integrate all of the social networks and instant messaging services were very user-friendly. Of course the biggest plus to Yoono is the amount of supporting sites and all of the user-capabilities. The side toolbar’s size can be easily adjusted or removed just by hitting Crtl+Alt+y. If you want the side toolbar to magically appear again, all you would do is click on the Yoono button that also gets installed next to your address bar (just like the del.icio.us button).

Negative: If you’re not into Firefox and love Internet Explorer, this tool is not available to you. Although patience is a virtue and the tool offers many features, it takes a while for each social networking website to sync with Yoono (uploading all of your friends – and their current statuses can take forever if you have a ton of friends).

Conclusion: I really like Yoono. I can easily access my friends’ photos, Facebook and Twitter profiles. Aside from what I like, I do wish that Yoono would include more instant messaging services such as Google Talk and Skype – since I use those services quite often. The simplicity of the tool, the way it provides constant updates and instant connections while organizing my favorite social websites, really makes Yoono a winner. Try Yoono, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Marinel Mones | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (11)
Jul 9 2008

Measurement is a Hot Topic for 2008 Olympics

July 9, 2008 – 9:17 am

Beijing-Olympic-2008 NBC recently announced that they will be using this year’s Olympics as a “billion-dollar research lab” to learn how people are using different media platforms. From video on demand to tracking mobile and online users, the research will be used to persuade advertisers to buy ad time on newer media such as VOD and cell phone video.

According to Daily Wireless:

During the Games, NBC will issue a daily “Total Audience Measurement Index (TAMI).” It will include measurements of viewership on all the media venues airing NBC’s Olympic programming — the NBC broadcast network, cable channels such as Oxygen and CNBC, NBC’s Web sites, video-on-demand services and mobile programming.

The mission and excitement is understandable since this will be the first year that online media, video, blogs, etc. will really have a prominent and mainstream role in 8-McDsChicken-070708the Olympics festivities (much like the Presidential election this year), so the opportunity to gather information on social media usage is certainly well received. Online games from McDonald’s are already being released, which will just add to the advertising frenzy.

What Can Go Wrong?

This is a great effort by NBC, and will provide advertisers and the social media and marketing communities with outstanding statistics and information. However, there are three issues with the plan.

  1. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has effectively banned athletes from audio and video podcasting, photoblogging and vlogging their personal takes on the event, which largely misses the new media viewpoint audiences are sure to crave. (Source: Podcasting News)
  2. The network won’t allow you watch anything it thinks it has mass appeal — that is, anything it intends to air on its own broadcast — until it has shown it on TV, the AP reports. Contrary to the AP report, NBC says “some” events will be simulcast live on TV and NBCOlympics.com. In addition, NBC U is banning the use of any Olympic video online by other news organizations covering the event. (Source: Silicon Alley Insider)
  3. NBC does not have any official blogs dedicated to the Olympics, although there are a few athletes who will be posting their thoughts (contrary to the IOC?). This just proves that NBC is not willing to open up the games for comment (although there are sure to be plenty). (Source: Engage in PR)

So, this means that while NBC is obviously open to tracking and embracing web video and mobile traction of the Olympic games, they still want to, in essence, control the message. And, we know that doesn’t work.

It will be really interesting to see the effect of mobile and web usage and how it impacts TV viewing of the Olympic Games. However, what I think may be more interesting is how the back channels (blogs, social networks) react to the inability to access “legitimate” information from any source other than NBC.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Larissa Fair | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Comments (4)
Jul 8 2008

Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire!

July 8, 2008 – 5:31 pm

2008blogsoffire3Would you like a guide and resource list for getting started with social media? Check out Jared Goralnick’s technoTHEORY living document for specific strategic steps that should be taken for social media. The guide covers everything from how to find out what people are already saying, how to participate in the conversation, and how to build a social presence. Within each topic, there are helpful hints and useful suggestions to keep you on the right track.

On Ron Shevlin’s Marketing Whims blog, Ron explores the overuse of what he calls “the three most overused words in the business world today: Death, Disruption, or Innovation.” Ron’s angle is that the old blends with the new; it is not overthrown by it. Instead of using death, disruption, and innovation excessively, suggests Ron, talk about the underlying problems and opportunities.

In an outstanding post on PR 2.0, Brian Solis writes about an event he attended hosted by Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube. Brian shares some highlights “from [Chad’s] trip down memory lane and also some of his insights and lessons learned along the way.” After explaining how YouTube is fostering talent and creativity, Chad provides some hints as to where YouTube is headed.

Darren Rowse shares Erik Sebellin-Ross’ view on the role of PR on ProBlogger. “My goal” Erik says, “is to shed some light on what we do, how we work, and, more importantly, what we can do for you, hopefully turning an interruption into an opportunity.” After hitting on why bloggers are receiving emails from PR people, Erik goes on to explain the value of these emails, and how everyone is a potential opportunity.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Nelson | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (4)

Volunteer U.0 | Your Time, Talent & Treasure

July 8, 2008 – 9:45 am

In the past two weeks, two separate individuals have told me about “a guy” who is planning to create a new social network for volunteers. Maybe its two different guys with the same plan. Either way, said dude(s) might appreciate some unsolicited, pre-build feedback.

iceman_isthisyou Match.com for the social sector: If you’ve ever thought, “Hot damn, I am the Iceman of social media/marketing/PR,” then you, too, have something to offer to this guy. Your ideas, for one. And your pro bono participation.

The volunteer social network in question is intended to connect needs with professional skills. It’s so clever, and unprecedented. Picture a place that puts what you’re good at side-by-side with what you care about. It’s already been attempted to some extent but the current models are flawed.

Sure, you can already search for traditional volunteer opportunities a la Volunteer Match. But imagine a zing bang new community in which you’ll be able to do legitimate social networky things, like friend people. Oooh.

Sarcasm aside, the community might provide a priceless matching service: participating organizations could search for professional services beyond their budgets and beyond labor typically needed to stuff envelopes, dig wells and serve soup.

I like your idea, Sir; it could be the ticket for vast innovation. But whoever you are, should you choose to accept this mission (and for the love of all that is good and true in this world) don’t create a new network.

There are already several online networks connecting money and jobs with causes. Partner with one of them, and round out the service to include a full menu for “Time, Talent and Treasure.” Idealist.org or LinkedIn sure do feel like natural fits.

Collaborating with local clearinghouses of volunteer opportunities will help keep things amicable and geographically relevant. In the District that might be Greater DC Cares and Volunteer Fairfax, among others. (Don’t squash the little guy, and don’t duplicate services.)

Make it fully user-generated.

To work, the algorithm of the community must allow all involved to crowdsource needs and possible solutions. Some suggested activities to help the flow:

  • Wiki-washed profiles of causes/nonprofits that need services. Anyone should be able to edit the profiles and rate/review the group. Maybe there will be a ranking system! (Swoon.)
  • Pass-along tools to forward opportunities to friends (”The Need Feed”). Word of mouth referrals should be easy.
  • An open comment forum that allows people to comment/live chat about alternative ideas for to solve a problem, and who could be a good fit.

Personal user profiles will be effective if they’re specific and searchable, including

  • Your strengths and gifts (legal, finance, human resources, accounting, media, marketing, SEM, web design, origami, video production, “the digital landscape,” etc.) rated on a scale from amateur to master (”I cannot do 4th grade math, but I am God’s Gift at php and Rails.”)
  • Your preferred causes (health, microfinance, clean water, AIDS, homeless, arts, farming, GLBT, faith, environment, furry creatures, etc.)
  • Your qualifications (work/volunteer experience to date) including referrals from others
  • A wish list of groups you’d love to work with

Trick it Out for Sharing Purposes

The online social network would be best served as a repository of opportunity and people profiles. Content should be “embeddable” everywhere else: other online communities, blogs, nonprofit websites, mobile phones.

I might get a social media yellow card for saying so (see for yourself) but this has the makings of a splendid widget or desk top app. A few ideas:

  • Pro bono needs near you (tailored to your zipcode, skills and interests)
  • Crisis needs (disaster response and issue alerts)
  • The latest needs identified by your favorite organizations
  • Notices/referrals from friends

Final advice: get the right people on the bus at the right time

Kelly at The Nonprofiteer might have been channeling Good to Great’s mantra when she posted yesterday about the need to efficiently recruit board members. First identify goals and tasks, then find the right people. Even if they lack some of the requisite skills, a little upfront training will help them learn the ropes.

With that in mind, the new network should appropriately weight passion – not just map prior experience with specified need. A nonprofit should be able to maximize your conviction to assist with a big fundraising effort, even if you don’t have a marketing bone in your body. Not all pegs fit round holes, but there’s more room in that hole than you think.

Anyone know the guy? What do you want him to know?

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Qui Diaz | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (7)
Jul 7 2008

The Socialprise

July 7, 2008 – 5:35 am

Today, we are happy to publish The Socialprise, a white paper/e-book that discusses the impact of social media on enterprises. The Socialprise examines the real marketing impact of conversations, and moves beyond marketing to discuss the importance of collaboration and co-creation in a competitive global marketplace.

An excerpt:

Global enterprises of all sizes are facing the first sea change since the industrial revolution. The impact of information technology has accelerated, creating two-way communication tools that are rapidly changing the very nature of business through collaborative co-creation, conversational and crowd-sourcing tools. The end result is an unprecedented socialization of business, and hyper-engaged group of stakeholders within the company fold.

Like all of the Now Is Gone chapters with the exception of Chapter Six, the first draft of The Socialprise was originally published as a series of Buzz Bin posts earlier this year titled Social Media’s Role within Global Business. If there is a second edition of Now Is Gone, a further developed version of The Socialprise will be included as a later chapter.

Download the Socialprise today.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (6)
Jul 3 2008

Talk Time with Director Tom

July 3, 2008 – 6:17 am

thomasclifford_pic The Buzz Bin had the opportunity to gain some valuable insight from the master of corporate documentaries himself, Thomas Clifford. Better known as Director Tom, this award-winning filmmaker’s extensive list of clientele includes Fortune 500 companies to non-profits. For 23 years, Tom has managed to help companies tell their stories and bring their brands to life.

BB: People assume video is easy, but it’s quite complicated. How long did it take you to become a strong professional?

TC: A few years after college, I studied intensely for two years under an amazing director who was a master at capturing short personal stories for organizations. When it came time for him to move on, I was offered the opportunity to take his position. I was more nervous than you can possibly imagine!

I was responsible for producing and directing around 50+ videos a year. That’s a tremendous amount of material to produce and direct, but I’ll tell you, I did it! And my team won numerous awards for our innovative approach to filmmaking and storytelling.

So, I’d say it took about four years at 60-80 hours a week to get to the point where I’d know what a client was looking for, see the story in my head and comfortably know how to capture it.

BB: What do you think of the flood of amateur videos, both corporate and personal hitting the market?

TC: Overall, I think it’s great. Technology has enabled many of us to tell our story in ways that were unthinkable just a few years ago. That’s the good news.

I think the potential downside is twofold. First, we lose a lot of time wading through a forest of material seeking the gems. How do you recover your time? You can’t. So, portals specifically designed to help us watch exactly what we need will become increasingly important.

Second, viewers will click out of poorly produced stories from companies that don’t engage them. As a matter of fact, I’ll click out and they’ve lost me. And who knows when I’ll go back? The video story should reflect the brand, the tone, the emotions, the story.

Here’s my view: capture the best story possible. Even if it’s produced at the amateur level, you’ll have a shot at capturing the hearts of your audience.

BB: What are some of your personal favorite projects?

TC: “People” stories are clearly my favorite films to produce.

I really love people and when I’m interviewing someone and I hear their dreams, their frustrations, how they came to work at a place, why they do what they do, what makes their work special…I’m reminded of how similar our stories really are; I’m reminded our inter-connectedness.

From HR issues like diversity, corporate culture, leadership profiles or de-mystifying myths about an illness…getting to the essence of the story and connecting to your viewer is what matters.

http://www.directortom.com/director-tom/2008/6/14/are-you-asking-these-11-stimulating-interview-questions-to-c.html

BB: In your opinion, what is the key to successful Internet video creation?

TC: Short. Engaging. Meaningful. That’s what comes to mind. I recall reading an article that indicated three to five minutes is the ideal time for digital storytelling. Look at Common Craft. They take complex ideas and capture them in clear ways in just a few minutes. It works extremely well. http://www.commoncraft.com/

Internet video or not, one more thing to remember…add a “dragon” to your video.

A “dragon” is an obstacle, a problem, a challenge. If a story is sugar-coated, your audience will become skeptical because the story doesn’t reflect life. Dragons add credibility to your story, company, team, culture, product, service, etc.

http://www.directortom.com/director-tom/2008/1/23/dragons-does-your-corporate-video-story-have-one.html

BB: YouTube is not the end all be all of video sites. What are some of your favorites and why?

TC: Here’s a few of my favorite sites and films on-line:

I love these short stories on Sundance. The style, the simplicity, the honesty…these stories just grabs me right into the world of the storyteller.

http://www.sundancechannel.com/nextgarde/

Errol Morris is my favorite director. My ultimate favorite short company film is this one from Errol. He produced it for an IBM conference. The conference was eventually cancelled and the film was never completed.

http://errolmorris.com/content/aborted/projects_ibm.html

Hitachi’s True Stories video are stunning captured. Real life stories from real life people. The Hitachi plug comes in at the end to tie the story together. Beautifully filmed, I love these stories.

http://www.hitachi.us/truestories/

Quantum Shift is a great site filled with short, “higher consciousness” type videos. Climate change, business, energy, human rights, heroes, and more are all covered by submissions from around the world.

http://www.quantumshift.tv/

Global Oneness produces interesting videos on indigenous cultures, social change, sustainability, spirituality and philosophy. Bookmark it.

http://www.globalonenessproject.org/all-videos

Here’s a few of my favorite documentaries:

  • Riding Giants
  • Dogtown and ZBoys
  • Fog of War (and everything Errol Morris)
  • Roadtrip Nation (series of DVD’s)
  • What the Bleep Do We Know?
  • Himalaya
  • Manufacturing Consent
  • The Awful Truth
  • Hoop Dreams
  • First Amendment Project
  • Hard Day’s Night
  • The Beatles Anthology

BB: Do you think network television is a dying media form?

I’m certainly not the expert in this field. My take? Know one knows, really. The FCC ruling mandating stations air their material in digital formats starting in 2009 might be a game-changer. As I understand it, this opens up opportunities for more programming and more content. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean more viewers. If the content isn’t worthy of watching, then the eyeballs and eventually the revenue, won’t be present.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html

BB: What’s next for Director Tom?

Short term…First, I’ll continue producing and directing films for visionary organizations that make a difference in the world. It’s incredibly rewarding to get emails and phone calls from clients to hear how I’ve touched their lives in some positive way. It’s food for my soul and makes the journey that much more fun!

Second, writing for my blog “Bringing Brands to Life!” constantly needs attention. I’m grateful it’s doing well; the community is awesome and it’s receiving neat recognition from a variety of places.

Longer term…I’d love to publish a book. It would not be a “how-to” book but a collection of short essays and ideas reflecting my values, techniques, and thoughts surrounding producing films for organizations. Most people beginning this journey don’t know where to start, who to call or how to think about the film they really need. My book would address these issues from a customer point of view.

Thanks, Geoff, for the opportunity to share my thoughts with your readers…it’s been fun and certainly appreciated!

Thomas Clifford works with Fortune 100’s to non-profits who are losing market share and employees or people simply frustrated they can’t breathe life into their corporate story. He can be reached at tom [at] directortom [dot] com. Follow Tom on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thomasclifford

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Marinel Mones | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (1)
Jul 2 2008

Online to Drive Store Sales Up By 19 Percent

July 2, 2008 – 11:25 am

A recent e-Marketer report says from 2007 to 2012 Web-influenced store sales are expected to grow at a 19% average annual rate, compared with a 12% rate for e-commerce sales. While both brick and mortar and online are predicted to enjoy double digit growth, 19% is significantly higher than 12%.

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It’s an interesting statistic because it demonstrates the critical nature of integrating new and old media, that isolated neither will not save the day. We already know that folks need to engage in web presence, and not rely solely on web 1.0 brochureware. At the same social engagement must be developed to compel people to walk into the store. Nineteen percent will be compelled by the web, not junk mail. That means strong online reputation is absolutely necessary.

The web driving brick and mortar sales reminds me of a conversation Toby Bloomberg and I had with Frank Gruber when we were considering a book project. Frank noted that great online properties all have a brick and mortar component to them, whether it’s a tie into someone’s cell phone, delivery to your house (hello Zappos!), or actual retail outlets, such as Apple stores or Dell kiosks.

In essence, as the report says, to market effectively great companies engage in “multi-channeling” information. This only makes sense as well discussed before here and on other blogs. A happy median needs to be found between social and traditional, online and brick and mortar.

From a corporate branding and marketing standpoint, content creation needs to intelligently integrate new and old. A social media tool may need to intelligently manage social and traditional channels.
A TV or print ad needs the social call to action. The social media effort may need a webinar or white paper to bulwark value.

Integrate intelligently to achieve cross tie marketing. Remember all of those great Super Bowl ads that drove people online?), list social properties on business cards and letterhead, tell people about store features using a prominent piece of real estate on a social property, etc, etc.

The word that comes to mind is balance.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Geoff Livingston | Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (1)