The Quisenblog

If a 1990s version of ourselves appeared before us, replete with a walkie–talkie sized cell phone and a CD good for 120 hours of AOL, how would we introduce us to the new decade? If we’d just dropped in from the 20th century for a quick latté, what would we need to know to be an effective communicator here in 2010? Here are a few salient points you may wish to impart to your visitor from a strange time:

Content has truly been democratized. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection has a microphone. Instead of standing on a soapbox in Hyde Park, today folks can start a blog, write a review, post a comment on Facebook, send a Tweet or forward an email. And because every member of our “network” has his own network, our voice has the potential to reach way beyond the sound of our small voice.

Connectivity is universal. Ten years ago, when cell phones and mobile communication was in its Early Adopter phase, the promise was that you were within reach, no matter where you were. Today, mobile communication has evolved to the point where you are not merely “within reach,” you are totally connected to your personal network and news feeds, can find new communities easily, can conduct virtually any kind of commerce anytime and anywhere, and have the entire 9 billion pages of the Internet at your disposal 24/7.

Today our role is not so much to search for information as it is to filter it. Information and content have become ubiquitous. It finds us. Our role is to cull what is relevant and useful from the mass of data and information thrown at us on a daily basis.

Just because it’s loud doesn’t make it true. The speed of communications has led even “reliable” sources of information to forego traditional fact-checking. More and more, rumor is reported as fact. Punditry is being conflated with truth. Self-proclaimed “experts” seemingly pop up at every turn. This is what happens when there is no gateway to access. It is up to each of us to dial up our critical thinking skills.

With apologies to Gil Scott Heron, who spoke of the how authoritarianism trumps democracy in his tome “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” this past decade has shown that precisely the opposite is occurring.

Now quick, usher your former self back into that time capsule and send him back from whence he came. His John Grisham novel awaits.

Posted by Mickey

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Mickey New Media, Social Media AOL, blog, content filter, content revolution, critical thinking skills, democratized content, Facebook, factual information, Gil Scott Heron, John Grisham, mobile communication, network, reliability, Tweet, universal connectivity, walkie-talkie

With the explosion of blogs and other “user created content” has come the growth of what some in the media have coined “citizen journalism.” The idea here being that in today’s information-rich world, often the “media professional” is no more than a middle man or filter through which information passes, and that a dynamic is on the rise whereby ordinary citizens are using inexpensive web tools to make and report news to thousands (and sometimes impacting millions).

With the growth of Social Media, could the same dynamic be at play in the world of marketing? Could we now have Citizen Marketers who operate outside the basic control and auspices of marketing/advertising professionals who are so adept at crafting the message?

In a word, absolutely.

Conversations are going on online about every subject you can think of, and in nearly all these cases, these are authentic communications initiated by consumers for the consumption of other consumers. Occasionally a brand or its representatives may be involved, but most of the time, beyond creating the initial framework of the community, the brand serves more as observer and facilitator than contributor.

This speaks to the importance of transparency in the process of online communication. Attempts to control the message, set forth an agenda, or “spin” the news are often met with consumer indifference or outright anger. Key to keeping communities engaged is to make the primary voice in the conversation that of the consumer. A recommendation from a fellow customer, or a impartial rating from someone who has tried the product or service carries way more weight with the casual consumer than any corporate message will.

Let’s be clear, however. While there is unequivocal value in many of these conversations between visitors, there’s also a great deal of superfluous noise and pointless navel-gazing. Here is an opportunity for the marketing pro—to delve into the conversations and determine how to insert a brand in a meaningful way.

So rather than shying away from communities, embrace them. You want to be talked about. Even when conversations go in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily script them, keep an open mind (and an open ear) and ask what you can contribute. Remember, most people are online because they are looking for some sort of solution. See what you can do to facilitate that solution for them. You’ll earn high ratings from John Q. Marketer.

Posted by Mickey

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Mickey New Media blog, citizen journalism, citizen marketers, online communication, online communities, Social Media