Category: Social Judgement

Curation is the New Black

Flaneurs, Smart Bloggers, Social Judgement, Social Media

When you really start to delve into a subject online it can be overwhelming. You soon find that we are living in a time of information abundance. There are not just the traditional sources of content – newspapers, broadcasters and publishers – but a whole new generation of individual publishers and content producers. We have bloggers like Darren Rowse who can turn their experience and expertise into significant business properties. There are brands whose efforts are showing traditional publishers a thing or two. And there people who just love sharing their thoughts, insight, expertise and observations.

But if content is king – then curation is the cutting edge. Yes, curation is the new black. And black is the colour de rigueur for any digital flaneur.

In a world where abundance rules, the curator’s taste is not just helpful, it’s necessary. It’s strategic. And a good curator can save you not just time and effort. They can simplify your life, sifting the gold from the slag. But perhaps, more importantly, if your curator is focused on your area of expertise, then it is likely they will be looking for the same vital insight that you are.

DavidWesson

This is why I love what David Wesson is doing with his Social Media Strategist Scoop.It site. It’s like he is pulling the best posts from my RSS reader and publishing them just for me. And I can get the updates in my email, in my reader or on the web.

But curation is not just a manifestation of social media. It’s part of the fabric of our digitally lived lives. Curating content for your audiences, for your influencers or just for your friends allows you to tap into the Auchterlonie Effect – a way to create networks of trust and influence that will transform your business.

Take a look at what David Wesson is doing. Read Darren Rowse’s blogs. Then think about the strategic intent behind their efforts and how you can apply the same principles to your efforts. But there is one caveat – a good curator builds their focus around a deep understanding of their audience and brings an educator’s energy to the task. Don’t just fling content into a new web space – be selective. Show your taste. But most of all, show your understanding.

Creating Trust in Social Networks – The 4 As

Social Judgement, Social Media

Once upon a time, we knew who to trust. We’d look to the badge and we’d look to the brand. The institutions in our society carried with them the gravitas and the authority that commanded respect. The same applied to big brands. And then something changed. Something really big.

How to Build Trust in Social Networks – The 4 As

View more presentations from Gavin Heaton

Just as the world wide web rewired the way that we communicate, social networks are rewiring the way that we establish, create and maintain trust through those communications. The FOUR As will help you engender trust through your social network interactions.

Your Friends Suck

Influence, Social Judgement, Social Media

We often talk about social networks operating in a bi- or multi-directional way. The conversations flow from one point to another and ever-onwards.

But the same can be said of reputation.The same can be said of “influence”. After all, the people that we associate with – the people that we know and that we trust impact the way that other people see us. And those people also influence us.

Here, for example, is my Klout “influence matrix”. Now, I don’t think Klout is the be-all and end-all of measurement by any stretch of the imagination, but it provides us a glimpse into the world of mass-digital-data that sits just below the so-called level playing field of the social web.

klouter

What this shows, is at this point in time, indications are that I am influenced by David Armano, Mack Collier, Craig Wilson, Heather Snodgrass and Mark Pollard. But the same can be said of those who I, in turn, “influence”: Kate Kendall, Rob Campbell, Jye Smith, Trent Collins and Matt Moore.

Now, I am quite happy to write about these smart folks because at some level, they reflect well on me. They are smart, focused, professional people. But I would not have included their names, links and pictures in this post if I did not respect them. It is precisely because we can now see your visible networks, that we are able to make an assessment of what YOU are like, how professional YOU are and how likely YOU are to work well in a business context. And this is not just about HR or marketing. It impacts every aspect of your business. It impacts every relationship.

So now you really need to ask yourself – do your friends suck? And just what are you going to do about it?

Google Search Gets Even More Social

Social Judgement, Social Media

In light of my recent post on networked group think, I am concerned at Google’s recent moves to extend their social search functionality. One of the reasons Google was valuable to me was due to its wide net and broad focus. Social search may just make Google too narrow for my liking – ut I am pleased to see that individuals are at least able to customise the social sources of your searching.

So far this new version of social search seems to only apply to US-based accounts – but expect it to come to a search engine near you, very soon.

Real Life Social Networks

Influence, Social Judgement, Social Media

Here is a great presentation on social networks by Paul Adams (with thanks to Rachel Beaney). Complete with slides and speaker notes, the presentation steps through the marked differences in our behaviours online and off.

It’s the perfect primer for those who are just coming to grips with the world of social media – and a nice reminder for those who are more conversant with topics such as:

As you go through the presentation, think about your clients and think about your customers. Think about the topics from their point of view – and then also think through your own behaviours. Think about how you use social media/networks at work and at play – is there a difference? Should there be? Will you change what you do based on what the presentation reveals?

I will be interested to know!

The Real Life Social Network v2

View more documents from Paul Adams.

Lead Generation, Community, ROI and Other Games of Chance

Conferences, Creativity, Crowdsourcing, Digital Strategy, Flaneurs, Innovation, Social Judgement, Social Media, Storytelling, Strategy

Back in April I had the opportunity to speak at the ConnectNow conference. It was quite a daunting situation as I was the first speaker at the three day event featuring people such as Tara Hunt, Darren Rowse, Brian Solis, Katie Chatfield, Jim Stewart, Debs Shultz, Stephen Johnson, Hau Man Chow, Laurel Papworth and Gary Vaynerchuck, but I saw my role as setting the scene – creating a platform for the following days.

I looked at lead generation, community, ROI, discussing:

  • What works
  • How to sustain it
  • What to expect

Along the way, I pick up on the recurring themes that I write about here on my blog. Topics such as how audiences are changing (the new B2C), the Auchterlonie Effect and why it is the future of your brand, continuous digital strategy, influence and fat value. 

Not All Audiences are Created Equal

Social Judgement, Social Media

There are some great conversations happening at and around the ConnectNow conference. And something keeps plugging away in the back of my mind. It’s about conversations, audiences and transformation. What do we do when we are faced with a “no”. What happens with, say, social media, when you run up against a brick wall? But more – what if this same thing applies to other aspects of your business?

I have never been a fan of trying to change the mind of a naysayer. It’s hard to convert a fanatic. I have always been more interested in dealing with people who are impatient, the ones who want change and want it enough to make it happen. And I think this was instilled in me a long time ago – when I read the British playwright Howard Barker:

"Because you cannot address everybody, you may as well address the impatient" (49 Asides for a Tragic Theatre).

Essentially I am always getting started with social media. And I would say this to you – remember that we don’t make decisions on our own. We do so in a social ecosystem. You don’t need to deal with the naysayers – step aside and work with those who influence the naysayers at an arm’s length remove. Go further into the network. Let those networks work for you.

And because not all audiences are created equal, they will lead you in directions that you are not expecting. Go on. Give it a try.

Lead Generation, Community and Other Games of Chance

Conferences, Social Judgement, Social Media

I have had a brilliant day presenting at the ConnectNow conference here in Sydney. Living here in Australia means that there is rarely a chance to see the likes of Tara Hunt, Brian Solis, Debs Shultz, Gary Vaynerchuck without travelling across the world – and similarly, it’s rare to be able to spend time with those who are closer to home such as Darren Rowse, Katie Chatfield, Jim Stewart, Simon Young, Laurel Papworth and Stephen Johnson.

I was asked to set the scene for the three days of presentations, panels and workshops focusing on the convergence of social media, emerging technologies and enterprise.

In my talk I used a ball of string, passing it through the audience to kick start our thinking around what it means to be connected. It was also a metaphor for communications, marketing and social media that helps us think through what we say and how we say it – and what it means to actually participate in the creation of value with and through an audience.

My slides are available on slideshare – and as you can see, are a crystallisation of many of the concepts that I have been writing about here for the last three or four years.

Connect Now Lead Gen+Community

View more presentations from Gavin Heaton.

If you aren’t able to make it to the conference for the remaining days, you can follow along via Twitter using the #cnow hashtag, and join in the discussion over at the ConnectNow group posterous site.

And if you ARE at the conference, be sure to say hi during one of the breaks – or better yet, come to coffee morning on Friday. Details are here.

Resonance Agents

Influence, Social Judgement, Social Media

I am working on a project at the moment which has influence at the very centre of its strategy. But as soon as we mention the word “influence” it brings a whole hierarchy of associations along for the ride. For example, I’m sure that you, reading this, have already leaped ahead 10 steps – and that is the challenge. Many of you will have read Gladwell’s Tipping Point and will, no doubt, be thinking about the way that a small number of influencers can create the kind of network effect that drives consumer behaviour. But as I have written previously, when it comes to social or digital strategy (in particular), we can’t just focus on reaching the tipping point. We need to go well beyond this – to impact behaviour, create lasting and beneficial change and deliver against business and organisational objectives.

Yet, in doing so, we have no choice but to work with “influencers” – after all, we are working with people, not numbers. I was reminded of this great post, Curating Resonant Agents, by Katie Chatfield on the work of Duncan Watts, and the presentation that came along with it. Take a read, it provides a context for the type of thinking you will need to undertake to be able to apply the concept of influence to your business or brand.

iCitizen 2008: Duncan Watts

View more presentations from Resource Interactive.

 

So, where does this leave us? I like Katie’s focus on resonance. When Stanford’s Eric Sun conducted research into Facebook “dispersion chains” – the length of connections through which a message/story would travel across a cluster of connections – he found that resonance and resonance agents are important. More important than sheer numbers. Influence, it seems, does not accrue to a particular person or even a particular group of people – certainly not, at least, when you are focusing on changing behaviour. Influence accrues to those resonance agents willing, able and (perhaps) predisposed towards sharing that message/story.

Where do you find them? Clearly they are not the people with the loudest voices. They are those individuals who facilitate the “weak links” between clusters. They are the connectors. And they sit in the cubicle next to you. They are often, as non-descript as a face in the crowd. How do you find them? You just have to listen.

Launching a Movement, Not a Product

Measurement, Social Judgement

We often forget, when we are launching a product, that we don’t just want sales. Sure, they are great. But for a launch to be successful, it means not just getting your product or service “out there” – you’ve got to keep it out there. You’ve got to ensure that it has fuel enough to sustain it until it does, in fact, reach a stable orbit.

In a social media world, this means launching a movement, not a product. In this presentation, the folks from We Are Social show how they went about launching Marmite XO. What can you learn from this approach?

Compare and contrast this with KD Paine’s new product launch checklist. What are the overlaps? What would you do differently?

The Marmarati – We Are Social's launch campaign for Marmite XO

View more presentations from We Are Social .