It’s good to talk. The more people can reach out and find the right people and organisations to relate to, to discuss the issues important to them, to learn, to hang out and have fun, to contribute content and opinion and ideas, then the more satisfying they will find being part of society. I’m no sociologist, but it sounds like a good heuristic to me.
I stand by the assertion in my ebook on Social Web Analytics: “Ultimately, the Social Web has revolutionised communications massively and irrevocably, to the benefit of the consumer, the adaptive and agile organisation, and those who cherish an open society.”
Organisations’ engagement with the Social Web is still sufficiently nascent that it offers earlier adopters competitive advantage. And in the longer term however, it will be a condition of staying in the race.
Three amazing things
I’m posting today because three pretty amazing things have happened recently to catalyse this future; to extend the highly networked and Twitter-fuelled connectivity enjoyed by the minority today to the general population. I discuss these below, but first let me put this into context for those of you who not only have a FriendFeed, you’ve already fed it your BackType profile.
You’re not normal.
I mean that in the statistical sense of the word of course. My colleague Gemma and I presented the social Web to 250 would-be new PR consultants today at the CIPR Careers Day. Sure, they all use the Web and have a mobile phone. Sure, they all knew what a social network was. But only three had heard of Twitter; that’s about 1%. Many had not even appreciated why they might want to look after their personal brand in the social Webisphere, which was slightly disconcerting given their immediate or imminent priority is securing a job interview.
So how will this change? What needs to happen to get more people really connected via the social Web?
Well first off, it’s worth noting that whilst the first billion people connected to the Internet with their PC (or Mac), the first experience of the next billion will be on their phones, or phone-like devices more precisely. Moreover, small mobile devices are so much more personal and, stating the incredibly obvious, portable.
Let’s posit that three things must happen then:
They must have a cost-effective small device, a smart phone or mobile Internet device or netbook, that will happily go for days without recharge
The device’s operating system must be open, as opposed to proprietary, to encourage wide spread innovation, development and localisation (just like the Internet and Web themselves)
The device’s window on the world, the browser, must also be open to achieve the same, but also capable of playing the Web’s multimedia content, such a vital component of the social aspects of the Web.
Thirdly, Mozilla [disclosure… client], the organisation behind the world’s safest and fastest growing Web browser, Firefox, has unveiled the first look at Fennec, their mobile browser. Due for 1.0 launch in 2009, Fennec will bring similar advantages to small mobile devices that Firefox has delivered for bigger screens.
So, there we have it. 2009 marks the year that rewarding and engaging interaction with the social Web comes to a battery-sipping, highly capable and open, small form factor device near you. Marketing communicators take note; the ability for your organisation to engage in open, honest and engaging dialogue with more of your stakeholders is nearer than you might think.
Rick Sanchez is an anchor and contributor for CNN and CNN en Español. He’s live on the air every day from 3:00pm – 4:00pm ET in an audience-driven, interactive hour about the day’s top news. You can get involved in the show by following him on Twitter and checking out his blog. This past week Rick was to take a quick break from his tweeting to answer a few questions about the show:
RaceTalk: CNN has really started to separate itself from other news outlets through its involvement in Twitter. What triggered this involvement?
Rick Sanchez: A need to be more connected to our viewing audience triggered this. We needed to hear what’s on their minds and illustrate it in real time. The idea is to reach out to potential viewers where they live, on the internet.
RaceTalk: Many people at CNN, including both of you, have been very active on Twitter. How have you found this experience, and how much interactions have you had with your followers?
RS: It is a smart audience that makes me smarter, and makes me a better journalist. It’s like having 50 thousand editors, that’s how many people follow me and I talk to. I even bumped into one at the airport while passing through security. The TSA agent recognized me and said the immortal words: I twitter with you.
RaceTalk: How has your use of Twitter evolved over your show, and is it different then what you expected heading into it?
RS: Twitter is now used before the show to learn public interest on particular news topics; it’s also used on-air during developing stories or press conferences or breaking news to illustrate immediate reaction to these events. It’s all about immediate feedback.
RaceTalk: How many tweets do you usually receive for each show, and how do you go about vetting through all of them?
RS: Usually hundreds, but sometimes reaches up to a thousand tweets daily. Producers and I read through all tweets before they air to avoid foul language, and we aim for balance when possible.
RaceTalk: In what ways do you see the show continuing to evolve with Twitter, and do you have any future plans that you can share with us?
RS: No, if I told you what our plans are, I’d have to kill you. Stay tuned!
RaceTalk: From a news angle, what part of Twitter do you think is more important – a way to distribute news quickly to a large audience, or way to drive people to CNN.com?
RS: It really makes the show more or of a conversation, as opposed to a speech. It’s the next generation. And it’s here.
RaceTalk: Is there anything else you’d like to add that people should be aware of?
RS: Yes, I’m now going to interact on my twitter page and with my daily blog at cnn.com/ricksanchez. Come on over and visit.
Denise Dubie is a senior editor for NetworkWorld, where she covers a variety of topics including network, systems and applications management software and security information management, IT spending and staffing news. She was part of the Publicity Club of New England tech panel earlier this week, and was kind enough to answer a few questions for us afterwards. For more information on Denise, you can check out some of her stories and follow her on Twitter.
RaceTalk: What did you think of the PubClub panel last night? Was there anything you learned about your colleagues or the PR industry that stood out?
Denise Dubie: The PubClub panel was my first panel actually — in terms of being a panelist and not a moderator. For the most part, I found it very interesting to learn which issues my colleagues are also dealing with and what we’re doing at Network World that varies a bit from the group. The discussion focused more on some of the business issues our publications face and less on our choices in terms of editorial coverage, and that’s an appropriate topic at this time considering the state of many high-tech pubs. I also learned a new term for what we all are experiencing: disintermediation. It’s great to have a word to apply to the fact that content is freely available from so many sources with varying perspectives. Like others on the panel, in today’s publishing enviroment I need to help make Network World’s book and site a destination for a broader audience — and not just cross my fingers and hope readers happen upon our content.
RaceTalk: Was there anything you didn’t get to mention last night about your job or PR that you’d like to add now?
DD: The talk around SEO and driving page views was extremely timely, and one with which I am quite familiar. But I don’t think I was able to expand on what I think also needs to be considered when covering the high-tech industry. For me, being aware of page views is extremely important and I monitor which stories become popular among our readers. But it is also critical that I stay true to my network executive audience — they are an intelligent group and don’t often take kindly to inaccurate, old or biased information. That means stories that get huge page views because they happened to be picked up on another site such as Slashdot, Fark or Digg are great and definitely worth the effort in trying to repeat, but it doesn’t discount or negate the importance of the stories I do on open source network management software, offshoring or IT careers that garner fewer page views. I need to find a balance between driving page views and delivering core-focused and quality content that the Network World audience needs to do their jobs or to plan their careers in IT.
RaceTalk: Do you like using Twitter? What benefits does it offer in terms of getting sources for your articles, story topics, etc?
DD: Twitter was a bit of an adjustment for me. A couple of colleagues suggested I try it earlier this year and I started slow, but now I am on there daily. Typically I keep my personal and professional worlds separate, but I am realizing there is great value in pulling back the curtain a bit and sharing parts of my day online. I sometimes post articles I have written there, but I also note what I am working on from time to time. Generally I get a positive response in direct messages on Twitter or via my corporate e-mail with tips or sources for stories in the works. So far, so good.
RaceTalk: Since you’re reporting across multiple topics, you must hear from a lot of companies. How many pitches do you usually get a day, and how do you sort through them?
DD: Honestly I have no idea how many pitches I get per day, per beat or otherwise. But I am a bit of a fanatic about an organized e-mail in-box so I don’t typically let them accumulate. There are some that require just a quick response that I can answer immediately, some that I may tag to respond to in full later and file in a folder, and others I pass on to the appropriate editor for response or followup. Because I try to read and respond quickly, I don’t appreciate the mysterious or creative pitches. I can see time and energy has been spent on writing them, but I really need just a few facts to decide if/when I will take a briefing. Pitches that say what is happening and when upfront really help me better determine what briefings I should take.
RaceTalk: Do you have a favorite topic to write about, and is there a particular topic that you’re hoping to write about in the future?
DD: I do have multiple beats, each of which I follow very closely and each of which I take extremely seriously in terms of coverage. I don’t play favorites, but the stories I enjoy most lend themselves to any beat. I like to deliver stories that share with readers information that helps them better navigate their job or life in high-tech. The ones that I feel resonate most with my audience are those that demonstrate the challenges network executives face in their jobs and provide actionable information on how to take on those challenges and succeed — despite a tough economy, lack of skilled workers, jobs being outsourced or any of the many hurdles that arise. Basically, if I can cover relevant news in the high-tech industry while also incorporating the human perspective, then I am more than satisfied.
RaceTalk: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
DD: I have been working in high-tech publishing since 1996, and the industry has and continues to change dramatically from what it was when I started. Trade press faces many new challenges today. We have to cover more news with fewer resources and we have to strike a balance between hard news and analysis as well as big-picture trend stories and opinion pieces for our readers. We also have the opportunity to continue to offer value to an audience that seems hungrier for news on a more immediate basis than ever before. One thing is certain: there are no slow news days anymore!
Dana Gardner keeps very busy. He is the president and principal analyst of Interarbor Solutions, a blogger for ZDnet, and a leading identifier of software productivity trends and new IT business growth opportunities. On Monday evening Dana moderated a technology panel discussion for the Publicity Club of New England, and was kind enough to answer a few questions for us following the event. (Dana is also on Twitter, so be sure to follow him!)
RaceTalk: What did you think of the PubClub even on Monday? Was there anything said by the panel that surprised you?
Dana Gardner: I was impressed that the panelists, despite their divergent roles, we all into the need to bow to the almighty search engine. All seemed to appreciate that traffic is now generated online one story at a time, and that audiences are pushed to stories, not the other way around. Another way to say that is that search engines end up pushing stories for a long time if that story or blog becomes a high-ranking return on particular and powerful key words.
As the media shifts and online dominates (today PC Magazine folded as a print pub!), getting good search engine results becomes a top circulation priority for the media. This should be a new consideration for companies that are seeking to do the same, and for PR folks as they consider what makes for the best stories and news.
RaceTalk: What do you think about reporters using Twitter as a tool to find sources and share their stories with a broad reader base? Is it effective and appropriate in that manner?
DG: Twitter is a fantastic resource that can be used in many ways, and we’re only just beginning. Twitter can create wildfire in the ideas department, as well as put reporters in touch with primary sources in a whole new way. And, as your question suggests, it becomes a two-way street. If you have a following of influential people to your Twitter stream, you can toot your own horn from time to time. There are no rules on how to use these tools, other than don’t waste people’s time.
RaceTalk: What do you think should be the underlying factor when a reporter is writing a story: Newsworthiness, general interest, or potential to be a highly read article (via Digg, etc.)?
DG: All of the above. That was another saying that came out of Monday’s discussion. If you want to be impactful online, you need to do as much as possible to get the story read, get it in the best shape, and to get to the best information. The fact is that being “always on” and leveraging all the great Web 2.0 tools and tricks gives a media company like Time Warner or a lowly independent analyst blogger an almost level playing field. You can play the long tail or the short head — matching up those with a need to know with good and useful information is the game. It’s never been easier or cheaper to become a micro media company.
RaceTalk: As a ZDnet blogger, what aspects of a topic (newsworthiness, general interest, Digg potential) do you consider before you write about it? What types of topics are you most interested in hearing about?
DG: I’m often torn because I think I know the kind of inflammatory, buttons-pushing blogs that would generate a lot of hits. But that doesn’t suit my goals or those of my sponsors and clients. I’m focused on a fairly stodgy IT niche — enterprise IT infrastructure software and best practices. I’d rather appeal to those seeking information they can use to make better decisions in their jobs than to either buttress or offend some other agenda. I prefer to write blogs and generate podcasts that inform in such a way that the information is deeper than a news story, more accessible than an analyst report and that can be accessed and vetted by all the great web tools — so that a match can be found between seekers of information and quality information. This is the new age of trade information and analysis, to give the web what it needs to match up the seekers with the providers.
RaceTalk: In 2009, what do you think will be the biggest adjustment that reporters and PR people will have to make?
DG: Doing more with less for those who need to find more ways of doing more with less themselves. Any news, however, that shows value in helping people be more productive will be highly sough and therefore highly rewarded. We’re entering a period (we hope in quarters and not years) where supply and demand are entirely new variables. Online, in fact, may be instrumental in shortening the recession by making so much information available to so many people for something like $40 a month. The right information on the right topic at the right time is no longer just useful, it could mean make or break in a tough economy.
If traditional media can’t fill the need, other means will arise. The demand will be that great. I’d also say that the recession will hasten the effects and impacts of the Internet, perhaps bringing back what we used to call “Internet time.”
Ziff Davis Media has announced that the January 2009 issue of PC Magazine will be its last print edition, at which time it will convert to an online-only format at PCMag.com. The magazine, which was founded in 1982, has faced increasingly stiff competition from technology websites such as Engadget, Gizmodo, CNET and CrunchGear, and has found that many of its techy-savvy readers prefer to get their news online. As a result, PC Magazine was forced to cut its frequency in half, from 25 issues per year to just 12, while witnessing its ad pages drop by 35.8 percent in the first half of 2008.
Ziff Davis, which exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2008, will now focus on the PCMag Digital Network of sites, which includes include ExtremeTech, Gearlog, Appscout, Smart Device Central, GoodCleanTech, DL.TV, Cranky Geeks, and PCMagCast.
The magazine’s closure will result in the loss of seven print production jobs and comes on the heels of the Christian Science Monitor’s announcement less than a month ago that it would discontinue its daily print edition and move online. Unfortunately for those in the print media industry, these two closures are likely to be only the first in a series, as more and more readers begin to go online for their news.
Dan is the Kaufmann professor of digital media entrepreneurship at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also director of Arizona State’s Knight Center for Citizen Media. Dan is also the co-founder of Dopplr, an online travel application, and has made investments in a number of organizations including an online video site called Seesmic.
TAXI New York’s “Give One, Get One, Change the World” campaign
It has been awhile since I’ve had a chance to post. Luckily, I can say that I’ve been busy on some truly great campaigns. One being, our continued work for One Laptop per Child - which recently included launching its second iteration of the “Give a Laptop, Get a Laptop” program (this time globally).
This year the program is being offered through Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/xo (For those in the U.S.) and at www.amazon.co.uk (for those outside the states).
One of my biggest concerns with marketing and communications today, is the wall that lives between marketing, advertising and communications – especially when we begin to talk about social media. 80 percent of marketing executives polled in a recent survey, indicated that social media isn’t integrated into their marketing campaigns. The fact that marketers don’t want real-time brand discussion integrated into their campaigns continues to baffle me.
One Laptop per Child, a non-profit with the audacity to believe it can change the world, recently gave us an opportunity to bring down these usual walls and create a campaign that integrated advertising, online marketing, public relations and social media. With creative industry leaders like TAXI, Google, Six Apart, SWIFT, News Corp, Seth Amgott (of Amgott / Mitchell) and Racepoint Group (among others I’ve forgotten to name); all working towards a common goal – the possibilities seemed endless.
With everything coming together over the last few weeks; it has truly been a whirlwind. Working with the creative folks at TAXI has been a thrill, as they delivered on some moving TV ads, Web spots, display ads and brand videos that truly capture the essence of the project. Seth and the folks at Amgott / Mitchell got Tom Brady (Who passed along that rehab is going well) to come in and film some foreward thinking Web videos. You’ll start to see these across the Internet this week (one embedded below). The great thing about them is our script allowed Tom to directly address Facebook’ers, MySpace’rs, Bloggers and YouTube’rs with alternate beginnings – which should go a long way in encouraging folks to post and view within each of these thriving communities. Six Apart joined in the effort to spread the buzz by rallying its bloggers to join the movement. Meanwhile, we worked on trying to maintain a consistent campaign message across all fronts, securedmainstreammedia, engaged with top bloggers (Ever heard of One Velociraptor per Child?) and grew the OneLaptop following on Twitter.
The early results – well they’re pretty good. 24 Hours after launching in the U.S, – the XO is the #1 selling laptop on Amazon.com right now. We jumped ahead of John McCain, Sarah Palin and Britney Spear’s with buzz in the Twittersphere, and our buzz in the blogoshere skyrocketed.
A lot of the contributions to this project came from individuals and organizations who donated free time and resources to the cause, in the midst of economic tumult (needs to be mentioned); so the blueprint can’t be copied by every Fortune 1000 company. However, I believe this truly holistic campaign (In the same vein of Barack Obama’s) along with the vision to map advertising, marketing, PR and social media collectively against the overall organizational goals – will be a pattern that sees equal successes in the future.
For now, let’s just try to change the world.
Tom Brady donates his time to reach Facebook’ers, MySpace’rs, YouTube’rs and Bloggers(Post this one to your Facebook profile)
Every once in a while there is a marketing campaign that really stirs up some emotions. Today is one of those days.
Saturday afternoon Johnson & Johnson caused quite a commotion among mothers when they posted a new ad on their Web site. The ad targeted new mothers who were suffering from aches and pain (especially back pain) from carrying their newborn babies. The ad went as far as to say that carrying babies is often seen as a fashion statement, but that it’s okay to break from this trend if you’re dealing with pain.
Emily is a communications technology and research veteran, and her tech-sector experience includes a variety of engineering and marketing leadership roles in computer-generated special effects, broadband communications and video services.
You can check out the interview here, where Larry and Emily discuss the future of global connectivity.
(Note: this is the second part of a 
Denise Dubie is a senior editor for NetworkWorld, where she covers a variety of topics including network, systems and applications management software and security information management, IT spending and staffing news. She was part of the Publicity Club of New England tech panel earlier this week, and was kind enough to answer a few questions for us afterwards. For more information on Denise, you can 
Dana Gardner keeps very busy. He is the president and principal analyst of 
During this week’s 