Pravda on Media, Technology, and Rebel Filmmaking

In another great post, Ayelet Noff, AKA Blonde 2.0, gave some tips for effective usage of social networks. I agree with most of the points she raised, and I love her blog (and her as a person ), but one thing caught my attention:

Finally, I want to discuss the topic of private vs. public identities, which I have written about in the past. Due to the whole premise behind Web 2.0, the borders between our personal and professional lives online are slowly disintegrating and to my belief, this is a good thing. When I upload pictures to my Flickr page, I upload professional pictures, but I also upload pictures of me, just hanging out with my friends, or traveling to interesting locations. When I update my status on Twitter, I may update regarding the latest post I just wrote on my blog but I may also twitter about an interesting article I just read or the latest movie I just saw.

I know that some people try to keep a certain professional façade online because they are afraid of what other professionals may think…I think these individuals are only putting themselves at a disadvantage… People like to connect with other people who are open and genuine. The more you allow people into your world, the more people will allow you into their own. By creating a rich profile you are only showing others that you are an active member of the community and that you have a multi-dimensional and unique personality of your own.

I believe that like everything in life, things are a bit more complex.

Different industries, different ethics

The view that open equals better is a one of the foundations of the Internet industry. It is so deeply rooted, that one can find its print in every aspect of its day to day life - informal dress code, open communication standards such as HTTP, flat standards organizations, and an implicit preference toward young entrepreneur. We all remember how Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO, was filmed jumping on a yellow ball, laughing hysterically.

The telecom industry is different, in many aspects. Dress code is more formal, standards organizations are hierarchical, and young age is not necessarily conceived as an advantage for entrepreneur.

I live in both worlds. I am a blogger, using social media in my day to day life and work, and at the same time working with telecom companies, directly or as part of my capacity as IMTC VP or Marketing.

SO?

These differences are not only semantic ones - they reach to the core of these industries. Therefore they differ in the way they evaluate bloggers and social networkers.

The Myth of Social Media Openness

Yes, social media users are usually more open than other. But the reason for that is that many of the leaders of this revolution are coming from the Internet industry. Therefore they see openness as added value. In my opinion, like in many areas of marketing and relationships, social media cannot be treated as one-size-fits-all. Every industry has it own rules of engagement, that should be respected. Ayelet notes:

I know that some people try to keep a certain professional façade online because they are afraid of what other professionals may think…I think these individuals are only putting themselves at a disadvantage…

And she is right, if I am covering the Internet industry. But I don’t believe that openness provides the same benefits when I cover industries that do not see it as core value. In some of my talks with Telecom companies about bloggers, I heard comments like: “when I read an article, I don’t want to know if the writer is married or not - it is completely irrelevant”, ” Why should I see a picture of the writer at the beach, with his kids without a shirt?” and so on and so forth. Some even noted that it reduces the reliability of the writers in their point of view. Though a bit extreme, we need to understand that when we approach such markets and create their social media strategy.

Bottom Line

Social media is here to stay, and every company, news organization or brand that disregard it lose the amazing benefits this field can provide. But just like in any other area, we need to learn the rules of engagement of the industry, and customize our strategy to it. Otherwise we are harming the company, and the field of social media as a whole.

Want to know more? Subscribe to my RSS feed or email list.

Technorati Tags: blonde 2.0, social media marketing, social media strategy, telecom, internet, Standards, social media, IMTC

Doing a good presentation is a hard task. Especially when you need to explain abstract concepts in 45 minutes, that require listeners to change their way of thought about the most basic concepts of their trade.

When I do seminars for companies and explain the concept of social media, I face this challenge all the time. I must get marketing groups, who are used to one way communication, to open their channels to a conversation with their customers. I need to convince CTOs to spend time of their engineers on writing external blogs.

Here are two effective ways I use to convey these fundamentally different messages to corporate decision makers:

Images images images - forget bullets, lists, sections. don’t let them read - let them see. Find images that are strong and tell a story. Flickr made our life much easier, as you can find there amazing images, and even look for creative commons licensed images specifically. For example - this picture can be used to describe traditional media:

This one to describe social media:

And this one to describe the differences:

Don’t avoid problematic issues: some of you will be surprised to hear that many people still believe that blogs are only online diaries of lonely girls. In my presentation I show various kind of bloggers, and refer to this group as well, again with a picture:

By referring to these issues as part of the discussion, you can make sure that the topic is handled as part of your overall message.

What’s Nu Metal got to do with it? Check out this Korn clip, and see how they convey a message in its first part:

Korn - Evolution

If you like this post, don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed or email list.  

Technorati Tags: social media, korn, marketing, social media marketing, corporate blogging

When I asked Om Malik in a joint panel at Blogference if he has plans to go into podcasting and Internet Video shows, he said that he was thinking about this direction. Less than a month later, Om published his first show, in cooperation with Revision3. The show covers Internet trends and analysis, topics he analyze in his blog.

Contrary to what I thought, the initial aim of this product is not to get more advertising dollars. In a recent conversation, Om stated that he viewed video as a medium that surpass the limits of blogging - while posts has to be short and precise, online video enabled him to do long form interviews. Another angle I found interesting is that Om saw this medium as a mean to let viewers analyze the information given on their own, based on raw interviews.

And, as always, beyond the regular business concepts and needs, Om just stated that “it is fun” - I can’t agree more.

I wonder if we will see a lot of professional bloggers adding original video to their media offering. Video production requires different type of planning and production, it is more time consuming than blogging, and in today’s market, doesn’t necessarily brings more viewers than textual blogs. This would change if video production companies will tailor their service to fit bloggers, by reducing the planning and production overhead from the bloggers themselves. Script is especially crucial here - not necessarily a strong blogger’s capability.

In any case, if I was BlogTV or Ustream I wouldn’t hold my breath - when I’ve mentioned the option of having live sessions, he simply said that his schedule is too full for that. This is another proof that live broadcasting is not as appealing as pre-recorded content, an issue I’ve raised in a previous post.

Good luck Om!

GigaOm Killed The Radio Star?

I came across Tech.Chick.Blog through mybloglog community a couple of days ago. It covers the tech area from a personal angle, playing the sexy geek card.

Three features made this site more personal and easy to use
1. The contact button is large, and easy to find.
2. Within the contact area, Gabbrielle Atticus, the writer, listed all of her online identities- twitter, Digg, Jaiku, Technorati, Stumbleupon and so on.
3. Last but definitely not least - in her “about” section, she uploaded a short video clip about herself. The clip is simple, clear, and in good quality.

These three features added a stronger personal angle to her blog, and made it more effective in creating both emotional attachment and direct connections with the blogger.

Technorati Tags: twitter, Digg, Jaiku, Technorati, Stumbleupon, tech.chick.blog, Gabbrielle Atticus, mybloglog, social madia, blog

Yes, I’ve joined Facebook too. You can find my profile here.

After the brainstorming in Podcamp Europe about how to increase internet TV viewership, I was concerned with ways to continue the discussion while not in a face to face event.

Couple of great things happened soon after:

• Several bloggers wrote their opinions and got amazing comments (see this post for more details).
• Chris Brogan had his 100 comments project around a similar topic - don’t forget to visit and comment on his post.

In order to continue the conversation I am proud to announce the opening of a new Facebook group titled Internet TV, Vbloggers and media disruptors.
The aim of the group is continue discussions about key issues of the industry such as monetization, production tips, content marketing, industry perspectives and everything that is important to the community.

It is a group where YOU create the conversation - so get involved and present your ideas and dilemmas!

We are planning to use this group as a hub to additional activities such as Skypecasts, group chats etc. If you have ideas on how to increase involvement and create additional value through this group - email me, or better yet - write it on the group’s wall.

The group is open to all Facebook members - if you are not there yet, it now allows everyone to register.
Thanks to all the new members,and see you there!

Technorati Tags: Internet TV, Video Share, Facebook, chris brogan, social media, monetization, vloggers,

Blonde 2.0 wrote an interesting post about blogs vs social networks. It derived from couple of posts by Kent and Jay re the difference between these mediums. Blonde 2.0 take on that:

“…when I write on my blog, I don’t feel like I am writing for an “audience”. I feel like I am writing for my readers. It’s a personal thing for me and I enjoy talking to and interacting my readers.”

She adds:

“I have made as many good friends from blogging … as I
have from being on the different social networks. I don’t think my
friends on the social networks know me better than those I met through
my blog”

I believe that social networks are as good as the way you use them. There are so many of them out there, and every one has its own angle. But I am just one guy, and don’t have a lot of time to spare on maintaining all those profiles (I need to work sometime…). So sometimes I am adding people to my network even if they are far from being friends.

In a sense, social networks are more like a series of dates - you don’t know a lot about the other person, but she looks interesting enough to talk with or buy her a drink. And just like dates, sometime it is a successful event and you keep in touch in other means, and sometimes it is a failure, but you still keep the number.

Blogs on the other hand provide insights to way of thought, opinions, depth, intellect and cultural world of the writer. It is like a long term relationship in the 19th century, when people wrote letters to each other for years before meeting.

In both cases I can’t say I “know” people or feel close to them only from reading their blogs or linking to them in social networks. I have these feelings towards people that I’ve met in real life, or had long discussions with them in other means such as Skype, phone or email.

Some of the problem lies in the jargon we are using (community, friends), that has stronger meaning in real life than in the online only world. If we can find new words to describe these relationships, maybe we will be able to better cope with this duality.

Are they blogging or social networking?

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0, Blog, Social Networks, Social Media, Date, Blonde 2.0, Kfir Pravda

My friend Chris Brogan posted a great article in his blog about the difference between Video, Audio and text for content creators.

Here are the highlights:
1. Video is good for visual information - and that’s why interviews are often cut in the middle as they are boring to watch. it is an important point in my opinion especially for DIY content creators, as interviews are one of the cheapest content type to create.

2. Audio creates deeper relations between the listener and the speaker.

3. Text is a great tool to provide information as is.

Another important observation Chris is making, is that there is no one medium any more - you should use different types of media to deliver your message.

These are just the highlights - please go to the original post for more details.

Technorati Tags: Chris Brogan, audio, text, video, blog, vlog, podcast

Powered by ScribeFire.

In the last week or so I didn’t blog, due to illness and some urgent business issues.

There are several blogging “rules”, two of them are contridicting -one says that you should publish a post every day. The other says not to write crap. It is a kind of an Asimovian conflict of laws .

Not everyday I come across something that is worth writing about. Not every day I have something interesting to say.

So - what is YOUR opinion - is it more important to write everyday, or only when you have something interesting / important / insightful to say?

Isac Asimov