CommSpace

Social Media Is NOT Going Away...

Let's all forget about the fact that I haven't blogged since August. There is a LONG story behind that, mostly involving a beautiful baby girl, a tireless obsession over football, and significant lack of sleep.

However, this is VERY noteworthy from many public and private perspectives...

Pfizer to Link Up With Social-Networking Site Sermo

More than anything else, this reflects a strong commitment on Pfizer's part. I can imagine that it was NO easy task for them to get legal and compliance approval for this effort. Additionally, this demonstrates a significant shift in the direct-to-physician model and in how companies are utilizing social media, not to mention how doctor's can and are choosing to directly engage with pharmaceutical company associates.

Logically, what are the future implications for nurses? ... pharmacists? ... suppliers? ... your sales force?

Six to eight months down the line, when we see this approach more broadly utilized for other forms of CRM, we're going to be talking about a new ballgame.

Are you playing to win?

Guidelines For Your SecondLife...

Where many of us are trying to get a handle on our first and current social media “life”, it seems that our good colleagues at IBM is yet again ahead of the curve in drafting employee guidelines for those in the company that utilize virtual worlds like SecondLife.

The Kid With All the News...

Another example of how traditional media are engaging with new influencers in the emerging media space.

I'm slightly put off by the fact that they refer to the 21 year old student as a "kid" but perhaps that is my own hang-up. I understand that everything is relative.

Good to see people understanding that traditional rules and roles are changing...the same thinking and approaches don't apply anymore. There is always the need to understand foundational structure and historical perspective, but only if you are willing and able to apply it in a way that meets the changing requirements of the day.

High standards are always needed, but recognize that the standards themselves can be somewhat amorphous.

Riding the Waves of "Web 2.0"

Here is a good article from the Pew Internet Project on Web 2.0. It looks to define, or at least frame, how we should view the term. Check it out when you have a moment.

The People Formerly Known As The Audience…

If you haven't come across this post in any of your aggregators, you might want to check it out when you have a chance. It’s a look at the tension between traditional media and those formerly known as the “audience.”

Now I’ll be the first to say that there isn’t anything here that I haven’t heard before in one way or another. However, I was drawn in by the way that post was crafted and I think that you will be too.

The replies and comments that follow are probably more interesting than the post itself. There are quite a few of them and the dialogue that ensues is worth reading.

Think about how your role as a communicator is changing...for that matter, think about how you as a member of "the audience" have changed as well...

The Most Influential Social Media Sites...

I want to share a fantastic question/perspective that Ben Hammersley shared with us during the Blogs and Social Media Forum in the UK a few weeks back...

Since "Web 2.0" and "New Social Media" are shaping up to be the catch phrases of the year, what are the two largest and most influential New Social Media sites out there?

Think about it...

Think hard...

Hint: Its not even close...

You've probably used both of them at some point in the past year, no matter HOW technically savvy you are or claim to be...

Give up?

Here is the answer...eBay and AMAZON...surprised? Don't be. The foundation of New Social Media isn't so much in the behavior; it is in the development of these new tools and their ability to (quickly) facilitate and enable the behavior. Agreed? So what exactly does eBay and AMAZON enable and facilitate? Social networking on an uber-scale. Its all about appealing to you as an individual -- enabling you to have a "voice", connect with other people (directly and indirectly) and leverage your recommendations for the purpose of making an informed decision.

A lot of research data out there affirms that people are more likely to "trust a person like me" than a big marketing firm or corporation, which is also at the core of New Social Media...putting the emphasis BACK onto the individual. Some experts even predict that over the next few years, almost 100% of web users will be exposed to these social media tools on a regular basis in some form or another...even if they are not aware of it.

So the next time that you say "I'm not a technically savvy person" or "I don't have time to use new social media tools," don't be so sure that you haven't already...

How "We" Use the Web today (I'm Not So Sure)...

Here is a recent BusinessWeek article that highlights a recent study on how "we" use the Web today. The reason I put "we" in quotation marks is that I feel as though the survey data is a bit invalid. First off, the survey population consisted only of 350 people. Second, the population base was entirely from or around Muncie, Ind. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't necessarily represent the entire world, let alone the entire US or even all of Ind., in my view. To make it even better, the survey participants were observed for only a day and they knew that they were being watched and what they were being watched for, which screams observer effect to me (which is acknowledged in the article). All-in-all, it doesn't sound like a very conclusive survey, does it?

So why do I bother to even bring this survey to your attention?! Well, I'm surprised that BusinessWeek would even pick something like this up. Then again, the fact that the survey was commissioned by an association of which BusinessWeek is a member kind of gives you an idea, doesn't it? BE CAREFUL! There are tons of surveys out there that claim to provide valuable insight on the Web, New Media, Employee Engagement, etc., and the fact is that very few of them are what one would consider to be a "valid" survey. Take them for what they are and don't overvalue their results. More often that not, you probably already have more reliable "data" at your fingertips and/or within your own organization.

PR people getting PR...

While doing some of my blog monitoring this week I ran across the craziest thing. Under my "Johnson & Johnson" filter, low-and-behold, there were postings about our distinguished leader, Ray Jordan. Apparently there were a few bloggers at the Blog and Social Media Conference that I attended last week in the UK (go figure) and they had the most smashing things to say about Ray as a speaker and panelist. We have a budding social media rock star among us - BRILLIANT!

But don't take my word for it...take Johnnie Moore's

Technorati's State of the Blogosphere - Feb 2006

Hey everyone - Per Technorati's recent State of the Blogosphere, blogs are still growing at a rapid rate (though 1/2 of them are discontinued after 3 months) and mainstream media is figuring out how to effectively utilize them. Here are several brief blog posts that discuss the reports.

http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2006/02/state-of-blogosphere-2006.html
http://jointcommunications.blogspot.com/2006/02/state-of-blogosphere-part-2.html

Here are the full reports (posted on blogs no less

http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000419.html
http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000420.html