Socially Adept

Your Blog is Popular! So is everybody elses...

I've noticed a startling trend lately.  "I am the author of a pretty popular blog called _________ (fill in the blank).  Everybody reads me and I have lots of links.  Maybe you've heard about me?"  Well, no actually, I haven't.

In my career, I am lucky to work with and speak to bloggers from all over the country, from all walks of life, on a daily basis.  Many of these people are very humble and passionate about their blog.  Some are even utilizing their blog as their sole form of income.  I've also had the pleasure of chatting with bloggers that I believe are the most popular and found them to be unbelievably responsive, friendly and appreciative of links and mentions (David Armano, Mack Collier*, Paul McEnany to name a few). *click on Mack's link for a great post today

However, in some recent conversations, I've come across some bloggers who are flat out lying.  "My blog gets 25,000 hits a month!  I'm read by Seth Godin!  Joseph Jaffe gets ideas for posts from me!"

Be weary of these folks and make sure you do your research.  If someone claims that A-List bloggers are getting story ideas from their blog, they should also know that A-List bloggers are smart enough to link back to the content they reference.  Technorati will shed some light on the truth.  Meet a blogger who claims they have enormous traffic?  Check their rankings to see how they stack up.

So, you've done your research and found that your proud blogger friend doesn't have any links from A-listers.  They have reasonable traffic, but no one comments on their posts.  This is interesting... good content calls for interaction.  If you receive 25,000 hits a month, I would hope that at least one person was compelled enough to comment.

Am I the only one seeing this trend?  What is driving this need for validation?  Are there more bloggers out there looking for fame than committed to content? 

Talk amongst yourselves.

Can Blogging Derail Your Career?

No, I'm not talking about being "Dooced."  Let's say you're a young professional just starting out in the world of widgets.  In an effort to promote yourself and connect with a like minded community, you begin blogging about your experience (all be it only months) and your recent activities.  However, you haven't fully honed your skills and some of what you may post about seems trivial and/or incorrect in the minds of those in your field.  Can you be damaging your opportunities?

For the most part, I believe other bloggers recognize junior folks and realize that great ideas can come from anyone.  I also believe that good bloggers will take the time to educate the community and share experiences and insights without judgment.  However, if during a job search, a hiring manager or recruiter comes across your blog and disagrees with your point of view, have you hurt your chances for that dream job?

This is just another scenario where it is crucial to look at the entire body of work, not just one post.  Every blogger, no matter how popular, will put up a crap post now and again.  Every blogger will also change their stance on issues previously posted on as a result of community feedback.  It wouldn't be fair to judge an author on one chapter, would it now?

When considering how to leverage the blogosphere for employee research, marketing initiatives, research or anything else for that matter, make sure you take them for what they are worth.  My blog is only a 3% representation of me, but you wouldn't know that, unless you asked.  Just something to keep in mind.

Do Advocates of Blogging Need to Blog Themselves?

I've always prided myself on being someone who practices what they preach.  As a client partner and consultant, I feel it's important for me to have first hand experience in all marketing, communications and advertising tactics.  However, a question was recently posed to me in regard to why there are many proponents of blogging out there that don't actually blog themselves?

Interesting question.  Well, it depends on the proponent; wouldn't you think?

Blogging is slowly but surely moving into more of an art form that only certain people have the ability to master.  Based on the nature of the space, there will always be Blog Pro's out there like Godin, Jaffe, BL, Mack, and Armano as well as what I like to refer to as the "Weekend Webloggers"... like myself.  There is an incredible amount of self discipline required to run a blog (aka. Small Business) and one doesn't necessarily need to be a blogger to understand the reach, influence and benefits of blogging.  For example, I know the value and influence a fresh coat of paint and a bathroom remodel would have on selling my home, but don't need to do the work (or sell the home for that matter).

Also important to note is that Blogging hasn't been around for 20 years, but just because the platform is new, doesn't necessarily mean that the message is always different.  If the proponent of blogging is a superstar marketer, does he/she need to blog to understand the impact and influence the blogosphere and social media will have on his/her brand?  If a PR executive understands the value of delivering a message and can effectively communicate that message to an audience, do they need to be a blogger to understand the value of the space?

What are your thoughts on this question?  If you believe in social media, blogging, YouTube, Podcasting, etc... are you required to participate?

Social Media and Critical Mass

While conducting a search today on the utilization of Social Media for solving crimes, I stumbled across Mark Blevis's Blog.  Mark had a post about posting surveillance videos on YouTube, but his most recent post (from April 2007) is what really caught my eye as he states, "The time has come to achieve focus and pick your hang outs," in reference to Social Networking destinations.

Over the past few months, I've seen this comment coming up more in more on some popular blogs.  With the flood of services and products hitting the web, it's no surprise that many people are trying to manage the influx of connections, communication and relationships.  The question is, are these products too fragmented or not fragmented enough?

If I want to talk to a friend online, I use IM or Myspace.  If I am looking to make a business connection, I used Linked In - It's not for friends as many of them have unusual titles that don't fit with the network I am looking to build.  My blog is my personal platform - I speak my mind here, spout out some thoughts and ideas, and see if anything sticks (with one person or many).  I use Twitter when I'm in the mood, but don't feel that I need to tweet 24 times a day.  The list goes on and on.

Am I at my critical mass?  Maybe.  I Haven't even used my Pownce invite yet.  I downloaded Zune which was getting a lot of hype 6 months ago, but only visited once.  The list goes on and on. 

The space is extremely cyclical in its present state.  Early Adopters jump on new services in an effort to provide reviews and claim their space should the technology be the next topic of discussion.  If it fizzles, the feeding frenzy moves to the next potential target, while many others just wait to see what's in it for them.  Many people I know can't see the value in Twitter and make valid points to support their opinion.  Many people have latched on to Twitter so firmly that it has become their primary social media platform.  Me, I'm a middle of the road guy.  Twitter has value, but only a certain kind of value that can be utilized when appropriate.

I could go on and on for days about everything that is out there, but the real point of this rant is Critical Mass. 

Right now, because of the nature of the industry, we have two sides grasping at consumers.  The smaller niche offerings that essential fragment the average consumers online participation and the offerings looking to compile all of this information into one destination.  I don't think either side can win because obviously we need both.  The real decision comes down to how much the user wants to put out there and the level of adoption.  I'm too busy to be an every hour twitter, daily poster, weekly podcaster or vlogger...if that means my viewership is lower and my popularity minimal, so be it.  After all, it's the quality of the conversation not the quantity.

If you're at your critical mass, maybe narrowing your focusing isn't the way.  A simple adjustment of your participation may just be the trick.

ABC's i-Caught A Must See

As I type this, I am watching ABC's premier episode of i-Caught, a television show dedicated to telling the back story of some of our favorite viral videos.  So far, they have featured this incredible video called Battle at Kruger, the famous Thriller wedding dance and the other side of the viral phenomenon - the embarrassing disaster videos that have drastically ruined the lives of everyday people like this.

I love this show.  Instead of just trying to hijack the content currently viewed as popular online, they are taking the time to look into the back story of each video.  I enjoyed listening the the couple who danced to Thriller talk about how the video has affected their lives.  On the flip side, seeing the pain the wrong video can cause is essential and compelling.

This shows recognizes the power of Social Media and Consumer Generated Content (or whatever we are calling it this week) and effectively expands on the stories that people clearly care about based on the YouTube views.  They specifically detail how these videos came to live online and what caused the overwhelming success (metacafe, etc.).  Essentially, this show has the ability to introduce social media to an entirely new audience.  If it takes off, we may see the number of blogs and vlogs climb from what ABC stated during the show is currently 93 million.

The big question is, will ABC take the extra footage and make it available online for those who may have missed tonight's episode?  If I visit YouTube tomorrow and visit the "Battle of Kruger" video, will I see a branded clip from tonight's episode?  I hope so!  What better way to promote the show then post a response video to each of the existing videos they just exposed to a whole new audience?  I am sure each person featured would approve a response video from ABC.

At the time of this post (10:42PM ET) there are currently 7,861,609 views for the Battle of Kruger.  Let's see what that number is tomorrow and the next day.

On a side note, ABC is also using i-Caught to discuss how Myspace and social media are helping people solve crime.  People are actually putting photos of suspects online in an effort to catch murderers and thief's.  They asked the question, "Is this helping or hurting the case?"  Good question... thoughts?

You Have 4 Days to Save Your Brand

Jackie Huba, author of Citizen Marketers and The Church of the Customer Blog posted yesterday on the recent education CompUSA received regarding the power of social media.  It took a mere four days for one customer’s complaint to gain national attention on Foxnews.com.  Four days!

Considering several other situations like this have occurred with well known brands, it’s hard to fathom that a CEO would respond to a customer with essentially a “tough noogies,” but that is exactly what occurred here.  Huba’s post is a hard lesson for many business leaders who feel that social media and customer evangelism issues can be tackled on an as needed basis.  All too often, organizations find themselves behind the 8 ball when the fire storm of customer service issues spreads.  Instead of being able to have a conversation, they are forced to run damage control.

Could this issue have been avoided?  Absolutely!  Organizations need to realize that any type of communication they have with customers today, whether it is on the phone, in person or in writing will find its way beyond that one customer and into the hands of multiple customers.  Although the conversation appears 1-to-1, business leaders need to begin seeing those conversations more like this 1-to-1-to-3,000.

The CompUSA issue is the perfect example of why it is important to enlist the assistance of people who understand the social media space and the industry.  Although everyone may love your brand now, one person mistreated can cause a world of trouble in just four days.  Take the initiative and start the conversation with your customers before they feel compelled to tarnish your reputation and forever leave a negative footprint online.

(cross posted at DigTrends)

Zen and the Art of Corporate Blogging

Mack Collier over at The Viral Garden has recently started the "Company Blog CheckUp" series where he evaluates corporate blogs to determine how well they are doing in the social media space.  I love this idea and have since enjoyed speaking with Mack about the things he sees during his reviews and ways that consultants like myself can help improve the success of company blogs.

After a few email exchanges with Mack, I checked out his bio and his Linked In profile to learn that he is looking "to help companies find ways to empower and embrace their communities of customers as their marketing partners."

Considering this, I think it is a brilliant move by Mack to showcase what he can bring to an organization from a consulting standpoint by reviewing blogs on The Viral Garden.  It's only a matter of time before the likes of Kodak and others start thinking that having someone to assist them on a long term basis will only improve their presence in the social media landscape.  Why not enlist someone who has already invested their time in helping you succeed?

Jet Blue Pushes out CEO and Blogger David Neeleman

This is interesting news from the number 8 US airline.  Jet Blue CEO has been removed from power and replaced today.  He will now serve as the organizations nonexecutive chairman (Is that a good job?).  Upon hearing the news, I immediately went to check out David Neeleman's "Flight Log" Blog. 

Unfortunately, there is no post up there about the change and I wonder if there ever will be.  Let me make one recommendation to JetBlue... Make sure Neeleman's replacement, David Barger picks up the reigns at the helm of the blog as well.  It would be foolish to lose all of that traffic and your established audience now.  I'm not exactly sure how you pull this off, but it might be nice to have Neeleman transition the responsibility to Barger.  We'll be watching!

Rubel Picks Up on 38Pitches

Steve Rubel posted about Curt Schilling's 38Pitches blog today on Micropersuasion as a result of the recent controversy around his Barry Bonds statements.  I posted on Schilling's blog back in March (read it here) and have been following the local media frenzy ever since.  Boston Radio Station, WEEI and the cast of characters over there (Note: I love WEEI - Completely Addicted) mention 38Pitches at least once a day.

Rubel's post comes at a time when Schilling publicly apologized for his comments about Barry Bonds "potential" steroid use and infidelity.  Schill took some heat about his comments (which were in fact incorrect as Bonds has never admitted to anything as Schilling stated) but it was overblown.  I appreciate Schillings candor and those type of comments are what I hope for and expect.  I enjoy knowing where he stand on matters crucial to the future of baseball.

Some of the WEEI guys trashed Schilling this morning for apologizing for his comments.  They felt that he was entitled to his opinion and should share his views with the 38 pitches audience (All agree that an apology was necessary for the incorrect statements).  With Terry Francona's (Red Sox Manager) reaction telling Schilling to "Shut Up" and "Zip it a bit," I wonder how many C-Level executives are willing to hear that type of feedback from the board or CEO. 

I am sure Steve knows how Schilling feels.

Nikon D80 - A Successful Blogger Outreach Program?

The blogosphere is buzzing right now about the Nikon D80 Bloggers Outreach Campaign conducted by MWW Group.  So far, everyone is very excited about receiving their D80 at no cost for 6 months…and why wouldn’t they be.  If you’re interested in a sample of the coverage Nikon has received as a result of this campaign, look here, here and here.

Once you have had a chance to review each of the three posts, ask yourself if you are now compelled to go out and buy a Nikon D80?  Did the coverage Nikon received focus on the benefits of the camera and why it is superior to other digital camera’s on the market?  Although Jaffe, Lewis and Mack are popular bloggers, does their recommendation convince you to purchase the camera?

If the goal was to receive mentions of the Nikon D80 within the blogosphere, then this campaign is extremely successful.  I, for one, sure know about the Nikon D80 now (it’s hard not to)!  However, I’ve yet to see coverage that’s compelling enough for me to buy the camera.  Would this campaign have been more successful if the Outreach Program was targeted at Photography Bloggers?

An excerpt from the comments on Mack Colliers, The Viral Garden: “One reason why I don't want to blog about the D80 itself is because I've never blogged about cameras before, so if I did so for the D80, that would mean the content I was creating here would have changed, based on my getting to use a D80.”

So, is the coverage this outreach is receiving positive for the camera and Nikon or for the approach that MWW has taken to generate buzz?

(Cross Posted at Digtrends)