I'm a big proponent of social media but I know everyone isn't. Some people I talk to or work with are equally bullish about what social media can do for their companies. Others are a little more neutral. They're not against social media, but they're not convinced it's great either. Then there are also those who simply don't like it. The word "blog" gives them a nervous feeling in the pit of their stomach or the idea of customer comments and feedback makes them really uneasy.

I understand these people to some degree. They may have had a bad experience or have seen blogs (or other social media) used in a way that it harms someone and have therefore equated all blogs and social media to that same instance. The end result of this thinking, however, is that these individuals are social media killers within their companies. They're the naysayers who won't stand to listen and try to understand all the benefits. In my observation, there are three traits I've seen from the social media killers. They are:

• Fear - Whether they're afraid of what people will say, won't say, might say, or could say, the root of their unwillingness is a fear of the unknown. They don't know social media and they're scared. It's too new, too open, too conversational, too accessible, too uncontrollable, and simply too different from the way they've always done things.
• Mistrust - Social media killers don't trust people. They don't trust their employees to be good representatives for the company and they don't trust their customers. They want control and control always draws things in. Control doesn't release. Trust requires release and social media requires trust.
• Unwillingness to listen to customers - Social media killers don't want to hear what their customers have to say. Like the ostrich who buries his head in the sand, it's easier to keep doing things like they have always been done than it is to ask the customer about his/her experience. If you ever hear someone say something like, "They may something bad about us" you're dealing with a potential social media killer. In this case you may gently suggest that people may very well already be saying bad things about you, but you just don't know it. At least if they're saying bad things about you where you can see it, you can respond and maybe (just maybe) learn and change if needed.

The opposite of the three killers above are trust, faith, and a willingness to listen. Every company that's considering social media will have to decide on one way or the other. If you're trying to implement social media within an organization with a lot of social media killers I would recommend you start small. Get some small wins and then begin to take on the big three killers.

Later this week I'm leading a session for a client that's being called "How to Write a Blog." Actually I believe they're calling it "Blog Training Writing" but "How to Write a Blog" sounds a little better. As I've been preparing for this session over the last two weeks I've been struck by the fact that the title is all wrong.

Initially I was all for leading a session called "How to Write a Blog" but now I don't think it's sufficient. A more appropriate title is "How to Be a Great Blogger" because the actual writing aspect of a blog is just part of the mechanics but being a great blogger is another thing entirely. Learning how to write a blog means you discover some tips, strategies, and thoughts on what to do...but you can know all of that and still be a really bad blogger with a really bad blog.

If your focus is on what to do, you'll never learn how to be. If you want to "do" blogging you can start today. Go to Wordpress.com and get yourself a free blog and start blogging. But, if you want to "be" a blogger there are many other things you need to think about... things like tone, voice, attitude, style, and personality. Those aren't things you really do. They're things you are. They develop as you "do" blogging.

Sure, there are some things every good blogger should do...but in the end it's not enough if you never cross the line to be a blogger. If you've been blogging for a while (or maybe you're just getting started) ask yourself if you're more interested in what to do or how to be. I recommend you keep your eye on how to be. The "doing" will come along the way.

I love The Office. It's one of my favorite shows ever. I also love Hulu. Hulu has single-handedly persuaded me not to upgrade my cable because I don't need to with all the TV shows and movies they have available there (for free I might add.) [UPDATE on 7/28: Ok, so I'm going to upgrade my cable after all with college football season upon us.]

Hulu allows its videos to be embedded in blogs (like the clip below) and has even taken video embedding to the next level. You can edit the clip you want to embed by trimming the clip with the tool they provide. It's really easy and a great next step in the development of online video and encouraging people to spread your content. Keep an eye on Hulu if they're not already on your radar screen...they should be. They're at the forefront of the next wave of online video.

Here's a good clip from The Office called Inappropriate Questions (which about sums up any episode really...)

Here's the clip for the feed readers: Inappropriate Questions

Some interesting stats were released last month by ThirdAge and JWT Boom about Baby Boomers and social media. According to the study, Americans over 40 years old haven't jumped headlong into social media and social networking. Only 22% access social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn and 67% said they have "little or no interest" writing blogs.

I don't know if anyone is surprised by these stats. The original report took a really negative spin on this study but I think it bears some perspective. The Boomer generation is so large (78 million) that 22% represents over 17 million people. That's 17 million pretty hip folks who remember where they were when JFK was assassinated (or...for the youngest Boomers, saw Star Wars when it was a new release in the theaters.) Another thing to think about is that it's not as big a deal that only 33% are interested in writing blogs. There are still almost 26 million Boomers who have some interest in writing blogs and we know from Forrester Research that about half of Boomers read blogs.

Perhaps the most interesting thing from the study was the concern over privacy on social networking sites. About half of the study's respondents "cited concerns over privacy and having personal information on the web." The current generation of youth and young adults don't think much about privacy so that may have as much to do as anything with their rapid adoption of social networking...and the subsequent limitations to its adoption among Boomers.

The bottom line is Boomers represent a massive portion of the population and control 83% of consumer spending in our country so I wouldn't go writing them off in social media and social networking circles just yet. Sure, they may get on board a little later, but give them a break...if sixty really is the new forty, they still have time.

A few weeks ago Nathan and I had the chance to interview some of the people at the first Digital Nashville event for our New Mediology podcast.

Here's a list of the people we interviewed:

• Alison Groves - SEO Copywriter for Sitening and former long-time employee for Lee Ann Womack.
• Jackson Miller -Founder and developer of Statzen and creator of URLzen.com
• Katy Kirby - Executive Director of Digital Nashville.
• Elin Eifler - Founder of Digital Nashville.
• Dave Delaney -Founder of Barcamp Nashville and Podcamp Nashville and social media consultant.
• Jamie Meredith - Account Manager for Centre{source}

I shot a little bit of video at the event too...enjoy!

A few weeks ago I had heated debate friendly discussion with Nathan about whether Twitter is a social network or a social media platform. You can hear the discussion here. He said it's a social network. I said it's social media. As I have thought more about it since then I think we were both wrong. Twitter is both.

It would be limiting to Twitter to say it is JUST one or the other because it has so many aspects that are distinct to social media and social networking alike. For instance, social media is about user generated content, conversation, and sharing information. Twitter does that. Social networking, however is about connecting people together through shared interests, interacting, and facilitating relationships. Twitter does that too. What I have realized is that Twitter as a tool/platform is distinct in that it covers both the social media and social networking.

I think Nathan and I were debating the wrong question. The better question is this: Do you use Twitter as just a social network or social media or do you use (and utilize) it as both simultaneously? The basis for my original perspective of Twitter as a social medium was because I only used it as a social medium. I hadn't really been looking at it for social networking opportunities. Likewise, I suspect Nathan was using Twitter more from a social networking side and not as much for the social media opportunities.

So now the challenge is this: if we find ourselves on one side or the other, how do we incorporate the other side into our Twitter use? For me, I know I can use it better to interact with people who I don't know (or don't know well.) That's not something I've done much, but I think I'm going to start...after all, that's part of the social network aspect of Twitter that I've been missing out on.

Bonus Twitter related info: USA Today wrote an article about Twitter. Plan on some extra downtime over the next few days as more people (who hadn't heard of Twitter until now) join and give it a shot.

There are signs around us everyday giving us valuable information. We probably see most of them. In many cases it's not a big deal if we miss one. Like if we miss an exit on the highway we can just turn around and catch it the other direction. Then there are signs that don't apply to everyone...but if they do apply to you, you really should pay attention...unlike this person.

Here's the link for the feed readers: Maximum Height Requirement

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Wv3yoB-yWY]

Last week I conducted a social networking experiment. I had been asked to recommend someone in LinkedIn and as I was doing it I got to thinking about how I've never been big on writing recommendations for LinkedIn. In fact, I've struggled with LinkedIn's true usefulness for most professional unless they're in the market for a new job (and therefore need the networking components LinkedIn provides.) It's great to make connections but I don't get the sense of community and activity there like I do in Facebook or something more local for me like Digital Nashville. It's not that I'm against LinkedIn, it's just that it felt like something I should do but didn't really see a direct benefit.

The Experiment

A funny thing happened while I was writing the requested recommendation. I started thinking about how bloggers strategically spread "link love" by linking to fellow bloggers to promote both blogs, so could two people benefit from some LinkedIn love in the form of recommendations? I think so...and my little experiment has proven so.

I spent about a half hour recommending people I know from various work experiences. Some are former coworkers. Some are current clients. Some are vendors I work with. I wrote short, genuine, personal recommendations for several people. And then I waited.

What happened in the 48 hours that followed was wonderful. I heard back from almost every single person. Some simply thanked me for the kind words. Others said they would return the favor and write a recommendation for me on LinkedIn. In one case, I found out the recommendation even made it to the "What Others Are Saying About Me" page on one guy's business blog.

The bottom line was it bolstered my own LinkedIn recommendations a bit (with some others still coming I understand) and it earned me some relational equity from the rest of the people. It was a win for them (they received an unsolicited recommendation) and it was a win for me because I was able to do something nice for them and get a little LinkedIn recommendation love myself.

My Hesitation For This Post

One final thing...I should note that I was hesitant to post about this experiment because the last thing I want to do is misrepresent my motives in this experiment as self serving or that I only wrote recommendations for the favor that might be returned to me. That wasn't the case because I actually didn't know what kind of reaction I would receive. I suspected that some people would be happy with the recommendation, but I was equally braced for the fact that some people could be highly suspicious of an unwarranted recommendation so I only wrote recommendations for people I know personally and I didn't ask anyone to recommend me back.

The way I see it is that the gift of unsolicited recommendations is the cake. If recommendations or relational favor are a result, that's icing. The experiment was really just that: if I serve cake, does icing exist? I found that the answer is YES...as long my cake is authentic. Maybe you can serve some authentic cake today too.

I remember being totally enamored by the story of Mozart the first time I saw Amadeus. One of the things Mozart did was change the way the Austrians viewed operas. They thought they knew what an opera was and then they experienced Mozart's operas. He built on the foundation of operas as they had been done but improved on it dramatically.

In many ways that's how I see the new marketing opportunities with social media and social networking tools. They build on the foundation of old marketing for something better. The video below from Amadeus drives home the difference between the old and new. Be sure to listen for the quote, "It doesn't really work, does it?" Seems like it fits the old marketing vs. new marketing analogy pretty well. Here's the clip for the feed readers.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciFTP_KRy4]

According to Apple CEO, today was the "biggest launch of his career." That's quite a statement from the guy who launched the iMac, iPod, and original iPhone. Suffice it to say...today was important for Apple, if for no other reason than because Steve said so.

Now it's pretty well known that Apple isn't too interested in employees blogging or even an official corporate blog. There's an unofficial Apple blog and even a Fake Steve Jobs blog (which appears to be going away now incidentally) but nothing official from the people who inside the apple. For the last several years Apple really hasn't had to worry about their own blog. After all, they had/have millions of raving fans to say everything for them. Then today came. The biggest launch day in Jobs' career and it hasn't gone well for customers.

What Happened Today:

In a nutshell two things happened today from what I've read (and heard). One the one hand the hardest of hardcore iPhone enthusiasts stood in line for days and hours to get the new iPhone. According to reports, many people walked away disappointed today due to a lack of supply. The bigger issue today, however, was that for the (presumably) hundreds of thousands who did purchase today, the activation servers at Apple were down for hours. This rendered the new iPhones inoperable and the old iPhones for those making the switch inoperable as well. I saw many an Apple fan not happy with Apple today by just watching Twitter.

So, back to the blog...if Apple had a blog today they would have been able to tell customers what was going on and when they could expect it to be fixed. If Apple had a blog they would have been talking directly to their biggest supporters (because who else waits that long for something you can walk in the store for in a few days?) If Apple had a blog it wouldn't have fixed the problems but it would have changed the conversation.

The good news for Apple is that it has a ton of relational equity to spend. Today it spent some by all accounts. Apple will probably be fine. They'll even be fine without a blog, but they're one of a very few number of companies where people would basically say, "it was a terrible experience but it was 'worth the hell.'" Apple has this equity and brand loyalty. You don't. You (and I) never will. If you don't have a blog then how will you communicate during your own iPocalypse?

I've known about this for a while but Chris suggested I educate MicroExplosion readers to this idea. I agreed...it was time to pass it along to you. I think you'll want to pass it along as well.Here's the link for the feed readers.

If you're totally confused after watching the video...this will explain everything.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU]

If you know me or have been reading this blog long you know I'm a firm believer in the idea of compelling content being the best way to use social media tools. That's what the whole "Old McDonald" approach to good content is all about. If, however, it's still not coming together for you, think about this: content MUST have value to the people you're trying to reach. If it doesn't, it's not good content. It's probably boring information that lacks something interesting or it's marketing copy that's just you talking about you.

So...let's go back to the old McDonald idea. If good content that has value to someone contains at least one of the EIEIO elements (Entertain, Inspire, Educate, Inform, or Outrage) then you are creating content with value. If you're still stuck though, add "me" to the end of the words. It would look like this:

• Entertain Me.
• Inspire Me.
• Educate Me.
• Inform Me.
• Outrage Me.

See what's missing here? You. It's not about you. It's about me...the person you're trying to reach. Now go write a blog post for the "me" you want to read your blog.

Yesterday I saw a term I haven't come across in a while: Mass Media. Remember that term? Yeah, we don't hear it much these days. The context for the term came from a professor friend who teaches at a college here in Nashville. She mentioned a class for freshmen this fall called "mass media and society" but I got hung up at the mass media part of the class title.

I asked the professor why that term is still being used and it sounds like it has something to do with the book selection or something like that. Maybe it's a historical perspective of media and our society. I'm not actually clear on what it's going to be but the term got me thinking...isn't mass media dead?

Mass media was all about the big TV networks, major newspaper outlets, and terrestrial radio, but how massive does something have to be to be considered mass media these days? With the numbers declining in all three of those areas can we even still call them mass media? Is the term even relevant today? Mass media died as it related to television years ago around the time cable TV really took off.

One might say mass media is about the number of people you reach, meaning you reach "the masses" (which I assume we translate into millions of people) through the mediums. Yet, that doesn't really work because there are blogs, podcasts, and even YouTube videos that reach millions of people and we wouldn't classify them as mass media. They're the opposite of mass media: user generated, freely accessed, open to everyone, micro media.

Mass media is just a term that used to mean something that we don't even think about anymore. It's like the 8-track tape. It had a good run for a while but simply has no use to us today. Perhaps mass media didn't actually die but simply disappeared in the shadow of so many other things that we use today.

The bottom line is that we kind of know that mass media doesn't really stick like it used to. It doesn't have the teeth it did even ten years ago. The real question as a marketer then, is do you still act/plan/execute like the mass media is still massive? There's a new "MASS" you should be thinking about if you're not already.

Incidentally, the mass media and society class at the college will have a blog. How's that for irony?

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o]

I have almost finished reading an excellent book on social media and the way it's changing business and marketing. The book is called Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. This book has a really solid perspective and methodology for identifying the type of people you want to reach as a social media marketer and then building your strategy based on that information.

I regularly tell people that it's not enough to know what the social media tools are or even how to use them. You must also know the context with which to use them. That's why I'm so adamant that content must be your marketing strategy if you're going to use these tools. Content is a big piece of the context you need to grasp.

What Groundswell helped me refine in my thinking is that we cannot look at everyone we want to reach with a social media campaign the same way, meaning some people are more likely to participate in a social network than others or comment on a blog, or listen to a podcast. Likewise, some people can be tapped to join you in making content whereas others will simply be spectators.

Handy Profile Tool

On the Groundswell website you can play with the very handy "profile tool" which essentially let's you get a sense of age, nationality, and gender demographics and their relative relationships to social media technology. For instance you will find that:

• 39% of American men and women ages 18-24 are at the top of the social technographics ladder in the Creators category (that means they publish on blogs or websites and upload audio and video files they created.)
• The percentage is lower in the Creator category as the people get older.
• In the 25-34 age group the number of Creators drops a bit to 30%.
• The percentage drops sharply to 17% for ages 35-44.
• It continues to decline to 11% for ages 45-54.
• The percentage of Creators finally bottoms out at 5% for ages 55 and older.

This is the kind of good information you can have to make informed decisions for social media marketing. If I wanted to create a contest where people upload their videos to win a big prize then I might see some pretty good success among the younger two groups (18-35 year olds) but much beyond that the number of people who would create a video is slim. Depending on the company and who you want to reach, this can make all the difference. With more information comes better decisions and many times better decisions lead to more success. Check out the entire Groundswell book for a lot more on this. It's certainly worth the read.

I missed posting about my two year blogging anniversary a few weeks ago so this is my post to make up for it. In my very first post for this blog two years ago on the topic of social media I wrote:

Everything available to you through web 2.0 takes time to get off the ground. Some people will be fine with that, but for those of you with mandates and timelines you're going to come to a fork in the road of whether you want to do something that people can see soon (old marketing methods) with something that will have an enduring impact (web 2.0 methods). Consider it your own little blue pill vs red pill. One will take you to a world you couldn't imagine and the other...will keep you right where you are.

So, do I still believe this two years later? I sure do. In fact, I think this blue pill/red pill decision is one that more marketers are deciding on today than they were two years ago when I first wrote this. I had lunch today with some people from a company who are deciding right now which way to go. I had a similar lunch meeting yesterday. The tide seems to be coming in on social media.

Some people thought social media was a fad (and have since admitted so to me) but now see the communication/Internet/marketing world has changed and they need to change with it. Other people just weren't paying attention or maybe were paying attention but didn't take the time to get their hands dirty in the social media sandbox. Whatever the case, there's is a rapidly widening awareness of the choice that needs to be made.

So which will you choose? If you choose the blue pill (blissful ignorance) then congratulations, you don't have to do much. You can relax knowing you won't have to go through the possible discomfort of change and new learning. I also hope you're planning to retire in the next 12-18 months, otherwise you may regret the choice. If you choose the red pill (hard truth) then congratulations, you're about to enter an exciting and unsettling journey. If you feel like the rules have changed you're wrong. It's the game that has changed and it has its own rules...but now you're choosing to play, and that's the best place to start.