Bernaisesource

 

To view previous photos of the week, check out my flickr site.

Let me get back to you.

I was busy this weekend preparing for the announcement of EarthLink's new president and chief executive officer:  Rolla P. Huff.  Here are links to the press release and bio.  Our former CEO, Garry Betty, passed away in January from cancer.  More to come, but off to do interviews.

Let me get back to you (when I catch my breath).

Technorati Tags: Rolla Huff; EarthLink;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us

Tannery, Morocco, 2002
(Click thumbnail for full image)

To view previous Photos of the Week, check out my flickr site.

Let me get back to you.

Last year, I distributed a social media survey to EarthLink’s vice presidents to gauge their attitudes and knowledge of social media.  This year, I modified the survey to focus on adaption and guage comfort level for transparency.  We are still tabulating the results internally, but I wanted to share the template.  Feel free to download the survey.

Among its questions, the survey asks participants

• to rank the importance of various new and traditional tools to reach customers
• to list the ways they use social media
• to indicate the number of hours per week they use social media
• to rate the importance of social media in their job now and in two years
• to measure their comfort level with open, transparent customer forums

The survey is intended as a tool to develop a social media communications strategy.  It doesn’t look at the dynamics of social media or advocate the use of any one tool over another.  Nor does it offer up a roadmap for product development.  It’s meant to establish a baseline needed to build consensus and adoption.  In looking at the results, you may find that social media is not right for your company.  A company’s culture, employee understanding and customer usage patterns are critical to effective implementation.  

In the addition to the answers themselves, you may find the cross tabulations equally or more useful.  For example:

• Look at various levels of employee adoption over the next two years (questions 4 and 5), then factor in hours of usage (question 3) with those figures
• Look at answers by department (question 13),
• Look at the survey results based on those who did and didn’t answer why they don’t use social media (question 7),
• Look at the survey results based on answers to whether social media should be part of an employee’s job description (question 6), then factor in hours of usage (question 3)  
• Look at level of support for public disclosure (questions 8, 9 and 10) with ways to disclose (question 11)
   

There are countless other ways to slice and dice the survey results, but hopefully these are a start to evaluate the data and understand employee motivation.

I encourage people to download the survey and submit ways to refine the survey questions. 

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Social Media Survey; Social Media;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us

I was in San Francisco this week meeting with companies and consultants specializing in social media.  I am looking to identify a list of best practices as we implement a social media communications strategy at EarthLink.

I had a chance to grab some coffee with Owen Thomas who is leaving Business 2.0 to run Valleywag, a Silicon Valley tech gossip rag.

Talking about such topics as vectors, news vs entertainment, the Silicon Valley ethos and inaugural entries, Owen and I also considered the wisdom of cab drivers.  Clearly, the old adage about cab drivers and stock tips addresses questions about the quality of information sources and the boundaries of authority.  But beyond the tips themselves, Owen wondered whether stock picking cab drivers said something about the nature of social networks and how they evolve.  How does a discussion reach the point that cab drivers even feel qualified to pick stocks, and individuals are willing to listen?  More broadly, what checks and balances do we need to evaluate contributions and ensure the viability of the network?   In short, the fact that a discussion is even taking place is as revealing as what is actually being said.

I suppose it is important to consider the source --- even when reading Valleywag.  Best of luck, Mr. Thomas and congratulations. 

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Owen Thomas; BUsiness 2.0; Valleywag; Social Networks;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us

Band in Atlanta, Atlanta, 2007
(Click on Thumbnail for full image)

To view previous Photos of the Week, check out my flickr site.

Let me get back to you.

Yesterday, I attended Social Media Club's "Starting the Conversation" workshop in Palo Alto.  My mission was to identify best practices as I help to expand our social media communications strategy at EarthLink.  I also had an opportunity to speak with Brian Solis, Jeremiah Owyang and Giovanni Rodriguez who were all very helpful. 

As expected, the day focused on transparency, trust, successes and failures. 
 

I was struck by a discussion with Shel Israel about the power of conversations.  When making purchasing decisions, would you rather hear from an ad or actual customers?  In the world of social media, the conversation is taking an increasingly prominent role.  We are looking to the person on the street, not the expert, for our source of information.  

The so-called wisdom of crowds is social media's mantra. When in Germany for example, Shel Israel was looking for a particular restaurant that he had read about.  The cab driver told him that the chef had left and all those in the know were going to a new restaurant where the chef was now working.  He never would have known if he hadn’t engaged in a conversation.

Across the blogosphere, countless conversations are taking place that are redefining authority and shaping marketing strategies.

On the other hand, I am reminded of the adage: "When taxi drivers are handing out stock tips, it's time to sell."   That is not to say that seasoned financial analysts can't make mistakes.  My dot com stock portfolio is testimony to that.  But as with anything else, we need to be discerning and always consider the source.  It may be the only way to survive the wealth (glut) of information that the blogosphere offers.

Let me get back to you

Technorati Tags: Social Media; Social Media Club; SMC Workshops; Shel Israel; Brian Solis; Jeremiah Owyang; Giovanni Rodriguez;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us

“The biggest conundrum, of course, is whether consumers really do love brands as much as those working for brands and their agencies do. And even though transparency has been a buzzword in marketing for a while, will viewers really choose to navigate to a site with such blatant consumerism at its core?”

Bud.tv was announced with great fanfare in publications like the NY Times and iMedia Connection.  Despite reports of an approximately $30 million budget for Bud.tv, A-B's branded entertainment network has not lived up to the expectations. The issue is Bud.tv, not branded entertainment in general.

Here’s where I think A-B went wrong.  It struck me as a touch anachronistic, that A-B was trying to build a destination.  The media coverage focused on the network, not the programming.  The industry talk was bud.tv, but how many could tick off a memorable show – of course the current swear jar clip is pretty damn funny.

This point was driven home in an interview with CBS President and CEO Les Moonves at the recent D Conference.  When Walt Mossberg asked, What’s the CBS brand? Moonves said, “The network’s shows are its brands, the networks are not. Our business is about putting the best shows we can on our network.”

The D conference also demonstrated how strong the bond between technology and entertainment has become.  Content providers are increasingly becoming more Web 2.0 centric to reach the coveted 18-34 year old demographic.  And marketers are following as traditional forms of advertising are proving less effective as well.  

In short, A-B was right to use the Internet; they were wrong in how they used it.  

As Steven Johnson writes in his book, Interface Culture, new technology is transforming the way we create and communicate.  Back in the 1950’s making the shift from radio to television meant adding pictures to existing formats.  That was easy.  Web 2.0 requires new rules of engagement. 

A few have offered ways to save Bud.tv including Kevin Dugan in his excellent piece.

One of Bud.tv’s major challenges was its restrictive registration process to weed out consumers under 21 – the very consumers they try to reach with their Super Bowl advertising.  Another problem, the content could not be found on other sites.  

A-B may have been better served and spent less money by offering up its content snippets on YouTube or by creating syndicated programs delivered on blip.tv.  Others are creating original content made for the web in a serial format, known as webisodes. In these ways, A-B would have less control over the content's distribution, but they may reach more viewers.  

Ultimately, as a user, I have to already know about and seek out Bud.tv, I can’t just stumble upon, which is one the best parts of the web. The content may be funny, but it is difficult to share.  Take the recent Ray Ban video.   Like the sunglasses in the clip, the video is getting tossed around virally on the Net. 

Whether Bud.tv survives is less important than the ground it is trying to break.  As Andrew Wallenstein wrote back in March in Adweek, “Bud.tv has attracted attention for portending a paradigm shift for online media, allowing advertisers to pitch directly to consumers with their own programming.”

And so, I get back to the point of branded content on the web. Companies like A-B are going to have to rethink their appoach if they want to be successful.  Using the Internet for entertainment is still in its infancy.  Brand marketers who are willing to take chances will be the first to reap the benefits.  It is no longer enough to just get product placements. The ads themselves must be the entertainment.

Web 2.0 is wide open.  There are no restrictions on content.  Short form, long form, mobile devices or desk tops -- they all apply.  Even users themselves can create content.  The only limits will be the marketer's creativity. 

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: Bud.tv; Blip.tv; YouTube; Anheuser-Busch; Branded Entertainment; Branded Content;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us

Billboard, Atlanta, 2007
(Click on thumbnail for full image)

To view previous photos of the week, check out my flickr site.

Let me get back to you.

I returned this past Friday from the D Conference in Carlsbad, California.  Hundreds of leaders from the world of media, entertainment and digital technology were on hand for three days of discussion on the state of the industry.  It did not disappoint.   

So many conferences focus on what is ahead – usually in five year time horizons.  Being its fifth, this conference spent some time looking backward.  There was even a photo shoot for the five year veterans.  Noticeably absent was Garry Betty.  EarthLink’s former CEO didn’t make it this year.  He passed away in January from cancer.  Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg were very gracious to take a few minutes to honor his memory.

I must also commend Walt for beginning the conference with a moment of silence in memory of our armed services members who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A clear high point of the conference was a rare joint appearance by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs or should it be Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.  The anticipation was palpable as audience members filed into the conference hall – unsure what to expect.  Earlier in the day, Jobs had jokingly referred to the Mac as a glass of cold water for those living in Hell.  Here on stage would be two of the industry’s greatest luminaries.  Would the two Titans clash or remain cordial?

The Wednesday evening event began with video clips from previous joint appearances over the years – a reminder of how 20 years can change us all.

The showdown itself struck me as a touch ironic.  So often these days we celebrate and fixate on the rise of the citizen journalist, the end of the expert, and the impact of user generated content, but apparently star power still matters. 

Walking around the conference before the main event, they were both unassuming just like any other attendee.  On the stage, Gates and Jobs commanded your attention.  This match-up however would not be a slugfest.  Common ground replaced rivalries.  Cordial and respectful, they reminisced, praised and focused on shared stories.

So much of our industry is about the guts of the machine.  But it is the human stories, personalities, challenges faced and obstacles overcome that are its soul.  

There was no greater reminder of the importance of storytelling than George Lucas who had spoken prior to dinner.  No stranger to epics, Lucas has successfully and rather remarkably bridged the worlds of art, entertainment and technology.  

Toward the latter part of the interview, Jobs and Gates were asked to speculate on the future of the PC five years from now.  Not surprisingly, Jobs was more reluctant to commit.  They both felt the PC would persist even as an explosion of post PC devices continued.  Cameras would be ubiquitous, and entertainment and communications would continue to commingle -- only more so.

Looking around the room, I wondered if we would witness a similar showdown with two new competitors in another twenty years.  

Such speculation is amusing and, for those who can correctly guess their names, very lucrative.  But for me, that night was not about predictions.  It was about human side of our business. Putting aside the hype, the story of our industry in fact does come down to technology -- the consumers who use it, the visionaries who create it, and from my perspective the scribes who chronicle it.

Let me get back to you.

Technorati Tags: D Conference; Walt Mossberg; Kara Swisher; Bill Gates; Microsoft; Steve Jobs; Apple;

Add to NewPR Save to del.icio.us