SEARCH
Making Cents of It All – Part VI: Adapting
Posted in: Blog, Social Media by Christian on April 12, 2009
Another example of the double-edged sword is Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and other networking sites. It is great that we can now get back together with old friends even including some kids from high school we may not have gotten along with, but communicate with now because we are adults and hopefully more mature. Facebook also continues to stay popular because it is the middle ground between LinkedIn and Twitter in going after its niche market. This does bring a sense of community, although temporarily or longer by geo-location, but often too much time is being spent on social aspects and not doing one’s work that one was hired for therefore becoming counterproductive in some arenas. Also, too much of this can keep individuals and families away from being social with each other and neighbors. An old coworker told me how his teenage daughter would be on the Internet chatting with a friend while being on the phone with the same friend. This is great for marketing and advertising of communication services, but is not a substitute for human interaction face to face. Part of the reason we as a nation are getting fatter is we are sitting in front of the computer eating chemically enhanced fast food rather then eating healthy and exercising. People wonder why health care costs are going through the roof. Part of it is the baby boomer generation is living longer, but addiction to the computer and TV also contributes to being unhealthy in the long run.
I don’t want to sound like a total Debbie Downer because I agree that there are a lot of positives to social media including better exposure to non-profit groups and general improvements in community awareness. Karma seems to play a very important role and is an underlying current in the world of social media. The proof is in President Obama’s pudding with the positive impact of lending/giving/endorsing in social media, but it is only a matter of time before the old guard catches on and uses it for something other than good. Heck, if the Pope is getting in on the act as the leader of the Catholic Church, or his inner circle, to embrace technology and change the way the organization operates, you know that speaks volumes. Social media, like other new and popular mediums that reach a wide audience, is an opportunity for crooks to hijack Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), religion or anything else with genuine and honest intent. There will always be somebody naive enough to take something at face value. It makes the work harder for those who are the “real deal.”
My biggest frustration right now is the PR/marketing types that don’t get it, but are referring to themselves as experts through respected organizations like the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Just because you invite a well known blogger like Arianna Huffington to be a keynote speaker doesn’t make you an expert in an emerging industry. It helps, but that is only one piece of the
puzzle. Now I am probably being harsh because everybody needs to learn about social media and there are those who in the PRSA that do get it, but their message is packaged in such a way by the marketing department that is comes off as though they are authorities on the subject matter which is the opposite of what social media presents itself to be.(#) I find it is a turn off and in some ways it has the potential for alienating a target audience that can find the same information elsewhere. Social media is changing how PR/marketing types conduct business from a reactive role to a more proactive role.(1)(2)(3) Although Social Media entrepreneurs like Jason Kintzler are changing the game with products like PitchEngine. The energizer bunny of the social media world, Gary Vaynerchuk, made two very good videos on the current state of the public relations industry that I find to be spot on. (1)(2) In so many words, Captain from Cool Hand Luke says it best, “We have a failure to communicate.” I promise that is my last movie reference.
However, anything worth doing takes effort and those who get the results are the ones who will rise to the top. The ones that rise to the top are genuine and passionate about their product and/or service. If I have a client that comes to me and asks, “Can you do this?” and I don’t have the answer, I would rather build the relationship by referring them to someone in my network. It is better not to make a sale and learn how to have that product or service available next time and learn and grow rather than risk my reputation for taking on something I can’t handle. The question then becomes is gaining more customers (quantity) more important than retaining repeat customers (quality) and building on that foundation? As of now social media does a fairly good job of rooting out the crooks and liars through transparency which is different from perceived transparency. I do worry though because another trend I see as a result of social media is the PR role in the reactive aspect of brand management as it pertains to defamation and libel suits. You have to be careful of what you say and who you offend. (#) I think it definitely depends on one’s education and how one utilizes it. An MBA professor of mine once said, “The best way to avoid a PR disaster is simply tell the truth, within reason.” I agree with him in that I actually think it takes more effort to do otherwise. These days’ people seem to expect the worse. Take responsibility, hold people accountable, admit wrong doing, and attempt to resolve the situation. The public is more forgiving if you as a brand or company show a willingness to take responsibility for your actions, face the ramifications, and fix the problem. It isn’t rocket science!
The question that will remain to be seen is, are we wading through the BS or creating more of it? Do short term gains in the name of commercialism outweigh the importance of the long term big picture health of the world’s resources? The CEO of an SEO/SEM firm sent me a video to a great Louis CK clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus