Finally, Blogs are a TOOL!… Not End All, Be All!

If Robert Scoble and Shel Israel’s book had placed its last chapter first, I would not have needed a bottle of tums, headache medication, or would have subjected other marketing professionals and my college age daughters to my ranting over the past two weeks. The reading for this week- at least all but Chapter 15- was a source for Scoble and Israel’s continued evangelism for blogging and a soapbox for their premise that blogging is the answer for all corporate woes, as well as the facilitator of corporate growth. According to them, if you don’t blog, you aren’t transparent and if you aren’t transparent, you and your company will lack authenticity.  While the first part of the book seemed to sell the reader on the virtues of blogging, the second part of the book was a “how-to” instruction manual for writing and using a blog. According to the authors a good blog should be interesting, should not be written by a “character,” because it was, G-d forgive, it would impede the blog’s essence of credibility or authenticity.  According to Scoble and Israel, blogs should be written by an employee of a company and should tell all the inside gossip of those companies. The book implied that companies, like Target, that did not have culture condusive to blogging were closed and secretive.  In their estimation, HP made a huge mistake when company employees did not blog about Carly Fiorina’s ousting from the company.  What are they YENTAS?  In order for a company to be authentic and responsive to their customers do they have to air their dirty laundry in public?  Is this condoned in Scoble and Israel’s families? As the authors did in the first part of the book, they again displayed their prejudice toward marketing professionals by accusing them of controlling messages or using integrated marketing to “intertwine messages and extortions in ad nauseum.”  Many of the “11 best practices” for blogging –demonstrate passion, show authority, have a two-way conversation, be accessible, leave contact information, tell a good story- are all what I consider best practices for any company in dealing with its customers.  According to the authors, only companies that blog are able to properly avert a crisis.  In the discussion about Kryptonite and how through the blogosphere a problem with their bike lock was disclosed, Scoble and Israel implied that the company should have also used blogging to communicate with their customers on how they were correcting the problem.  This again raises a question for me…  Who are the bloggers?  Do all Kryptonite customers blog?  It would seem to me that in this case, blogging should been ONE tool that the company uses to reach its mix of customers. After all, a good marketing person knows that not all market demographics receive information through the same method.  Hence integrated marketing! Furthermore, the crisis management and blogging tips for companies are also those, which I or other marketing communications specialists, would suggest to companies.  Have a crisis plan worked out to communicate to customers the problem and how your plan to have it resolved. So, now my thoughts on the last chapter… I am thrilled that Israel and Scoble realize that blogging is a communications “tool”-not the end all be all- which does help improve the conversation between companies and their customers.  I am delighted that they also admitted that perhaps that culture does indeed play a role in companies and countries and that, according to Israel and Scoble, culture can’t be dismissed in discussing social media. In my opinion, the continued evolution of communication is just that… a continuum.  Blogging is important today, but there will be another technology in the future that will further open lines of conversation between companies and their customers, companies and their investors, and companies and the media.

Blogs Are Useful, but Only as Part of a Larger Marketing Plan

When I began reading Naked Conversations, I dreaded yet another in a long line of class assignments, which confront every student, from grade school to grad school, and beyond!  Not knowing what to expect from a book entitled “Naked Conversations,” I was pleasantly surprised. Although skeptical at first, I found myself becoming more intrigued by blogging. As Shel Israel and Robert Scoble discusses in their book, blogging seems like a valid tool to improve customer and employee relations, increase sales volumes, enhance in-house corporate communications, build authority in a particular field, and create global markets for products. As Israel and Scoble explain, these accomplishments are possible because blogs foster communications and build relationships between bloggers and their audiences because they provide an opportunity for two-way conversation. Effective blogs promotes transparency between the blogger and his or her audience.  In addition, the blogs which are authentic and personal and as such do not possess a structured “corporate” feel are the ones which are the most successful.  Finally, and perhaps of utmost importance, the hallmark of an effective blog, is passion. One has the ability to express their thoughts in a demonstrative and uninterrupted way, which is often lacking in traditional corporate communications.  In addition, as Israel and Scoble point out, blogs are an efficient method of promoting a product, and can be more cost effective than expensive multi-media marketing campaigns. Audiences reach out to others who share an interest in the topic or product being discussed in a blog and a grassroots mechanism relays information virally throughout the blogosphere.  According to Israel and Scoble, national cultures influence the frequency of blogging use. According to the authors, blogs have been used more in the French and American cultures than in the German culture.  The reason for this, according to the authors, is that in France and in the United States discussing one’s thoughts and emotions are more accepted than in Germany. The above notwithstanding, as a former marketing and public relations executive, I take exception to Israel and Scoble’s less than subtle description of marketing professionals as untrustworthy and dishonest “spinmeisters.”  In the marketing and PR courses that I’ve taken over the past few years, as part of the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, openness and honesty with clients is always stressed. Personally, I agree with Richard Edelman’s assessment that blogging can promote an important transparency between an organization and its constituents. Thus, I feel that blogs can and should be part of a comprehensive marketing strategy, with an emphasis on “part.”  Blogs have to fit into a strategy.  They are not the “end all and be all” of a well developed communications program.   Moreover, blogs are only as good as the content written by their authors.  As Israel and Scoble indicate, traditional marketing tools such as video and print press releases can be limited in credibility and reach. Part of the appeal of blogging is that a two-way conversation can occur, thus providing an opportunity for feedback and adjustment of the message.  As said, this relatively quick “fine tuning” of the message is not something which can result from more traditional methods of communication. Finally, although the use of blogs appears to be growing, the question that one must ponder is:  Who is likely to read blogs?Among my friends, colleagues, and students with whom I interact, I was not able to readily identify anyone who reads blogs on a regular basis. Furthermore, as Dan Gillmor pointed out, credibility is an issue. The true litmus test came when I “googled” a search to identify blog demographics.  I scanned three pages of information, before I arrived at any source I recognized.  Thus, blogs have a long way to go before they reach their true potential.  More people have to experiment with them in order to judge their value. The bottom line seems to be that blogging can improve relationships… relationships between buyers and sellers, executives and employees, executives and corporations, and corporations and investors. The key seems to be that other means of communications may be needed in order to reach all demographic segments. 

Citizen Journalism, Technology Growth, Copyright Infringements, Personal Freedom, Oh My!

 

In Chapters 7-12 of Dan Gillmor’s book, he discusses how technology has provided the ability of individuals using the internet to become citizen journalists, better consumers, and part of a community to ensure the accuracy of what is read. Along with that ability, as Gillmor points out, come questions about the misuse of information on the Net relating to free speech, copyright infringements and the use of technology to impinge on individual rights.

 

In reading the book, I found myself agreeing with several of Gillmor’s premises.  One relates to how users should use good judgment when trusting what is read or seen on the web.  In searching a topic on Google, I have sometimes found it frustrating to truly know the most trusted sources.  As I have studied in marketing classes, the ranking of Google listings can be influenced by purchasing “words,” or increasing the number of “hits” relating to a topic. Being the cynic I am, I believe that I have often by-passed blogs for sources from organizations and media I recognize. In Gillmor’s discussion of how video and other images can be edited on the web, I initially found myself agreeing that new technology has provided a tool to manipulate what we see. That said, technology has always been a tool for those who wish to deceive us.  The fashion industry has been using this type of manipulation for years in how it doctors photos of models for its ads in magazines.  As a result, we now have a generation of young people who have a distorted view of what is an accepted body type.  While for years newsmakers statements have been taken out of context, at least new media has provided a vehicle to reduce that frequency.  For example MSNBC has full videos or transcripts from interviews shown in a reduced format on NBC news.

 

Gillmor discussed the way that technology is being used to usurp individual freedom.  China and Iran are mentioned in the book as well as our own government who uses digital technology as a surveillance tool.   As mentioned in a recent Washington Post article, US citizens’ rights have been compromised under the auspice of security when their computers, BlackBerry’s and other devises have been taken away or searched. 

 

Gillmor truly has strong opinions about copyright laws and the control of big corporations, such as Disney, to limit how works are used by others.  While I agree that the creators of work should determine its use—like Gillmor did in allowing his book to be downloaded to read for free—, there are individuals who create work that needs to be compensated for its use on the internet and other digital media.  The recent Hollywood writers’ strike is an example.  Script writers “struck” to be able to receive proceeds related to television and movie projects shown on-line and through other digital sources. 

 

In conclusion, as Gillmor claims, the internet, cellular telephones, and cameras have provided tools for individuals to participate in worldwide news gathering and reporting and ongoing community conversations.  While these factors are truly positive, there are downsides to how we make and receive information on the internet.  We need to be more mindful of the information we read and its source.  We also need to be cognizant of copyright issues and how they can impact our personal freedoms to use and create information found on the internet.  The bottom line seems to be, the faster technology changes, the more advantages and problems develop to those who use it.

 

      

Technology Enables Participatory News

Citizen Journalism, Technology Growth, Copyright Infringements, Personal Freedom, Oh My! 

In Chapters 7-12 of Dan Gillmor’s book, he discusses how technology has provided the ability of individuals using the internet to become citizen journalists, better consumers, and part of a community to ensure the accuracy of what is read. Along with that ability, as Gillmor points out, come questions about the misuse of information on the Net relating to free speech, copyright infringements and the use of technology to impinge on individual rights.

 

In reading the book, I found myself agreeing with several of Gillmor’s premises.  One relates to how users should use good judgment when trusting what is read or seen on the web.  In searching a topic on Google, I have sometimes found it frustrating to truly know the most trusted sources.  As I have studied in marketing classes, the ranking of Google listings can be influenced by purchasing “words,” or increasing the number of “hits” relating to a topic. Being the cynic I am, I believe that I have often by-passed blogs for sources from organizations and media I recognize. In Gillmor’s discussion of how video and other images can be edited on the web, I initially found myself agreeing that new technology has provided a tool to manipulate what we see. That said, technology has always been a tool for those who wish to deceive us.  The fashion industry has been using this type of manipulation for years in how it doctors photos of models for its ads in magazines.  As a result, we now have a generation of young people who have a distorted view of what is an accepted body type.  While for years newsmakers statements have been taken out of context, at least new media has provided a vehicle to reduce that frequency.  For example MSNBC has full videos or transcripts from interviews shown in a reduced format on NBC news.

 

Gillmor discussed the way that technology is being used to usurp individual freedom.  China and Iran are mentioned in the book as well as our own government who uses digital technology as a surveillance tool.   As mentioned in a recent Washington Post article, US citizens’ rights have been compromised under the auspice of security when their computers, BlackBerry’s and other devises have been taken away or searched. 

 

Gillmor truly has strong opinions about copyright laws and the control of big corporations, such as Disney, to limit how works are used by others.  While I agree that the creators of work should determine its use—like Gillmor did in allowing his book to be downloaded to read for free—, there are individuals who create work that needs to be compensated for its use on the internet and other digital media.  The recent Hollywood writers’ strike is an example.  Script writers “struck” to be able to receive proceeds related to television and movie projects shown on-line and through other digital sources. 

 

In conclusion, as Gillmor claims, the internet, cellular telephones, and cameras have provided tools for individuals to participate in worldwide news gathering and reporting and ongoing community conversations.  While these factors are truly positive, there are downsides to how we make and receive information on the internet.  We need to be more mindful of the information we read and its source.  We also need to be cognizant of copyright issues and how they can impact our personal freedoms to use and create information found on the internet.  The bottom line seems to be, the faster technology changes, the more advantages and problems develop to those who use it.

 

      

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