This article, on The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500, written by Gary Hamel of The Wall Street Journal is definitely worth a look. Hamel outlines 12 work-relevant characteristics of online life that can help you to self-audit to see if your organization is “with it” or “past it” when it comes to understanding the younger workforce.
The world is changing and for any organization that is looking for new talent, it’s worth a read.
There is a very interesting article in The Vancouver Sun today that cites a survey done by 6S Marketing. According to the survey, 61% of companies using social media are tracking what is being said about them while 39% don’t pay attention.
Social media is hitting critical mass – and as I mentioned in previous posts, one of the underlying themes at the Ragan Social Media Conference in Vegas last week was that social media is now a part of everyday life for the majority of people. My question is to that 39% not paying attention – why aren’t you? There may be conversations happening online at this very moment about your brand – don’t you want to know what is being said?
Every negative comment provides a chance to learn what your clients/customers/stakeholders/communities are thinking and saying about your organization and it allows you to understand their expectations and needs in an authentic way. There is so much to learn from what is being discussed openly and honestly online. It surprises me when I hear that some organizations and people aren’t listening. Active listening has always been one of the key tools in a communicator’s belt – so why not use this super powered tool that we have been given?
There is a great post on how Imedia Connection on how mothers are becoming more and more engaged and involved in social networks. It would appear, according to a recently released industry study, that year over year growth of women ages 25 to 54 with children in the household has gone up nearly 50% on Facebook since 2007. This post is worth reading. It has some very interesting stats and facts, such as: according to a recent MySpace study, the average MySpace mom spends more than 12 hours a week on the site. — That’s a lot of time!
One of the important points to note about social media is that it’s not just for teenagers anymore. I am reading Don Tapscott’s book Grown Up Digital right now and he calls them “screenagers,” which is a great description. However, it’s not just kids that are online. There is a wide range of individuals that are online and you can’t generalize or group them by age anymore. When we deliver our workshops to the senior team or the board of directors of an organization, we are always pleasantly surprised when at least one of the group tells us that they are really active online. Perhaps they are a gamer or they are immersed in communicating on Twitter or that they upload several videos a week to YouTube – and it’s never who you think it is. Times have changed and our perception of who is embracing social media needs to expand.
The Canadian Internet Project released a study last year that showed us that an older demographic is using social media in a variety of ways. I am active on Twitter, the microblogging site. While the people I am following tend to be involved in communications, social media or other areas that I am interested in, the demographic there is much older than you would expect.
A new report was issued by Nielsen – Social Networking’s Global Footprint. One of the interesting points in this report (and there are many) is Facebook’s jump in numbers of people aged 35-49 years of age (+24.1 million). According to the report, from December 2007 through December 2008, Facebook added almost twice as many 50-64 year old visitors (+13.6 million) than it has added under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million). Pretty interesting stuff!
I was watching the late news on Friday night and saw a story on the challenges that CTVglobemedia is facing. The Vancouver Sun has a good article on what the media giant is dealing with. Being a media junkie and a communicator, I have been watching the shift in the media for quite some time – but on Friday, it really hit me that the news business is in trouble and not just in Canada. Denver’s Rocky Mountain News closed its doors on Friday. According to many reports, there are a lot of other print papers in economic trouble – including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.
The recession has certainly hurt all of these media outlets. The big advertisers aren’t buying what they were and everyone is being affected by cut backs in spending.
For some of these media conglomerates, like CTVglobemedia, there are other issues that are facing, including the cost of doing business in the face of growing cable networks. These are big issues and ones that these companies and the CRTC need to find a way to solve to everyone’s satisfaction and benefit.
There is another point that I think isn’t being covered as much and I believe it has had a huge impact on mainstream media – it’s the online world. The Internet has changed everything. People want to be communicated with differently now and this is a challenge for some of the big news organizations. When we had Kirk LaPointe of The Vancouver Sun in as a guest speaker to one of our Conversation Over Coffee sessions earlier this year, he spoke quite candidly on the topic. I think Kirk really “gets it” and is focused on finding a new paradigm for media. But they aren’t there yet, in part because the audience is still evolving and discovering what and how we want it – when it comes to receiving and sharing information online.
While it has taken more than a decade, the majority of us turn to the Internet for news, information and connection. There are more opportunities now for an organization to share information. Your story might not make it onto the television broadcast or in the newspaper, but it might be covered online. And of course, it isn’t just mainstream media that puts out news and information now – bloggers, people on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are all sources that people turn to. There are great opportunities to reach out and tell a story through other channels, often channels that provide an opportunity for feedback, conversation and an authentic connection.
I read a lot of blogs and I love them. But I can usually tell if a blog writer has a journalism background without reading their bio. There is a recognizable approach to reporting and writing that trained journalists bring to their work.
Journalists are an important part of how we hear about what is going on in the world and they are crucial in our society. A great journalist can bring clarity to a complex situation. Well researched articles that are thought out and provide an unbiased context are invaluable.
I worked at Maclean’s for a long time and while I still look forward to receiving the hard copy magazine each week, I don’t wait. I am online checking it out, along with about a dozen other mainstream media, a whole lot of blogs, and other online publications. My Twitter feed (I use Twitterpod) sits on my desktop and I watch information roll as I work. I think it is going to take people like Kirk to help lead mainstream media into a sustainable business model – and I hope it happens sooner than later. Good journalism is an important component of an informed society. And as a communicator, I am a big fan of a community that has access to a range of information from a variety of sources.
The Ketchum/FedEx issue on Twitter is being discussed online quite extensively. In my opinion, blogger David Henderson is covering this story very well. (David is a newly discovered online voice for me – and he has quickly become one of my favourites. His blog is definitely worth reading.)
This story has legs. And it has created some valuable discussion online about freedom of speech, the right to your own personal opinion, what’s reasonable to say out loud, how to handle a crisis online and much, much more.
For those that might not know, the basic overview of this issue is that a week or two ago, a Ketchum PR VP (James Andrews) flew from Atlanta to Memphis to visit FedEx, one of the agency’s biggest clients. He was going to talk with them about social media.
On his arrival in Memphis, he posted a message on Twitter that said: “True confession but I’m in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, ‘I would die if I had to live here.’” He posted under his Twitter name @keyinfluencer.
Someone at FedEx was following Andrews on Twitter and forwarded his comment to a few other people at FedEx. Well, the good folks at FedEx weren’t too happy about the comment and they responded publicly with a personal message to Andrews. You can read it here at David’s blog – along with his take on this topic. David has/is covering this topic very well, his journalism experience shines through in the thoroughness of his research and ability to put the story into context.
There are many sides to this discussion, many of which revolve around the question: what was he thinking? There are several things that were done or not done that may have changed how big this story got. But, the thing is, this story is big. Some discussion has now turned to what should be done now to deal with what this has become, an issue that is being played out online.
This story and the continuing fallout has raised some interesting questions and points about living in an online 24/7 world where lines between personal and professional are increasingly blurred. Without turning this post into a novel, I have a few points I would like to open a conversation on.
Who are you?
I was at a workshop about Twitter recently and the presenter really pushed the fact that there are no longer those barriers – you can’t be someone at work, someone else at home, someone else at Church, your kid’s school…it’s all blending. Like it or not, it’s an important fact to note. I often have clients friend me on Facebook, I have clients following me on Twitter – and I have to admit, at first, that felt kind of odd. We are a small agency though and the truth is, we’re friendly with our clients. One of the reasons that we started AHA was because we wanted the ability and opportunity to work with people we like, people we respect, people that we would make time to meet for a coffee or a glass of wine. So I had to look at why I was a little uncomfortable about it. I am still not sure why, maybe it has nothing to do with the fact that they are clients or colleagues. Perhaps it’s that by being out there I am making myself more public and I am more of a private person. I got over it and I have to say, I love hearing about what others are up to. I am not as good at putting what I am doing out there yet, mostly because I wonder who would find it of interest, but I am getting there.
What’s Your Opinion?
Andrews had an opinion and he voiced it. I personally love Memphis, but there are places in the world that I am not so fond of. However, given that we are seeing a huge blurring of the lines—and the big fat megaphone that the Internet gives us—it doesn’t seem to be such a smart move to make such a negative statement so casually. I have been at professional events where blunders like this happen. Little conversations where someone mentions a topic and someone says that they would never fly on airline X, eat at restaurant Y, or buy product Z and someone else at the table says that they’re the VP of communications there. Everyone at the table gets a little uncomfortable, someone makes a funny and we all go back and repeat the story ad nauseam until the next time someone puts their foot in it. Andrews, however, was sitting at a big virtual table when he made his comment.
Are We Really Listening?
I don’t know if Andrews had been to Memphis before, but it seems like he might have made a snap judgment. Social media is supposed to be about interacting. Perhaps, his tweet might have said, “I don’t know much about Memphis, can anyone tell me the great things to see or do here?” He could have listened before he spoke and started a conversation rather than a firestorm.
What Happens Next?
On his blog, David outlines how all of this unfolded, including the response from FedEx and Ketchum (he called both organizations). Since then, it seems neither one has commented any further.
There is still a lot of controversy online and off about this issue. It shows what can happen if you don’t take the power of social media seriously. I don’t know what is going on behind closed doors at Ketchum or FedEx or what they are talking about, but I have to wonder why no one from either organization is joining the conversation online. The tweet from Andrews may have started it all, but then FedEx also took their response public – and it was quite an aggressively worded one.
There is an opportunity here to come out and engage and contribute to the discussion. It seems that both Ketchum and FedEx made a statement and let Andrews take the hit – that seems pretty old school to me. Maybe Andrews shouldn’t have tweeted what he did, but then maybe FedEx shouldn’t have made its response public until they spoke with Andrews.
What else could have been done? Maybe Ketchum could have stepped up and said they blew it here and insulted Memphis and FedEx, but they’re going to make it right – together. With FedEx they could have reached out to the Memphis business development association, the tourism board, or some smaller organizations that couldn’t afford Ketchum’s rates and help change some of the potential misperceptions and promote Memphis as a great place.
It’s Different Now!
The world has changed and organizations—and the people involved in them—need to better understand the importance, value, power and challenges that the online environment brings with it. Any good communications strategy needs to include online components. Sometimes it will be the priority, sometimes not. As communicators, it is up to us to help inform, educate and engage our clients in this area and to provide them with effective, professional advice. We can learn a lot from the Ketchum/FedEx issue.