Socially Adept

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?

Thoughts on 2007

I've spent much of the morning reading several predictions for the new year.  Some of them are valid and some are a little vacant.  The one thing I am confident in is that 2007 will be a very busy year for everyone in the technology, social web, marketing, and advertising world.  We are on the cusp of some great things, but I expect there will be some backlash as well.

On B.L. Ochman's 2007 list, you can find some interesting tidbits about SecondLife and Advertising, etc.  I am in agreement with her statement that 2007 will be a big year and agree that someone will enter the virtual world space to compete with SecondLife, but who comes out victorious is tough to gauge.  As of right now, there isn't much to do on SecondLife unless you are big into chatting with people you don't know.  Plus, navigating the avatar is a bit cumbersome, so there is definitely room for someone to step in if they are willing to make the investment.

Anyway, while I was perusing the What's Next blog, I was reminded that the "Press Release is Dead."  Then, I started thinking about all of the "New Media Releases"  coming out from Edelman and Shift.  Aren't these just press releases with widgets and other new media tools?  If these formats become highly adopted the likelihood of these being as equally ignored as a traditional press release has to be high.

Bloggers frequently post about these "new formats" and although there is some positive feedback, most people still aren't getting what they want.  With this method, bloggers and traditional media are still going to be pitched on things that aren't related to them.  They will be forced to sift through garbage to find valuable content and eventually will grow tired of the whole thing.

What some people seem to be forgetting is that bloggers and citizen journalists don't have to write anything.  They aren't bound by deadlines and if they can't think of something to write about on their chosen topic, they can vear off topic a bit and wait for the next interesting item.  New press release or old press release, the same problem still exists. 

Why is this worth writing about?

Well, if you receive an attachment or an email with a bunch of links and RSS feeds and widgets, are you more likely to discuss the topic?  I think some journalists might find value in the new format, but when reaching out to bloggers, I am not sure if there is anymore value in this than a traditional press release.

What is you were sent something you could use?  Something you could add to your site without having to spend time rehashing the story and reviewing a bunch of stuff that isn't relevant to you or your topic?  What would that be? 

I'd appreciate hearing any thoughts the blogging community has regarding this topic.  I would also stress that they speak now and have a say in how they would like to be contacted before someone else decides for you.  2007 will see increased activity in the blogosphere and that extends beyond advertising.  There will be more pitches and more communication and it's up to you to decide the best technique.

I need to work on my commitments!

So, clearly when I started this blog, I anticipated being able to post more often.  My previous blog, albeit a little more personal, was much easier to maintain as finding a topic was usually right in front of my face.  Well, that's no excuse, clearly there are plenty of things to talk about in the new marketing and advertising world. 

First and foremost, let's take a look at the recently launched www.fanwithaplan.com travel and sports site for Visa International.  It's still in it's early stages and there is much more coming (as you can tell by the grayed out destinations and events), but since I spent the last 5 months working on it (thus the reason I have not been posting on my now old yet still new blog) I figured I would basically use it as my excuse.

Take a look and let me know your thoughts.  Any comments, questions or suggestions are welcome.