My First Digest

A New Home For Proactive

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:01 GMT

As from June 30th 2009 this blog will no longer be at this URL. All my content will be combined on the new URL http://www.proactivereport.com

Please go to the new blog and subscribe to the feed there

The new feed URL is

http://proactivereport.com/?feed=rss2

Thank you for being a loyal reader of Proactive and I hope to see you on the new version of the blog.

The Proactive Report aims to provide you with information and insights into the trends, media shifts and changes in behavior created by technology.

See you on the other side.

Sally

Cluetrain Manifesto Ten Years On

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:32 GMT

#92. Why can't they hear this market timebomb ticking? The stakes are even higher.

Ten years ago four wise men wrote a manifesto with 95 theses in it. The Cluetrain had a lot to say about how companies were failing to recognize the need people have to connect - with each other and with employees inside companies.

#92 in the Manifesto says: Companies are spending billions of dollars on Y2K. Why can't they hear this market time bomb ticking? The stakes are even higher.

In 1999 Y2K was just around the corner. Companies were scrambling to get their systems in place so they wouldn't be caught with their pants down when the clock turned to 2000. Well, that possible disaster has come and gone. But the market time bomb is still ticking. And over the years the ticking has become much louder. The proliferation of blogs, social sites and online publishing has given everyone the power of voice. Yet some companies still seem unable to hear it.

A recent list of companies that are engaged in social media has just over 300 names. That’s not many when one thinks of how many companies there are in the U.S. Are the rest turning a blind eye? Or is it a deaf ear?

What’s causing the resistance?

According to MarketingSherpa, "lack of knowledgeable staff" was cited as the biggest barrier to social media adoption by organizations. Since many organizations "start by delegating responsibility to the first staff person they find with a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn, since very few people have any level of practical experience in this new strategy" the results are less than effective.

If that's the case social media training should be top of the priority list. Get an outsider who does have the knowledge and skill to get your people up to speed.

Companies that have taken the leap have gone through the pain of breaking down the corporate firewalls – literally and figuratively. Dell is a perfect example.

Those that have not yet figured this out are doing same old, same old and hoping for a different result.

Social media is not something an outsider can do for you, but they can train your staff so they can do it right.

Unlike Y2K this bomb is not going to pass and fade away. Social media is not some interesting fad the marketing folk are futzing around with. Your smart market is talking about you. They’d love to be engaged in conversations with you about your business and your products.

It’s time to pay attention to that loudly ticking time bomb, and whether you’re about to find your pants round your ankles yet again.

Social media is a tsunami that could engulf your business if you don’t pay attention.And like the Emperor you’ll find yourself butt naked and visible to everyone.

Social Media Roadmap Webinar Series

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:06 GMT

Research Phase of the Reed''s Case Study

On April 16th we will air the second in the series of the Marketwire Social Media Roadmap webinars.

This session is about research and planning - how to find and evaluate the online conversations that affect your company and/or your brand. My guest this time is Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers and The Secrets of Social Media Marketing.

I've done most of the research now for our case study - Reed's Ginger Brew. Using tools like Radian6 and FiltrBox we've found conversations not only about the company, but about ginger brew in general. We also discovered that there is content on this subject from a wide range of bloggers - moms who are interested in natural sodas and healthy drinks, ginger brew as a cocktail mixer and even financial bloggers who write about the company's potential. Our list of influencers is developing quite nicely.

One place where we found lots of intersecting conversations was on Twitter. Here is the Social Collider graph for the phrase ginger brew.

I have so much fun using this tool from Google. Watching the dots appear, and the lines showing how memes develop and intersect, is fascinating!

And it's quite clear that Reed's needs to have a strong presence on Twitter. This will play into the next session in May when Rebecca LIeb of Econsultancy and I talk about how to use all the data you find to develop your content strategy.

New Social Media Tools At the Democratic Convention

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:57 GMT

RSS feeds and live video in widgets make data available immediately

In 2004 bloggers became a force at the national conventions. This year we've moved to the next level in terms of technology. Content syndication widgets are consolidating blog posts and mobile phone video streams, making it possible for bloggers and attendees to live-stream unfiltered convention action.

NewsGator and Qik are aggregating blog posts in RSS Feeds and live video from cell phones. The widgets make it easy to syndicate the content.

Article on MarketWatch

My First Digest

A New Home For Proactive

Cluetrain Manifesto Ten Years On

Social Media Roadmap Webinar Series

See Also

New Social Media Tools At the Democratic Convention