Bernaisesource

It’s that time of year again. Time to choose the most significant social media story of the year. And keeping with our growing reliance on beta testing and soft launching, I am posting before the launch of 2008.

From Facebook to Twitter and from Justin.TV to iPhone, it was indeed a busy year. To help with the review process, I went day by day through the year on Techmeme. I included stories that intrigued me the most.

As much as the events themselves, it is important to define our terms. Fundamentally, what constitutes significance? I looked at whether the story was about social media and how much social media impacted the story. It is not only about dollars spent or generated. Nor is it only about the number of stories written or blog entries posted. And when it comes to significance, there is the short term and long term. Is significance measured based on its impact in 2007 or what it may mean in the long run?

As a student of history, I know that significance changes over time. What is important today can be meaningless tomorrow, and what is overlooked today can have dramatic consequences in the future. Without that crystal ball, I will leave long-term prognostications to the futurists.

So without further ado, I offer up (in no particular order) my Top 10 List of Most Significant 2007 Social Media Events.

2007 Runners Up

Two separate events this year prompted me to add Wikipedia to the list. The first was Microsoft’s decision to openly pay a consultant to submit comments on a Wikipedia entry to correct perceived inaccuracies about open source. While compensated by Microsoft, the consultant could write what he wanted – good and bad. An uproar ensued as Microsft was charged with violating Wikipedia's conflict of interest policy.

The second story involved Virgil Griffith, a California Institute of Technology grad student. He created a search tool that traces the comments and edits on Wikipedia entries back to their source IP address. His tool revealed the actions of companies who inappropriately edited their Wikipedia entries. Given Wikipedia’s growing influence as a definitive information source for millions of users, it is unfortunate that a compromise can’t be reached for companies to be able to openly and honestly represent themselves in entries about them.

Lifecasting speaks to video’s impact on the Internet and social media. More importantly it addresses the 24/7 nature of media, the personalization of news and the changing attitudes toward private and public spheres. In short, it begs the question, is anything private any more?

Kathy Sierra Blog Death Threats

A number of disturbing comments and images on blogs about Kathy Sierra tests the limits of free speech. It also demonstrates the dark side of social media and underscores the fragile sense of civility that holds all our online conversations together.

Microsoft/Yahoo Merger Speculation

This story is not so much about Microsoft and Yahoo; it’s about the growing power of Google in the Internet economy and the continuing belief that bigger is better even as start-up companies continue to drive much of web 2.0’s innovation.

Obama for President Social Media Site

In 2004, it was the blog that captured the minds and hearts of Presidential candidates. In 2008, social networks have blossomed to include presidential campaigns. Barack Obama launched MyBarackObama.com. The site invites supporters to create a profile, blog their campaign experiences, plan and attend events, find other supporters, and help raise funds for the campaign. And if the real world was not enough, candidates including John Edwards and Obama launched sites on Second Life – in an effort to leave no cyberstone unturned.

Fires in Southern California and the Tragic Shootings at Virginia Tech

These tragedies would have been major news stories without social media, but the use of Twitter to aid Red Cross relief efforts in southern California and the use of Facebook by Virginia Tech students to reach each other demonstrates the growing importance that social media is playing in the covering and possible containment of unfolding tragedies and disasters.

News Corp Acquisition of Dow Jones

When it was announced in 2005, Rupert Murdoch's purchase of MySpace made a traditional media company more social and new media site more traditional. This year, Murdoch completed his purchase of Dow Jones – putting him in the running for the most influential media titan – new or traditional. His presence will be far reaching and if nothing else perhaps we will finally get free online access to the Wall Street Journal.

Twitter

What can I add in 140 characters about this much discussed, addictive messaging platform that is still virtually unknown despite the hype?

Apple iPhone

The number of stories and blog postings about the Apple iPhone is only matched by the length of the lines that people formed to buy one. Yes, they are cool and slick and the ads are entertaining and fun. Add to that the hype in being the first on your block to see let alone have one, the hackers who successfully broke AT&T’s firewall, the poor guy at Verizon who turned down Apple’s offer to be its first partner, and the uproar when Steve Jobs lowered the price by $200 just a little more than two months after the first wave paid $599. The iPhone once again demonstrates the power of technology to excite and the ability of engineers with a sense of design to be cool or "tight" as today's teenagers would say. Mobile devices are indeed a lifestyle, fashion statement, status symbol, and this year a media event.

2007 Winner

Facebook

Can a drop-out from Harvard with an idea based on discussions from others change business models and redirect the future of technology? I am not talking about Bill Gates but Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Zuckerberg this year transformed an online community for college and high schools students into a powerful social network for adults wishing to keep in touch for personal and professional reasons. Time will tell if it has more staying power than Friendster and if it can retain or exceed the coolness that MySpace achieved.

But its impact and the reason why it made the top of my list is its decision to let other companies build and install their applications on Facebook and receive any revenue they could generate. The spread of wealth led to a present day gold rush with companies prospecting for opportunities to capitalize on Facebook’s growing number of users. Proof of its impact – speculation of $15 billion price tag for Facebook and Google’s recently announced OpenSocial decision to band with companies like Friendster and MySpace to support an open set of interoperable application interfaces for web-based social network applications.

This Just In

The dangers of posting early. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Kindle, Amazon's answer to the electronic book. Its announcement made the cover of Newsweek. Its design has been compared to a Texas Instrument 1980's prototype, but time will tell if it is the tipping point in how we read books and newspapers.

Well there you have it. There are may be others I overlooked. And of course your personal experiences with social media may be far more significant than the ones I chose.

What is your number one event on the social media top ten list? I would like to know. Did I miss something? Please share with others and let me know.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: 2007 Top Ten; Wikipedia; Justin.tv; Kathy Sierra; Microsoft; Yahoo; Virginia Tech Shootings; California Fires; Obama For President; News Corp; Dow Jones; Twitter; iPhone; Facebook; Kindle;

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But on my day of thanks, my thoughts turned to social media. Out of curiosity, I visited the Butterball web site. A wasted opportunity I concluded. Sure there was a hotline number and the web 1.0 ability to email an expert with questions. And yes, there were some helpful podcasts. But what they called a blog was more like a place to just send comments. While customers could send in recipes to be rated, there was no forum for users to share recipes and seek answers to vexing questions about stuffing, basting and carving.

And what about YouTube? If Butterball had posted any of their videos on YouTube, I couldn't find them. Type in Butterball on YouTube and you get clips from a Candid Camera knock-off where a blindfolded man or woman unknowingly compared the feel of turkey to a man’s backside. Or worse I saw a disturbing video charging Butterball with mistreating turkeys. Not the kind of stuff that brands are made from.

Now maybe Butterball knows that their customers are not YouTube fanatics or big advocates of blogging. Or maybe they never considered the idea of maximizing social media’s power. Surely though, they could benefit from a site where people can engage one another and possibly lessen the number of calls to their hotline.

If the latter is the case, a lump of coal for Butterball (and all the other companies out there who fail to take advantage of social media) on the day I headed back to New York City for the biggest shopping day of the year.

Let me get back you.

Tags: Butterball, turkey, Butterball expert hotline,

Technorati Tags: Butterball; Turkey; Butterball Expert Hotline;

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I was trying to come to terms with the tension of the fixed and changing elements that form the basis of blogging. We have all heard of the paradox that the only constant is change. In this spirit, I offer up my own version of constant change:

Fixed laws govern corporate blogging dynamics

Corporate blogs are fluid, organic, ever changing. But they also contain elements that are fixed, constant.

I am proposing a model to address the interplay of the changing and constant elements. It’s what I call blogging’s double helix – a twisted pair that describes blogging dynamics. In this state, for every constant there is also change.

Blogs are always about conversations, but authors and applications can change. Blogs are built to support the corporate brand, even as marketing and product strategies change. All blogs must adhere to corporate values, even as situations change.

No one element is dominant. But at times, one element may get more play than another depending on a company’s priorities.

So what are the five fundamental laws that underpin corporate blogging and react with its double helix?

The First Immutable Law

Blogs evolve.

In nature, survival rests on the interplay of DNA and the changing environment.
In blogging, successful conversations rest on the interplay of corporate DNA and changing situations.

When EarthLink launched its first corporate blog, it was devoted to helping customers protect themselves from spyware, viruses and spam. EarthLink subject matter experts submitted postings on a voluntary basis when they had the time to do so. We learned from that first try and subsequently relaunched the blog to reflect the broader mission of the company and the wider possibilities of the Internet. We also hired a full-time blogger to ensure consistency and regular postings. Today, the blog has been decommissioned as management has chosen to focus its strategic priorities elsewhere.

The transition through its different phases was smooth because we were honest, open and respectful with our readers.

The Second Immutable Law

Applications and Authors Don’t Matter; Conversations Do

Once blogs were about simple conversations. They still are. But where text was the name of the game, we are seeing more pictures, more audio, more video, and more applications. While these features enrich the user experience, having the ability to converse and engage readers will always be the essence of blogging. Blogging without the ability to comment to share ideas (good and bad) is what I call a toothless wolf in sheep’s clothing: No bite and all fluff.

Let me clarify what I mean by authors don’t matter; I am not discounting the contributions of bloggers to corporate blogs. A good blogger is passionate, honest, respectful and open. A bad blogger isn’t. And not everyone is suited for blogging. But don’t let the personality become the blog. Employees come and go, but the Coroprate blog should have an identity or a purpose outside the blogger. In some cases, multiple people write for their corporate blog. Others have a blogmaster who is responsible for content. I strongly believe that a corporate blog is only as strong as its content and the company behind it, not the individual talents of one person.

The Third Immutable Law

A Blog must understand and respect its audience
A Blog must engage both reader and writer

Whom are you trying to reach? One size does not fit all. The expectations of customers, including investors and partners, are changing as fast as technology itself. A successful blogging strategy requires an understanding of one's customers and carefully balancing the use of new and traditional information channels.

In pursuing an engagement strategy, you need to ask: Who is your audience? Sophisticated users or generalists? Customers or prospective customers? What is your strategy and purpose? Is it intended to showcase the rank and file or your leadership? Is it a forum for general industry trends or an honest, open discussion about products and services?

Remember engagement goes two ways: In the end, blogging should be viewed as a way to solicit ideas, suggestions and address customer complaints.

The Fourth Immutable Law

Corporate Blogging Is Situational…Especially in a Crisis

Say news gets out that your product is defective; Or nearly 80,000 employees go strike; or your CEO is charged with financial irregularities -- Where does openness and conversations go? -- Time to blog or circle the wagons? -- Time to start one or shut one down?

GM has a respected blog – FastLane. But when the UAW went on strike, GM announced on its blog that it would not use FastLane for discussion about the strike.

I agreed with their decision. It did not serve the Company’s or customers’ best interest. It may seem inconsistent to post in the good times and not the bad, but an effective strategy must be situational. Public discussions may sometimes cause more harm. A lot depends on the Company’s objectives. An open forum didn’t meet those objectives.

While situations may change blog strategies, I believe it’s always necessary to be as open and accessible as possible especially in the cases of interrupted service, safety issues, or security and privacy concerns where the customer is impacted.

Fifth Immutable Law

A Blog Must Embody the Company’s Brand and Culture

The best blogs do and therefore seem genuine, because they are. Understanding the culture does not mean that a company should immediately start blogging. Social media can be a serious mistake if there is a low tolerance for experimentation, transparency and decentralization. Regardless of a company's DNA, blogging must be accepted and embraced internally; both employees and management must be educated on how best to implement a social media strategy. Without rules of engagement and management buy-in, the blog won’t have the legitimacy it needs to flourish.

Do these laws mean the difference between success and failure? What happens when companies fail to abide by these rules of the game? Well in nature, failure means extinction – usually violently. In blogging, failure means controversies, firestorms and irrelevance. On the other hand, I think robust conversations that respect the reader and don’t compromise corporate values are a formula for success.

In the survival of the fittest, where does your company’s blog stand?

Let me get back you.

Technorati Tags: Blogging; Blogging's Double Helix; Executing Social Media Conference; Corporate Blogging;

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