I really enjoy irreverent comedy and I regularly DVR Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. He says what many are thinking but are too polite to say out loud. He also brings in guests from every end of the spectrum and no topic is off limits. It’s a little like the blogosphere.
One of Maher’s regular features is a segment called “New Rules.” In it, he pokes fun at conventional wisdom and current events. Recently, referring to a photo of the Pope walking with President Bush, Maher announced that new rule would be, “from now on, the Pope has to wear a slip,” making fun of the fact that you could see the outline of the Pope’s legs through his garment. I laughed. Others might have been offended. Watching is optional.
Back to the blogosphere, Gina Trapani, of the very well known Lifehacker blog, let it be known this week that she is going to filter and block, using gmail, all incoming emails from a long list of PR companies. Gina had apparently established some rules regarding submission of tips for her to consider writing about. PR firms that ended up on the list had violated her rules with the usual spam-like mass pitching that some PR firms engage in. Her response to them not following the rules of her blog is to black-list them, and to share her list with other bloggers. This is big news because Lifehacker is a very widely-read blog and the PR firms on the list will have to adjust their clients’ strategies if they involve her blog and others who might follow her lead.
My own thinking is that if you want to get something printed in a blog, you have to follow the rules, customs, whims, desires, superstitions, or whatever is involved, of the author of that particular blog. No standard set of rules applies. For the millions of blogs now in existence, each is their own nation, with their own local laws and customs. If it sounds like too much work, then it’s probably not the work you should be doing. Of course, you could just get lucky.
To date there have been a number of suggestions for how PR firms should deal with bloggers, but no hard and fast set of rules is in place for general use. Even if there was one I imagine it would still be a pretty standard thing for certain bloggers to deviate from them. Blogs proliferated in the first place because of a convergence of new technologies and the strong desire to get out from under the limited world of the “mainstream media.” What incentive is there to recreate the same or similar rules?
Maybe the new rule for media relations is that there will never, ever be any one set of rules for dealing with social media, the blogosphere, and social networks. Perhaps the new rule, which is really a very old rule, is that you should treat everyone the way you would want to be treated; the golden rule.
Here at Every Dot Connects, we blog. So, hopefully, when we communicate with bloggers on a cause, an issue, or on behalf of a client we’re working with, we have the ability to relate to what they’re going through. Maybe not on the same scale, but we can relate. Because no college course, certificate from the state you live in, authoritative book, study guide or instruction manual, will even come close to providing a handy guide to the new media than being directly involved.
In the meantime, I know I’ll be making some mistakes and doing some good work at the same time. And, like the rest of us in social media, I’ll be watching to see how these many new rules play out. Because, just like on Bill Maher’s show, new rules are probably being written even now. And someone, maybe even the Pope, is already breaking them.
“Insight from hundreds of customer relationships has informed our knowledge of what it takes to reinvent historic business structures. We co-create solutions with our customers — partnering with them every step of the way to help them perform and compete better in the global market.”
These observations were made by Steve Papermaster as he announced the new name for the company previously known as BSG Alliance. The name change to nGenera Corporation spotlights the company’s mission to transform companies into Next Generation Enterprises. nGenera also released its nGen Platform for business innovation, and the first three end-to-end offerings delivered on the platform: nGen Talent, nGen Customer and nGen Leadership.
Late last year Papermaster teamed up with the New Paradigm, a business innovation group led by international thought leader Don Tapscott. The union of the two companies was designed to accelerate the development of their Business Innovation Platform; provide New Paradigm with an appropriate venue to deliver their considerable content; provide Global 2000 enterprises with an immediate and actionable set of business plans, processes and collaborative tools; and help companies transform legacy operations into flexible, next generation enterprises. The recent BusinessWeek Special Report highlights their work.
Our involvement with nGenera, which coincided with the New Paradigm announcement, stems from their belief that social media and online communications are an integral part of this new world of business. Traditional PR is still around, but it is forever changed. nGenera takes seriously the need to have a real social media presence as a part of its communications strategy as they work with their customers moving forward.
The profound business changes brought about by the combination of globalization, the talent crunch and Web 2.0 technologies are reshaping the economy at an astonishing pace. Companies must begin to operate and create customer value in entirely new ways. The nGen Platform offers an answer to this new business reality. It provides Global 2000 companies with a game-changing combination of software-as-a-service, talent and knowledge — packaged into category solutions and delivered using web services — to address fast-traction areas of transformation.
To communicate effectively with its customers, itself, and the world, nGenera is adopting social media in all of its collaborative and co-creative forms. We are honored to be a part of their story.
Posted by Connie Reece on March 25, 2008 at 12:55 am
If you followed the story of the Frozen Pea Fund from the beginning, you know that just before Susan Reynolds was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, David Neff of the American Cancer Society had asked me to do some pro bono work for the Society on a new project. SharingHope.tv has now launched, and I’m very happy I was able to be part of the effort to let people know about this new Web community created to help connect cancer survivors, their friends and family members.
David, who is director of Web and interactive strategy for ACS, was kind enough to sit down with me recently and talk about the origins of the idea for SharingHope.tv, and why they decided to build it with Ruby on Rails and enable OpenID. (My video skills obviously need a lot of work. Note to self: buy a tripod for the Flipcam.)
* upload videos, photos, music or artwork
* add free background music from independent artists
* view content, make comments, and share it with others
* embed videos on their own blogs or MySpace and Facebook pages
* store twice as much video content as YouTube
* log in with an existing OpenID
* create an OpenID using ACS Passport
For more information, read the news release. Susan Reynolds has started posting videos on SharingHope.tv, sharing information she wishes she’d had access to before her surgery, such as this one where she talks about the process of making treatment decisions.
Posted by Connie Reece on January 4, 2008 at 10:06 am
On February 9, 2007, an idea was born–and you’re reading it. The idea came out of conversation around a table at Starbucks with Mike Chapman and Kelley Burrus, two professional colleagues who were fast becoming personal friends. I was venting about the PR firm that had brought us together but not let us use our talents–especially when it came to social media.
In between sips of a latte, I went on and on about the power of social media for making connections between people and ideas and causes and … and … and …
After a while Mike scribbled something on a piece of paper, tore it out of his legal pad, and pushed it across the table. “You need a name,” he said, “and here it is–in three words.” Every Dot Connects.
Three days later I had a logo and an exit strategy. And here we are–not quite a year after that memorable conversation at Starbucks–debuting in Mack Collier’s Top 25 Marketing Blogs list at #23. (Please excuse me while I remind myself to take a deep breath.)
Over the holidays it has been fun to get to know Mack better on Twitter (mackcollier). He is a social media consultant and author of The Viral Garden, a blog focusing on marketing and social media. Mack is also a frequent contributor to the marketing blog Daily Fix, and one of the contributing authors to the Age of Conversation project.
What a year it’s been! During 2007 Mike Chapman and I became business partners. Kelley Burrus and Brenda Thomspon remain our head cheerleaders, go-to resources, and occasional contributors to the blog. While not yet listed as part of the Every Dot Connects team, Sheila Scarborough and Kara Soluri will be frequent contributors in 2008. Our goal is to continue to create value for readers and to continue connecting people, causes and ideas.
Thanks, Mack; thanks, Team; and most of all, thanks to all who read and contribute comments here.
Posted by Mike Chapman on September 19, 2007 at 7:47 pm
The first annual Blogtoberfest is coming to San Marcos, Texas. When? You guessed it…in October. How could we resist? October 5th, to be exact.
The Texas Hill Country has long been famous for its natural beauty and as a gathering place for friendly folks. With a large number of citizens with German ancestry, the area hosts a number of Oktoberfest events, including Wurstfest in New Braunfels. A group of us social media types thought it was time to tie in the tradition of the old with the advent of the new, and so the idea of Blogtoberfest was born. The actual name is Connie Reece’s creation, but the idea of having fun in San Marcos is nothing new.
The City of San Marcos, located almost an equal distance from Austin and San Antonio, is positioning itself as the “hub” of the creative corridor in Central Texas. It hosts a major, research University - Texas State - and is ideal for attracting clean and new technology-based companies and jobs. It is also a natural destination for the creative and technically savvy professionals who make up the new creative class.
So on Friday night, October 5th, from 6 pm until we’re done, there will be presentations by notable bloggers on what is new, what works, and what is fun in the blogosphere. This first will be done in conjunction with the first Barcamp San Marcos, to be held the following day. This will be a great chance to get to know San Marcos and to kick what will surely be a new Central Texas tradition.
Gordo’s on the Square is hosting Blogtoberfest. CenturyTel is already sponsoring and speakers will be announced soon. So please link to the Blogtoberfest website to register.
Posted by Mike Chapman on August 27, 2007 at 2:57 pm
On Tuesday, August 28th, my friend and former boss Tim Johnson, a United States Senator from South Dakota, will be featured in a full-length Nightline program. I’ve posted before about Tim and his courage and determination to come back from a brain hemorrhage last December to resume his duties in the Senate. Tim is on the right in the photo below which ran in the Washington Post. In it he is seen working from home with his Chief of Staff, Drey Samuelson, who has been with Tim since his first election to Congress in 1986.
The Nightline show is the culmination of a series of interviews of Tim by ABC’s Bob Woodruff. Apparently Woodruff has spent hours, starting in March, documenting Tim’s recovery. Tim’s family and staff are hoping the interview will provide some encouragement for viewers who have also suffered brain injuries or who have loved ones who have.
Woodruff was severely injured in an IED attack in Iraq in January of 2006. According to ABC News, Woodruff has been spending much of his time reporting on stories related to brain injuries. Recently on Nightline, Woodruff reported on how some U.S. soldiers who’ve suffered TBI, or traumatic brain injuries, in Iraq are recovering more quickly than others.
Woodruff’s story, which will air Tuesday on World News with Charles Gibson and on Nightline, will include the first interviews Tim has done since undergoing brain surgery on December 13, 2006. I hope you can join me in wishing Tim and his family all the best in his recovery and with his imminent return to the Senate chamber.
Posted by Mike Chapman on August 8, 2007 at 10:16 am
A major challenge for the burgeoning “netroots” movement in politics will be to make sure that there is a diversity of opinion and involvement. In a report on a recent meeting of Yearly Kos, a gathering of bloggers considered a dominant force in the left-leaning grassroots movement on the internet, it was pointed out by the Washington Post that the participants were predominantly white and male. At that same meeting, former U.S. Senator John Edwards, a candidate for President who has been very active in the blogosphere and other social media venues, and who happens to be a white male, received an overwhelming show of support from the participants. Conversely, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, obviously not a male, and also a candidate for President, did not receive as favorable a welcome. In fact, she was verbally jeered.
In fairness, the responses each received were reported to be based more on the respective candidate’s positions on the war in Iraq, and relationships with Washington lobbyists, than just on the candidate’s gender. But the article reminded me of a problem that is something many of us white male bloggers don’t think about enough. Even if the participants disagreed with the “woman” on the panel, would a more diverse audience have been so comfortable booing and hissing her? Or would a more representative group have behaved differently with a greater percentage of females participating?
I have yet to be harassed sexually, or in any other way, on a blog. The same Washington Post article reports, however, that “many women bloggers complain of sexism and harassment in the blogosphere.” Frankly, this makes my blood boil. Whoever these guys are, they should be ashamed. I’m hoping we can begin a conversation about how we address this in an effective way. If someone is stopping short of breaking the law, but is clearly harassing someone based on gender, how do we offer a way for would-be and current female bloggers to feel comfortable on line?
The book collaboration has been covered by Techmeme, and a great interview with the project’s originators appeared in Ad Age, where the book is reviewed in their bookstore. The book has also been featured in Social Computing Magazine: here and here.
The Age of Conversation is available in three formats:
e-book: $9.99 ($7.99 going to charity)
paperback book: $16.95 ($8.10 to charity)
hardback book: $29.99 ($8.55 to charity)
As noted above, all proceeds above the cost of production go to Variety, the Children’s Charity.
I’m off to order my own copies. For the last three months I’ve been dying to see what all the other contributors had to say, and today’s the day!
It has been a great privilege to be included in this collaboration, and I simply can’t thank Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan enough for getting this whole thing started.
I also look forward to hearing what you think about The Age of Conversation.
Posted by Brenda Thompson on June 17, 2007 at 11:57 am
The Austin Public Library has initiated its first-ever Adult Summer Reading Program. I LOVE this idea. Being an avid reader all my life, competitive yet not athletic (I skipped gym class as much as possible) the reading programs were a contest I could always win.
The program has already begun and runs through Aug. 31. Complete an entry form for every three books you read or listen to. The library even has recommendations. And there are prizes. (There are also summer reading programs for kids and teenagers. The adult program is for ages 17 and up).
As geeky as it sounds, this is totally my idea of summer fun. All I need now is the perfect summer camp for adults.
Two stories circulating last week demonstrate that most denizens of the blogosphere live by the age-old admonition of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
When I was a kid, we used drive to nearby Wimberley, Texas, every summer, where one of our favorite activites was visiting Pioneer Town at the 7A Ranch Resort and attending the melodrama at the Opera House. The audience booed the villain and cheered the hero, who always managed to untie the heroine, lashed to the railroad tracks, just before the locomotive arrived. An alternate plot involved rescuing the property of the damsel in distress from the evil banker about to foreclose on her property.
Such was the news in the blogosphere last week. I learned of PR measurement guru K.D. Paine’s predicament from some of my blogger heroes, Joe Thornley, Shel Israel and Eric Eggertson. Her property, the historic Shankhassic Farm in Durham, NH, had been listed for auction by the mortgagee. A disastrous fire, a zoning dispute and a battle with cancer had caused Paine to fall behind in property taxes.
A word-of-mouth campaign, led by Paine’s many friends in PR and a number of notable bloggers, resulted in an outpouring of donations. Reports today are that the farm has been saved. **wild applause and cheers for the good guys**
Robert Scoble brought another situation to my attention when he described the troubles bombarding the photo-sharing site Zooomr. Eqiupment failure brought the service down, and 19-year-old founder Kristopher Tate started working around the clock to reinstate the service, which had no backup servers.
To explain the lack of service to users, Kris started ustreaming the crisis 24/7. Competitor Flickr sent over pizzas one day. And as the week bore on, the Scobleizer reported, several companies came to the start-up’s aid, including Zoho, Dell and Sun Microsystems. “Sometimes Silicon Valley bums me out,” Scoble said, “with all the greed and talk about getting great valuations and all that. It’s nice to see companies help get customer data back up and live.” **more wild applause and cheers for the heroes**
The next time you hear that tired accusation that bloggers are just a bunch of mean-spirited miscreants, remember that those “bad apples” are the exception, not the rule. The blogosphere is populated with quite a few Dudley Do-Rights and millions of everyday people who exhibit a spirit of generosity.
So, tell me. Have you experienced the generosity of a particular blogger? Who was it? How did they help you? Give them a shout-out here.
On February 9, 2007, an idea was born–and you’re reading it. The idea came out of conversation around a table at Starbucks with Mike Chapman and Kelley Burrus, two professional colleagues who were fast becoming personal friends. I was venting about the PR firm that had brought us together but not let us use our talents–especially when it came to social media.
When I was a kid, we used drive to nearby 
