The dominant purpose of the social media industry is to sell or serve ads—that sucks big time!
Jeff Hammerbacher ladies and gentlemen.
Category: opinion
Social Media Is Not Social Media Marketing | A Growing Issue
Knowing the difference illustrates social media literacy (or lack of).
A few years ago I created the above graphic for a client to explain why social media is not social networking (full blog post). Three years later and the new frustration is the growing use of the term social media when in fact folk mean social media marketing.
A few months ago I met the social media manager for a high-profile telecommunications brand here in NZ who literally couldn’t tell me what else they were utilising social media for other than marketing:
They weren’t exploring saving time and money through collaboration platforms…
They weren’t using it to monitor and track latest news and developments in the industry…
They weren’t using it to cut print and other associated costs in their operations…
They weren’t using it to augment their professional development of the staff…
They weren’t using it to celebrate and reward their customers / clients / audience…
Marketing through social media is not bad / evil / wrong, it’s just a part of the social media pie and should be described appropriately—this also goes for the increasing growth in social media events who only talk about marketing (call them social media marketing events!).
For everyone who has ‘social media’ in your title please consider if you have that right. And the next time you hear someone talking about this subject, ask them if they actually mean social media marketing (or send them this graphic):
Grrrr!
Why Closing Google Reader Is A Good Thing | A Retrospective
An open letter.
Thank you Google.
Thank you for giving us a simple, wonderful, effective (and free) RSS aggregator in Google Reader.
The news you are now going to retire the service is sad but not surprising.
Personally, been honoured to have introduced thousands upon thousands of individuals to the platform through my seven years as a social media trainer / masterclass take / speaker. Even a couple of days ago was enabling a group of librarians here in Wellington, NZ to the power of filtering the web and creating your own social media menu.
Of course I’ve tried other services like Yahoo RSS and Netvibes plus also dabbled with a few desktop readers, but you always got me coming back with your minimalist approach and deep integration with other platforms (not to mention a direct distribution channel through email).
Understand you’ll now be focussing your efforts on other services and although we’ll all miss and have to find another RSS aggregator, the closure will spark new players into the game, and for those already providing services, an opportunity to tighten up their offerings. This will be a good thing (although feel for those folks who created apps like Reeder and thers which sync the reader data in to make it work).
It will also move me further away from all my data being routed through you guys—as you and I both know, it’s getting a little creepy nowadays how we used to be users and are now the products being packaged and sold on (without full disclosure of the parties involved).
Thanks again Google for the memories, making me look awesome and keep in touch.
For those who are looking for alternatives, check out these:
…anyone use any of the above? Which are the best? What do you think about this announcement?
Related post: OOooooohhhh Vienna | A Google Reader Substitute
The Original Social Media Anti-Expert | Me
Been introduced as a social media expert / guru / master / ninja (shudders) etc too many times.
“Change is not merely necessary to life, it is life.”
Alvin Toffler
Been saying stuff like this for over four years…
It’s time to live it out.
Leave by a different exit.
Go a different way.
Change down gears.
Be more humble.
Become an anti-expert (for a while)!
BlackBox SocialMedia | Automated Communication
Going fishing.
It started with the casting of this tweet:
A little bait to catch a bite… four days later, they bit:
Much in the same vein as SplashMedia (please read the comments), it looks like BlackBox SocialMedia first capture mentions of Twellow, Facebook, Twitter and social media training, then hit these Tweetmailers with an automated reply service directing them to articles on their website (which is basically trying to sell you their services).
It’s easy to understand the above approach as social media presents an enticing opportunity to offer wisdom through targeted communication. And in sharing knowledge the aim is to build a connection (and for these guys, a sale).
There’s another way.
By creating a relationship first, not only do you become aware of the context (which is so important, otherwise, you’ll be responding to questions which haven’t been asked and you’re made to look a little silly—see my tweet and then their response) plus it’s simply more honest.
So what do you think, are BlackBox SocialMedia being savvy or is this lazy marketing? Have you experienced a similar thing on Twitter? Btw BlackBox SocialMedia, feel free to respond in the comments below.
Related posts : Splash Media U And Pete Aspen | A Twitter Mystery
Image credit
2013 | Create / Curate
Creating / curation is the new black.
And my 2013 theme:
Creating is action.
Doing.
“Where I create, there I am true”
Rainer Maria Rilke
Public speaking for me is a hugely innovative exercise. Many folks don’t understand the work and expressive energy that goes into a presentation and its delivery (especially if you don’t use a script or practice like me then the execution itself is very much an inventive act).
I. Want. To. Do. More. And. Get. Better.
But, also, taking the time to craft the opening video here or the images which compliments the text, is part of what I mean.
It’s the realisation of discovering what you’re good at plus what you’re passionate about then using that to spark creation.
Deconstructing. Starting. Expanding. Mashing up ideas. Disrupting. Smiling. Thinking.
Look out 2013 for lines in the sand and new ventures.
There are two areas of curation which hold my interest: developmental and experiential.
“Curation solves the problem of filter failure.”
Clay Shirky
Developmental
How do you / your organisation / company view curation? What role does it play in broadening discussions and skill development internally? How are you using it to celebrate those in your industry or even as a way of extending yourself?
The rise of the individual digital curator (thanks to sites like Tumblr / Pinterest) allows for a wider interpretation of the more traditional role. Although, the leaders in the field (Tina or Jason or Maria or Shaun etc) demonstrate a higher purpose rather just serving individual tastes, but that of aiming to inspire, educate, challenge, explode wonder, intrigue, curiosity, in their audience.
The idea of curation as a(n online) skill is hardly ever discussed in articles / conversations around social media. My argument is that it will become increasingly crucial to individual and organisational development—as the signal vs noise ratio of companies / organisations, let alone a sector or industry, continues to increase, so to is the need to understand how to navigate and sift through the information and concentrate it into action.
This is sucking the juicy wisdom out of the web and humanising it for good.
Experiential
TEDxTeAro (I’m the license holder) is an example of experiences as curative event.
There are two things to be announced in the New Year around stretching the idea of traditional events: one for Wellington-based creatives (to be made public next week) and the other for social media mavens like myself who want to explore the next set of questions (who understand the difference between strategy and culture and who want to get away from ‘how to use Twitter / Facebook’ to advertise in a slightly different way and sell stuff).
More to follow but thinking it’s time play around with event formats and offer attendees more than a seat and people talking at them.
What’s your 2013 theme? What do you think of mine? Leave a comment below you lovely tribe of readers you.
Clay Shirky image attribution
Video music via Oddworld
Things The Internet Needs | Part 1: AdPants
First world problem solving.
Every time you skip a YouTube advert (after being forced to watch 5 seconds) or mute the new evil 15 second ones, a Tweet / Facebook update is sent out referencing the brand in question saying something like:
“Thanks @[nameofbrand] for hijacking my @YouTube time with your old school ad #adpants”
Advertising via interruption on the web is awful, lazy and tasteless. Old paradigm thinking in new world playgrounds. It doesn’t work.
Who wants to build a Chrome extension or some other programme / app which does the above? Can it be made? If so maybe we could crowfund it—who’s game?
TEDxTeAro Review | Reflecting
100 enthused attendees, 8 wonderful speakers, 6 skilled partners, 3 lovely sponsors, 1 very happy licensee holder.
On Saturday, TEDxTeAro made me smile with my heart.
Ideas from the stage included:
“fear is something we don’t usually run towards” / “adventure is any undertaking where the outcome is unclear” / “we breathe in and inspire” | Sarah Wilson
“everything always has a [maker] story behind it” / “[digital] fabrication is a grass roots technology” | Evan Thomas
“success doesn’t lead to happiness, happiness leads to success” / “19% chance of a faster diagnosis if your doctor is happy” / “[cultivate happiness through] compassion, conscious acts of kindness, gratitude” | Emma Saunders
“we’re genetically wired to be in nature” / “we are biologically designed for play” / “children download [real life] experiences into their brains” | Anja Geelen
“even though it’s a young industry there are already 300 crowd funding platforms out there” / “it’s a disruptive innovation” / “collaboration is the new black” | Anna Guenther
“the innovation ecosystem needs to be led by entrepreneurs with 20 years of history” / “innovation is bred at the boundary of constraint” | Dan Khan
“our teaching has yet to catch up with our environment” / “comfort is boring” / “go nuts, do stuff and have fun” | Ben Forman
“we can’t negotiate with a planet which doesn’t speak english and which is much bigger than us” / “create unreasonable ideas” / “social enterprises focus on a geniune need (rather than creating one to sell)” | Alex Hannant
My focus now:
- how do we improve?
- how do we ensure momentum is not lost?
- how do we scale and match the personal nature of this event?
A HUGE thank you to everyone involved, the speakers, sponsors, partners, attendees, TED and its community etc etc etc
What were your highlights?
Onwards to TEDxTeAro 2013.
Related posts: Today I Will Be Busy | TEDxTeAro Goes Live, TEDxTeAro | Dates And Location Announced and Announcing TEDxTeAro | Steering A Very Important Ship
Strategies vs Culture | Influencing Excellence
Replacing strategy with culture.
The following lines were featured in an exit report for my previous role:
…this is less about strategies and more about culture. Create the habitat and the habit will follow.
Something I’ve been saying for a while about social media and more importantly, change (whether it be departmental, organisational, individual etc).
Then the above [quote in the image] came along and I had to go outside and get some air.
Allow it to sink in.
Take some time to realise its importance.
Then adopt and adapt, embrace and move on, richer.
Thank you Peter Drucker.
How do you create a better culture for your organisation / company / for yourself?
Image credit via Drucker Institute
Splash Media U And Pete Aspen | A Twitter Mystery
Digital investigator.
Mr Pete Aspen recently tweeted me the following question:
do you know if @splashmediau is a good place for a newbie to learn how to become a social media manger?
Now I always click into the profiles of those who have taken the time to tweet me (especially if I’m asked to give an opinion on something). I’ve heard of Splash Media in the past and thought Mr Aspen had tracked me down due to my very previous role as a social media manager.
After scrolling through every one of Mr Aspens 1,906 tweets (at the time of writing this afternoon), it became evident though that all he’s doing is asking the same question about social media training and certification programmes.
However, nearly 25% of all tweets (448) references @splashmediau.
Note the timestamps on the right hand side of the tweets below:
Nothing wrong in using timed tweets as to not overload your followers or even strategically ensure it’s when most of them are online, but something is not right here.
As an experiment I engaged Mr Aspen with a reply to try and gain a response:
I heard nothing back (as of yet).
There are two conclusions to be made, either:
- Mr Aspen is using Twitter as a micro-advisory or research platform, tweeting on only one topic / question in an attempt to gain insights for what could be a myriad of reasons; or
- Mr Aspen is a poor automated attempt by @splashmediau to highlight their services
If it is the former then surely @splashmediau (who would be seeing his tweets they are mentioned in) should be all over Mr Aspen to either demonstrate their services (as he’s an obvious customer) or kindly asking him to refrain from referencing them constantly because he’s certainly not helping their reputation.
If it is the latter… well, you make up your mind. Maybe there’s a third reason. What do you think is happening here my little Magnums?
By the way, Mr Aspen and @splashmediau, the floor is yours, feel free to comment below as well.
Image credit to magnum-mania
UPDATE (a few hours later): take a look at the first (right at the botom) and seventh followers of our friend Mr Aspen:
UPDATE (10.11.12): As you can from the comment and this tweet below, there has been a response:
What do you guys think now?