Archive for October, 2007
Posted October 25th, 2007 by Kevin
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, there has been some discussion as to whether or not CEO’s should blog (including ours). For the most part, people seem to be falling on one side or the other. Here at DIG, from the top down, we know that this is not a black and white issue and that recognizing the shades of gray will lead to the appropriate answer on a case by case basis.
Not everyone should be a blogger, or can be for that matter. Sure, the technology exists to allow anyone the opportunity to participate, but that doesn’t mean they should. It’s important to understand the motivations for a blog from a CEO perspective – Raise awareness of the company? Generate Leads? Motivate Employees? Provide Thought Leadership? These don’t sound like CEO responsibilities to me and apparently some people agree, like here. These initiatives are primarily the responsibility of other executives who may be more appropriate when considering who should author the organizations blog.
Back when social media was just starting to form, pioneers like Seth Godin and Steve Rubel found plenty of reasons to why CEO’s should think long and hard before blogging. Rubel made a great point in stating that CEO’s need to be conversational if they plan to blog. As most bloggers know, it’s about the conversation not just generating content. I for one would rather have my CEO talking with potential customers and creating corporate strategy then writing thought leadership posts to educate and entertain the industry or commenting on posts about the latest shiny object and how it will lead us to the Web 3.0 promise land.
The social web is about creation and consumption. Considering the popular theory of “The 1%” often discussed at Church of the Customer, 99% of people interacting with Consumer Generated Content aren’t content creators themselves. To suggest that they don’t recognize the power of the space because they don’t create content themselves is absurd. Isn’t it quite possible that the content being produced by that 1% could be a result of conversations with people like…I don’t know…CEO’s?
Posted October 19th, 2007 by Neha
I’m used to pink products piled on shelves for the month of October, but I was pleasantly surprised when I watched bloggers turn pink for this month. The face of many of my favorite blogs changed their look in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Though changing colors and placing a pink ribbon on your facebook page may not necessarily generate funds it does peak people’s curiosity, inspire people to learn more and prompt some to take action.
For the bloggers who are already pink, they have adopted their own means of supporting causes. Recently as I was scouring The Budget Fashionista for some fabulous fashion tips, I realized Kathryn and Angela were doing their part by contributing a $1 toward the Breast Cancer Awareness fund for every comment readers left on their posts.
Since breast cancer has touched the lives of many, it has garnered significant support. However, we all support causes that we feel passionately about, whether they are on a large or small scale. I’m an avid reader of Beth Kanter’s blog which documents how non profits can implement social media. Beth just launched a personal campaign for a Cambodian student she cultivated a relationship with. Her fundraising efforts have gotten the support of people Beth has never met, but have learned about the cause through twitter feeds, facebook and other bloggers. I learned about her fundraising efforts as I noticed that in place of her daily musings were thank you blog notes to contributors to her campaign. Each of these generous contributions are going to help make a difference in Leng Sopharth’s life.
Today, I posted a little note on TBF and made a contribution to Beth’s Sharing Foundation. Whether they are making a difference in one life or a million, these women and bloggers have my support.
Posted October 4th, 2007 by admin
On Wednesday, October 3rd Second Lifers, bloggers, and social media gurus visited our offices for The Social Media Breakfast. The event started with a welcome note from Bryan Person followed by Larry Weber’s take on social media. Larry’s anecdotes, including his “fishing 2.0” story kept the audience entertained and many in attendance took the opportunity to pick his brain following his talk. After a little mingling and a quick revisit to the breakfast table, I joined a group discussion about Social Media Business Models moderated by David Cutler. (Check out Julia Roy’s livecast of the discussion).
All in all, the event really exceeded my expectations. There was a superb turn out and the level of discussion was truly engaging. I had the opportunity to connect with Scott Monty from Crayon, Podcamp founder Chris Brogan, David Cutler from Creative Business Development, Jim Spencer from JBS Partners and other marketing and social media visionaries. In addition, Scott Ludwig, our Second Life grand master mingled with a writer from the Second Life News Network and SL developers (look out for the Digital Influence Island!).
Last but not least, I would like to thank Bryan Person, who did an outstanding job pulling together an amazing mix of people and for letting us co-host his second Social Media Breakfast. I was amazed at the amount of engaging discussions that took place over bagels and quiche and am grateful to have had the chance to partner with Bryper.com. We’re looking forward to hosting and participating in future events and hope that everyone found yesterday’s Social Media Breakfast as valuable as we did.