07.07.07
Too purfect for my blog
In the closing chapters of Naked Conversations, authors Robert Scoble and Shel Israel provide dos and don’ts of blogging. In chapter 10, public relations professionals are advised to enter the blogosphere as a human and not as a traditional marketer, as true bloggers and consumers can easily spot forced or contrived writing. The authors write that mass marketing has a very limited place in the blogosphere and that consumers respond better to blogs that are managed by people speaking in their own voice.
The ability to speak in your own voice is what distinguishes blogs from traditional marketing and journalism. Blogs are not peer reviewed or edited by the higher-ups within an organization. With blogs, we’re finally allowed to speak in a conversational tone, misspell a few words, and use ellipses over and over again. I’m relatively new to the blogosphere, with “Is this thing on?” being my first blog. As a newbie, finding my blog voice has been the most challenging, particularly because I’m writing for academic purposes where accuracy and logic count.
Academic brainwashing has worked a number on me. Finding a misspelled word makes me cringe. Reading prose that rambles is upsetting. While I’m getting used to links, I’m convinced this isn’t the right way to cite a source. This isn’t to say that I don’t make these mistakes. I just try really hard to not make these mistakes. What you’re reading right now is actually my second draft of this post, which I typed in Microsoft Word and pasted to my blog (sorry readers, now the blog magic is gone). At this point in life, it’s hard to shut off the “i before e except after c” voice and write as a free spirit.
To Scoble and Israel, the desire to be the perfect PR professional (or in my case health communicator) who shields her imperfections is wasted on the blogging community. In this digital communication age, people want to see that humans and not online characters are on the other end of the gadgets. In addition to speaking in your own voice, Scoble and Israel encourage bloggers to reveal their humanity by telling the truth, acknowledging mistakes, correcting mistakes, admitting when they don’t have the answer, and being transparent.
So, only after being born to a teacher who corrected every grammatical error I ever uttered, marrying a journalist, and spending semesters with Morris, Kiernan, and Twomey do they invent a form of communication where it’s okay to be human. Oh, how funny life can be. I’ll continue to search for my online voice and writing style through this blog and perhaps, a more personal blog. Maybe I’ll find the relaxed writing spirit I had as a child. Maybe I’ll lose the fear of mispelling misspelling a word and post directly into the editor. Just maybe.
06.23.07
The more things change, the more things stay the same
While new communication modes are introduced by the minute, people are not straying from traditional communication principles used for community development. Online communities are relatively new phenomena, but the principles for creating and sustaining an online community are not. This week’s textbook and supplemental readings show that web-based communication through blogs, instant messaging, and other interactive features enhance, rather than change, the way we form social groups.
As a public health educator, my job is to bring real-life community members and groups together to learn about a specific health topic. One of my current responsibilities is to recruit neighborhoods to form what are called Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), which after large-scale disasters, go into their neighborhood to provide basic emergency response services to neighbors in need. To create teams, I mainly use the standard community building / social network development strategies taught in public health programs.
There are many similarities between what I do as health educator and what experts recommend for building an online community, beginning with what O’Reilly Network’s Building Online Communities article calls “existing for a reason.” Online community developers are encouraged to create a virtual space that meets members’ needs. As in the real world, civic participation online increases when users find relevance in the topic being discussed. Communities across the nation have developed CERT programs because community responders can improve disaster outcomes. A key message for CERT programs (including mine) is that first responders will be overwhelmed in a disaster and unable to meet community needs. People want to join and stay in programs that benefit their wellbeing.
Online community developers are also encouraged to use a peer outreach approach to recruit new members. In the 1960’s sociologist Everett M. Rogers refined the diffusion of innovations theory, which posits that early adopters of a product can in turn influence late adopters in their social network to try the new product. According to Building Online Communities, a “healthy” online community is one that attracts new members using older members. The author writes, “An active user group exudes a sense of community. This attracts people who enjoy the company of like minded individuals and seek the social rewards of participating in a healthy peer group.” Public health practitioners use diffusion of innovations often. We rely on community leaders and gatekeepers to spread the word about our programs to attract new participants and bring credibility to our message.
In Naked Conversations, authors Scoble and Israel also laud use of traditional word-of-mouth marketing to build online communities. These authors also recognize use of company blogs for helping to improve images of large businesses that in the past did not acknowledge consumer voices. The tradition in the latter principle is that persuasion and trust are best achieved through interpersonal communication. Blogs give organization leaders and customers an opportunity to discuss their point of view about a product or service.
With the help of blogs, we now have a culture where consumers feel like they have more control in influencing business practices. We also have consumers who feel responsible for making sure that large corporate and governmental structures don’t overlook everyday people. Gail Ann Williams advises that online communities be a space where members feel accountable for the progress of their community. In the real world, and I see this with my CERT program, members who take pride in their neighborhood and want to see it flourish work at keeping other community members safe and healthy.
We often condemn advances in communication technology because we fear that new innovations will jeopardize how we converse and interact with each other. But it seems that we don’t stray too far from past practices.
06.15.07
I’m laughing out loud…
No seriously. I am cracking up right now because I’ve finally been diagnosed with ‘Red Cart Romance.’ That’s right dammit. I’m a fellow “Internet dork and Target lover, end-cap whore, and $1 section addict.” Man, that’s me to a T. I’ve been reading the last few chapters of Citizen Marketers and trying to figure out what in the heck I feel so passionate about that I could actually devote an entire blog to. I love Macs, my DVR, and breathe hip-hop so I could blog all night about these topics. But as I read page 129 the lightbulb above my head turned on. TARGET! If I ever started a product evangelist type blog it would be my Targe’ shopping chronicles. All the bargains…All the deals…like the $199 lounger w/ottomans that I got for $30 (my best deal yet). McConnell and Huba’s explanation of personal relevance (p. 110) is key to understanding the popularity of blogs. Slave to Target is such a genious idea because there are so many of us out there.
Citizen Marketers is turning out to be quite an interesting book. I’m getting ready to begin chapter 7, but chapters 4-6 have presented interesting points on the competition between social media and traditional media. One of McConnell and Huba’s early points is that with each communication innovation, the printing press is placed at a further disadvantage. Television, radio, and now computers have all created strong competition for printed material. Computers, however, seem to be the most threatening, as the Internet engenders a community-type atmosphere where we can interact as well as receive information. Considering that computers combine qualities of all three media (e.g. audio, video, text, and interactivity) I wonder if this will be the innovation that finally causes the demise of printed news.
McConnell and Huba’s iPod battery and Comcast examples show that bloggers are becoming agenda setters for news media and companies. The recent YouTube video of the cadet dancing in his dorm room made CNN (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znAz8_YJWHk) a few weeks back. Bloggers and YouTube patrons are giving reporters topics to cover. While it seems a bit odd to campaign for cola, obviously product evangelists who put forth money, time, and gas to lobby for their favorite product are effective in getting corporate heads to hear their concerns and change policies. I’ve experienced both faulty iPods and long Comcast wait times and accepted these inconveniences as ways of life for the technology age.
06.05.07
What the Experts Say…
Chapters one through three of Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba’s Citizen Marketers book introduce readers to the emergence and popularity of social media through web sites, blogs, and other web-based communication media. As fans of social media, McConnell and Huba seem to write with the purpose of establishing a framework for citizen marketing. In chapter one, the authors characterize citizen marketers as one of the following:
1) Filter – collects and filters new traditional and interactive media content;
2) Fanatic – described as the true believers or product evangelists. Fanatics analyze the brand, praise the company, and criticize company mistakes in an attempt to improve company or brand outcomes;
3) Facilitator – creates online communities for products that enable consumers to share knowledge and resources about the product; and
4) Firecracker – creates and distributes a novel product (e.g. a funny video) that gets widespread attention for a limited amount of time.
According to McConnell and Huba, citizen marketers make up a small percentage of online users representing what they call “1 Percenters.” They write, “Like the outlaw motorcycle clubs, citizen marketers usually work outside the boundaries of a corporation or sanctioning body. Sometimes there is little recognition for it, but they are dedicated to and protective of their work and the community they create” (p. 33).
In the opening chapters, McConnell and Huba only present digital media and citizen marketers in a positive light. The authors praise citizen marketers with empowering consumers. Examples of citizen marketers show consumers using new media to fight or object to corporate business practices. The authors describe citizen marketers in almost philanthropic or altruistic terms. In addition to the quote above, they state that citizen marketers are ususally “transparent about their motives and associations” (p. 24).
While I agree that some citizen marketers are creating blogs and web sites to promote their favorite product or celebrity without personal gain, I strongly believe that many are searching for some type of notoriety or acknowledgement. Take the FreeFiona.com example: A fan puts up money to organize a public campaign demanding that Sony Music release Fiona Apple’s second album. I seriously question this fan’s motives. What fan goes through that much effort without atleast expecting some token of appreciation from the artist? I’m sure company freebies, discounts, advertising dollars, and endorsements are welcomed by bloggers and other citizen marketers. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this. We all want credit for our services and ideas.
In chapter eleven of Naked Conversations authors Robert Scoble and Shel Israel provide a set of tips to help new bloggers create and maintain effective blog. Scoble and Israel encourage new bloggers to begin the process by reading other blogs to see what topics are being discussed. Bloggers are advised to limit posts to one central topic so that the blog (as well as its readers and contributors) stay focused. Bloggers are also advised to write with passion, invite comments, and make themselves accessible outside of their blog.
Scobel and Israel’s most interesting recommendation is number ten: Get out into the real world. Bloggers who gain popularity are encouraged to create an identity outside of computers and text messages by presenting on their topic at conferences and trade shows. The authors write, “If the only way people know you is through your blog, you become one-dimensional” (p. 179). This tip shows that people are developing and using blogs with the intent of gaining notoriety.
This tip is also interesting because it shows that face-to-face communication is just as important as two-way interaction through computers. To create a stronger social presence, both traditional and digital communication methods should be used together.
