Thu 26 Mar 2009
7 things in Social Media I find fascinating.
Posted by Lisa Hickey under social media
photo: CoreBurn
I’m on the phone with someone in Social Media this morning. And he’s talking a mile a minute, jumping from one thing to another, when suddenly he pauses, says “you know the title of your blog? The hurricane inside my brain? That’s EXACTLY the way I feel all the time now!”
Welcome to my world. There’s a lot going on.
These are topics that I hope to be blogging about over the next few weeks. I’m asking a lot of questions. I see no easy answers, but I’d like to at least start the conversation. Please, please, please, jump in with comments if you have any thoughts about any of them.
Here are 7 things in Social Media I find fascinating:
1.) I’ve heard it said that in the future “employees will be judged on the strength of their social networks”. Do you believe this to be so? Should corporations be able to leverage the social networks of their employees? How?
2.) As more and more people jump into Social Media, “mistakes will be made”. Will the tolerance level for mistakes go up for companies, individuals, organizations? What are some worst-case scenarios?
3.) How exactly do ideas spread across networks?
4.) Think about a chorus. Would you have been able to come up with that concept of having different voices sing in unison if you had never seen one before? Do you think corporations will be able to have hundreds of different individual spokespeople – all blogging, twittering, having conversations — who will be in harmony with a brand message? Or will it become a messaging free for all?
5.) What is an implied endorsement these days? What happens when you associate with celebrities, influencers, the press – are they potentially seen as endorsing you? Where is the line in the sand?
6.) There’s a lot of content out there. Saturation point? Is there a fundamentally different way content could improve that we just haven’t thought of yet?
7.) The very nature of friendships is changing. Brands get mixed into people’s social networks. Could a brand ever be your “friend”? Or, if not the actual word, “friend”, at least someone you turned to for help, insight, entertainment, advice, interacted with, depended upon? Or is that the way you see some brands already?
Do any of these interest you? Start a conversation, or if you blog about any of these things, please let me know!
Wow, excellent questions all, and worthwhile conversing about for sure, but a bit difficult to respond to in one comment (as well as exceeding any 140 character limit)
I think you have the titles of your next 7 blog posts
Or I got the inspiration for my mine, more later…
Nice post! Your number 1 is extremely interesting, “employees will be judged on the strength of their social networks.” I actually paused for a moment. Great Topics, since I’m still learning about social media.
I, too, am bowled over by how my life has changed since I have become engaged in social media. The significance at so many levels is too exciting to contain. What you say about the exponential effects of all this information, knowledge and connections as being in our collective consciousness, and the sense of reciprocity and generosity that pervades the space between us all, is what strikes me at such a deep level. I feel so grateful and celebratory. It is transformative. Thank you for such provocative, thoughtful questions. Ideas are tripping over each other.
Yes, agreeing with Rosy’s comment: number #1 gave me much pause for thought. I immediately connected it to media jobs in the future: where PR candidates are expected to have established media contacts, online community managers and other positions that require social engagement might have to come with credibility in social networks and their own community of people who can further a message.
Hi all, thanks for your comments and thoughts!
JuergenB ~ Glad to have inspired you, please let me know about your next blog post.
Rosy and Debra ~ Thanks, I’ll prioritize writing about #1. So many implications! Some that come to mind 1.) Everyone at a corporation will be considered a PR person. 2.) Interesting to think about what a “Media contact” is when, in a sense everyone is also considered media.
Robyn Luv ~ this: “I feel so grateful and celebratory. It is transformative.” I feel the same way. Thanks.
It’s amazing how much I write now - probably 5-10 pages a day (12 font double spaced, of course).
Wish I would have received an English degree, not a Math degree.
Hi Lisa,
Interesting thoughts indeed. I was particularly compelled by your last point: Could a brand ever be your friend?
So I took the liberty to post my take on it over at our blog:
http://twurl.nl/4dpbz4
Kind regards,
Glenn
ewok, yes, my biggest problem in my life right at this moment is that I simply can’t write fast enough. : )
Glenn, thank you so much for your post. You got me thinking again! The big problem with brands as friends is whether it’s possible for them to know you as individuals. Or, quite frankly, if people would really *want* brands to know them as individuals. It seems okay in some cases (i.e., when I check into a hotel, I love that they know my room preferences). But…there’s a bit of a fine line there. How do we gain trust, and how do we gain knowledge of individuals in a way that’s comfortable for all.
Hmmmmm……
Again excellent points:
1) Is it possible for brands to know its customers?
Yes, I am convinced that brands can know as much from its customers as necessary to build and maintain a meaningful and sustainable relationship. For this, we use a process-driven marketing approach based on the customer marketing method of Jay Curry. I have put some more info over at our blog > http://twurl.nl/4dpbz4
2) Are customers willing to provide all this data to brands?
It all depends how brands treat the already available data. The amount of info you are prepared to release is in proportion to past experiences. How did the brand treat my data so far? Am I provided with relevant info or experiences in return? How valuable is the brand for me? Can I do without? Etc…
But doesn’t this apply to actual friends as well? Sure there are friends who know almost everything about you. But I can imagine you didn’t tell them your entire life story from the get go. This relationship was established through time. Basic elements are: permission, mutual trust, joined history, etc… It’s chemistry. It’s about pushing the right buttons.
Regs,
Glenn
Love stopping by here. Good stuff. However, I also think there are other ways to look at social media rather than just Twitter and microblogging. How about Linked In’s questions? Incredibly useful. How about Times People? No effort on the part of the Times, but creating a community for readers. How about Nike Plus and soon things like RunKeeper where the offering of the brand isn’t ongoing content but the gift of community? This, too, is social networking. That being said, I do believe that social media will elevate the individual to the forefront, even for brands. After all, who do we all do business with? Companies? Or people? I suggest that individuals create their Brand You. And that employers learn to take advantage of it.
@edwardboches