Blogging - Servant of Chaos

Why Twitter Hasn’t Cracked the Teen Market

Blogging, Community, Digital Strategy, Social Media, Web 2.0

I started this post back in February 2008 and left it for a while. I was never quite able to finish it — and it didn’t seem overly important. But in light of the recent problems with Twitter and the emergence of the shiny new Plurk, I thought I would resurrect this post and look again at the future, potential and challenges for services such as Twitter, Plurk, Jaiku and Pownce.

I remember how Twitter sped into my consciousness. It was like a freight train with a big Web 2.0 emblazoned on the locomotive. Hanging out the windows of the carriages were the smiling avatars of my marketing and social media friends. All were smiling and waving, beckoning me to climb aboard. It seemed like a no-brainer … and, in fact, it was. There was very little thought process involved — I climbed aboard because all my friends were already there.

As I explored Twitter, I started seeing my friends discussions. I realised that there were conversations going on that I wanted to be part of, that I at least wanted to LISTEN to. So I would begin to “follow” others. That meant that Twitter would notify them of my intention to eavesdrop or contribute to their discussions, and in effect this served as a virtual introduction. My pre-existing connection to others had opened the door for me.

This made me rethink my approach to Facebook and to LinkedIn. As you can probably see, up the top of my website is a badge that links to my LinkedIn profile. If you click it and want to add me to your network I don’t generally decline (in fact, I don’t think that I have ever). I am a little more selective about Facebook where I do feel that I need to know a little about you before “friending” you. But why? What was this all about … and how did it relate to Twitter?

Gradually I realised that the folks on Twitter were a whole lot less guarded about their discussions than they may be about their profiles on Facebook. And the same applied to me. That meant that it was completely acceptable to “follow” a stranger on Twitter — and in the process it opened up my personal social graph to a flood of chaos and random encounters. It felt a little dangerous … but at the heart of it was the clear understanding of my role as a creator of content. Twitter was providing the space and as a dutiful “one percenter”, I was filling it with the best content that I could muster in 140 characters. So were my one percenter colleagues. We had an unspoken contract with Twitter — and it was symbiotic — we soon needed each other, desperately.

Digging around in Twitter, however, it was clear that the user base was mature — or should I say “adult”. This seemed counter-intuitive to me, because I expected Twitter to be a walk up natural service for teens — and Andy Beal seemed to think the same in this interesting post. But for my money, the reason that teens have not been attracted to Twitter is fundamental. Surprisingly it is not about the COMMUNITY … it’s about the INTENTION.

Twitter has been able to build a community around its technology. It started with a tech friendly audience at SXSW and grew from there. It was successful at positioning itself as an APPLICATION. That meant that we were overtly aware of Twitter as a piece of enabling technology — we knew and understood that this would entail ups, downs, failures and disappointments. We were viewing Twitter as a technology — we were co-creating the Twitter community. As David Cushman says, “It is built for communities of purpose to form in a networked conversation-driven way, not for an audience to consume what they are creating”.

But such a position is anathema to a teenage audience. For them, the very act of connecting is, in itself, a creation of value. The resulting relationships and the experience that they engender is of intrinsic importance to a generation world-wise and weary of “markets”, “brands” and the emptiness of promises. There is little surprise then, that Twitter holds no appeal.

Plurk, however, is different from its core. The Plurk team view their mission as a service. They want to go “Beyond FUBU” — beyond the for us, by us mantra that permeates many start-ups. Now, whether this is true or not, it certainly appeals to Generation Y. And it seems to be something that is also tweaking the ears of an expectant Twitter community. After the recent outage furore and poor communication all round, perhaps the adults in the Twitter community are waking up to a new level of expectation and maturity — technology as service. And this may be the very reason that Plurk (or its successor) wins out long term. It is not about the technology or even the utility. It’s about the service and the experience — something the kids got long ago.

Get Off Your Soapbox

Blogging

Standing on the Soapbox
Originally uploaded by hub-bub

During the twentieth century, Sydney’s Domain was host, each weekend to a variety of impromptu lectures. Known as "Speakers Corner", anyone with a point of view could go along and speak to the passing crowd. Some speakers became well known and built up a following, while others were more casual, comic or plain ridiculous. Sometimes the Speakers Corner would turn into a hotbed of debate and discussion, other times it was just diatribe — it depended on the mood of the times, the audience and the speaker.

Many speakers, to give themselves a little more prominence would bring along something to stand on — often a soapbox. They were of sturdy constuction, easy to carry on the train and could take the weight of the speaker for hours on end. So popular did the soapbox prove that a common saying entered the lexicon — "get off your soapbox" — a comment called by the crowd to taunt the speaker.

In many ways, this tradition has much in common with blogging. Bloggers put forward their views which attracts (or repels) an audience. Some readers participate in the debate or drop by to listen before moving on. But there is also a large divergence between "soapbox speaking" and blogging — and this is based around the movement from talking/discussion to action.

If you are a blogger you are bound to receive pitches from PR agencies and comments from your readers. Some will be well researched and others will be dismissive, cursory or even rude. If you are a reader you will have favourite writers that you visit regularly and others who you disregard. But with social media there is not a simple connection between speaking and listening. The velocity with which thought becomes action has never been faster.

For example, Geoff Livingston shares his exasperation with bloggers, PR folk and readers in this excellent post that challenges both the "PR people shilling for long tail hits about crap, and mean cranky bloggers who think hiding behind a keyboard with a decent Technorati ranking is a license to act like jerks". He shows that by looking beyond the shadow of our egos that we (and he means "the greater we") can actually work to achieve an outcome.

So think about this. When you want to fire of a flame comment or a nasty blog post — who are you hurting and why? And if … IF you could put that time and energy into something constructive — imagine what the result would be. AND now that you’ve thought about it, get on with the action. Get off your soapbox, there’s work to be done!

Does Your Blog Have a Potty Mouth?

Blogging, Web Fun

Created by OnePlusYou
– Free Online Dating

Some blogs are known for their insight. Some for their coverage of issues. Some for their colourful personalities. And some for their funky design and willingness to share. Sometimes the personality of the author is there in your face while for others, it is important to stay tucked away behind the words on the screen.

But no matter where your blog sits in this spectrum, the words that you write truly do say something about you. After all, blogs and your personal brand are intimately linked.

This fun little cuss-o-meter gives you a quick reading of your cussability score (with thanks to Meg Tsiamis). Meg ranked a healthy 2% while I managed a meagre 0.8%.

I am hoping that some of my friends make up for my poor efforts. After all, some have more reasons to cuss than others!

Servant of Chaos Joins the Junta

Blogging

Back in January, Joe Pulizzi published the Junta 42 … the top content marketing blogs on the Internet. A few months further on, Joe is announcing the updated list which includes a number of my favourites, including David Reich’s My Two Cents, Mack Collier’s The Viral Garden, Neil Perkin’s Only Dead Fish and of course, Drew’s Marketing Minute. I am pleased to say that Gavin Heaton’s Servant of Chaos blog has edged in, ranking this quarter at #38 (this could well be the only list on which I rank ahead of Guy Kawasaki).

One of the things that I like about the list is that the top 42 blogs are individually researched and measured against a number of elements (you can find the full list here). This is how Joe describes the criteria.

The number of posts in the five most recent posts prior to and including March 31, 2008, that pertained to a content marketing topic.
Substantiveness of Posts. Here we worked to weed out posts that fell short of adding value to the collective body of knowledge about content marketing. For example, blogs that simply linked to other blogs or articles without adding new information, perspectives or ideas to the commentary received lower scores than did blogs that consistently delivered unique ideas, thoughtful insights, deep coverage, rich media and the like – you know, high-value content – to the community.
Regularity of Posts. Here we looked at the frequency of posts throughout the month of March. Those posting on 3 or more days per week (12 or more days throughout March) received the highest number of points.
Google PageRank. All blogs were checked on the same day to record Google PageRank.
Junta42 Member Ratings. Blogs ranked on our previous Top 42 list received points for their position and their Hitch! popularity. Blogs that were newcomers to our list received a first-round quality score instead.

Lists such as the Junta42, Mack’s Top 25 Marketing and Social Media Blogs and Ad Age’s Power 150 have an important role to play. They are a great source of "go to" knowledge — and can prove invaluable for new and experienced bloggers alike. When I first started writing this blog I used Mack’s list and aspired to one day be ranked there. And to this day I use it as a reference and reminder of the great blogs that are freely available to us all.

And while no ranking methodology is without its flaws, the most important thing is that lists allow you to identify where it is that you do (or want to) belong. At the end of the day, the list is about community, or as Drew McLellan would say, "tell me your friends and I”ll tell you who you are". Think about it … where do you belong. Oh, and thanks for belonging here!

The Dream of Influence and the Democracy of Action

Blogging, Digital Strategy, Old Media, Smart Bloggers, Social Media, Strategy

Over the last couple of days there has been a rash of conversation, discussion and analysis around the concept of "influence" — driven by the publication of Duncan Watts and Peter Dodds article on Influentials, Networks, and Public Opinion Formation. David Reich points out that the Fast Company article, Is the Tipping Point Toast, offers a little more context on Duncan Watts and his area of research; and this great post by Noah Brier drills down into the concepts even further.

Basically, Watts and Dodds are challenging the notion that influentials ("a minority of individuals who influence an exceptional number of their peers") are important to the formation of public opinion. This flies in the face of accepted marketing theory and the popularity of The Tipping Point. It also challenges the notion that marketers have of influence — and the way in which this notion of influence makes our lives easier. After all, it helps us target our messaging, our communication and our schmoozing efforts. This is why we dream of influence — it is aspirational. As marketers we like to feel that we have a finger on the pulse of society … but what happens when that pulse flatlines — or simply proves to be a phantom?

Late last year I wrote about the strength of weak ties. This fascinates me. The findings of Mark Granovetter’s research into social networks demonstrated that it is the WEAK ties that lead to action. If this is the case, then influence may only play an important role in the very early stages of branding efforts — to facilitate AWARENESS. But as consumers begin to engage with the brand messaging and various forms of communication, it appears that the power of the social network lies not in the level of influence of any select group but in the susceptibility of the audience to contagion.

Why is this relevant? Because on some level, our role as marketers, strategists or activists is not simply to raise awareness. Our job is to change the way that people think, or act — we want to prompt a change in perception or in behaviour. As marketers then, perhaps our best efforts — and probably our strongest DIGITAL STRATEGY lies in activating the weak links and leaving influence to the mass/traditional media (or to those bloggers who have mass audiences).

It is the democracy of action that drives much of my interest in social media … take a look at what is hot on YouTube or on Technorati. Think about BSP and the way in which a number of people "suddenly" begin writing on a similar topic. It is not the "influentials" who are going to instigate a new trend … they are merely documenting its early rise out of a network of weak links. So while my heart tells me that influencers are important, my head is telling me to go for the gold — and that seems to be quite a turnaround. Now … if only I could model it!

Brands — Are Bloggers in Your Sights?

Blogging, Branding, Corporate Social Responsibility, Digital Strategy, Old Media, Smart Bloggers, Social Media

From the outside, the "blogosphere" is a weird, anarchic and slightly self-obsessed world. With over 70 million blogs and countless thousands starting up each day, it is little wonder that most brand managers, marketing directors and CEOs have no idea where to start.

But have you thought about it? Who are these people who write blogs? And how would you respond if a "blogger" contacted you? Do you have a strategy? A policy? Any idea?

Here is how one leading brand responded to an inquiry about their latest ad campaign:

“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because [we do not] … participate with nontraditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest".

Can you guess which brand this is? Have you heard about it already?

To my surprise, this was the response that was sent by Target to Amy Jussel, Executive Director of Shaping Youth. Amy had written to Target protesting about the depiction on their latest billboard — they are, after all, a family brand and one which should have an affinity with organisations such as Shaping Youth. Indeed, Target’s "values" include the following statement:

From national partnerships to local initiatives to our own programs, Target is committed to making our communities better places to live.

This story has now been picked up by the New York Times … and has spread like wildfire. And while the focus of discussion by NYT has been around whether brands should treat bloggers the same as traditional media outlets, there are other things to consider. Amy is not your average blogger — she runs a professional and high profile not-for-profit organisation. She is a parent and she is a regular patron of Target. Before this episode, there was clear a affinity between Amy, Shaping Youth and the Target brand. But the actions (or non-actions) of one of Target’s employees (or PR team) has had an amplified reaction. What could have been done better. Let’s take a look:

Keep it real: Clearly Target has a digital/social media strategy of some sort. They have done some high profile work with Facebook and have amassed over 20,000 members to their group — so clearly the response was not completely honest.
Quick research: In the time it takes to send a form response to an inquiry, you can easily do a search on the domain, the blog or the profile of the person writing in. In Amy’s case, Shaping Youth clearly appears at the top of a Google search with the following description — "Shaping Youth is a consortium of media and marketing professionals concerned about harmful media messages to children". A moment’s research can help guide your response.
Blog it for free: Time and time again, companies ask whether they should blog or not. Clearly a consumer brand could actively use a blog to engage, converse and discuss a range of topics. A blog would have provided a space for this discussion and would have allowed them to enter this conversation in a more natural and harmonious way.

For brands, the question might be "are bloggers in your sights"? The reverse is certainly true — brands are in the sights of bloggers. And while one blogger acting alone may have limited impact, en-masse, it is a very different ball game. Perhaps Target could benefit from the social media insight and skills of Mack Collier, Drew McLellan or Christina Kerley.

What do you think? Is TargetGate a parallel to Dell Hell?

Blog with the Stars

Blogging

Estrellas Invitadas / Guest Stars
Originally uploaded by Alfredo Grandjean

OK … that may be over-stating it … but I am approaching a milestone with this blog. That’s right, a cause for celebration … a time to make hay, shake things up a little.

I am a few comments short of 2000 — and the person who makes the 2000th comment gets the chance to write a guest blog post here. I don’t even really mind what the topic is (it certainly seems that my readers cover a wide variety of topics — not all related to branding/marketing or even storytelling).

So, if there is a post that takes your fancy and you haven’t had your say as yet, please step up and offer your insight. I wait with baited breath.

The Common Craft of Blogs

Blogging

For those of us who are involved in blogging, it can seem strange to be asked "what is a blog". But it happens almost everyday.

You see, despite the massive adoption of blogs as a tool for personal, professional or community content publishing (Technorati tracks >70 million blogs), blogging is still a rather marginal activity. A good way to gauge whether some technology has been "mainstreamed" is to do the "Five Step Grannie Test". I have used this to great effect in the past, and it requires the following steps:

Write down the topic that you want to research in a notepad. Try to keep it to a single sentence and write it in the form of a question (for example, "what is a blog")
Pick up the phone and call your grandmother (this research method works just as well with someone else’s grandmother)
Read the question/topic out from your notepad
Write the answer into your notepad in CAPITAL letters
Evaluate the response. If the answer is YES, then your brand/technology/services/product has been mainstreamed. All other answers count as a NO (especially the response, "what is a what"?)

So, if you are like me, and you are asked "what is a blog", now, rather than spending a couple of hours talking through the technology, options etc, you can send all your grannies to this video thoughtfully put together by Lee Lefever from Common Craft. How do you get to it? You just jump on the Internet (hint: you can even get it on computers now).

Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Now?

Blogging

Toggle Switch
Originally uploaded by JayPanda

I don’t really know why I am suddenly quoting The Clash, but I thought it was sort of appropriate.

You see, I am thinking about shifting blog platforms. It is not that I don’t like Typepad, I do … it has been great. But I have a lot of other sites, sideline projects and web hosting setups that I need to consolidate. And rather than have them all spread out … and costing small but not insubstantial amounts, I am thinking that I should bring them all together in one place (yes, the wonders of virtual hosts and server technology will allow me to do so). At the moment I am thinking of MoveableType … but I have had a lot of experience with WordPress as well and know it does a great job.

I am sure that many of you have been down this path before me … so what are the risks? What are the problems? What have you learned in this sort of process and would you do it again?

And, in case you can’t get that song out of your head, I have posted a live version over here.