Archive for July, 2007
Why Create Personal Media
What compels someone to blog daily? Why should one pick up a microphone and record themselves or others for hours at a time? Who are these people who turn their cameras backwards and film themselves? And why should YOU create personal media? Understanding that the readers of [chrisbrogan.com] are mostly already in this camp, maybe I’m just reinforcing the point. But then again, perhaps you know someone who’s questioning why they should bother creating media in some form or another, and maybe this will help them understand better what they can accomplish.
Tell a Story
Want basics? The beauty of this day and age is that we are all EQUIPPED to publish media in any format we can imagine. We can tell the simplest stories, from our personal lives to what we see around us, to what matters to us in the world. Having these tools, we are now able to talk about what matters to us, instead of consuming what companies believe might interest the lowest common denominator in our midst.
Because It Gets Consumed
We not only publish our work, but we now distribute it easily. Our words, pictures, audio, and movies don’t stick to one website down a quiet dirt road in the corners of the Internet any longer. You can put your media right where you want it, and better still, your audience can find it.
Personal Media Conveys Your Message
Instead of an advertisement, people can interact with the story of YOU. If you’re a business, this is stronger than a marketing campaign and a tagline: it’s a direct relationship with the creators of the product or service. If you’re someone who seeks to build an audience around what you’re doing, this is your platform. Whatever message or story you want to tell, you now have the tools to make it happen.
You Can Reach the Deep Niches
You might have a very singular interest in the world. Before, these fringe cultures weren’t easy to reach. Today? There is definitely someone out there into the crazy weird unique thing you’re passionate about. If you’re into underwater knitting, someone out there is making a photoblog about it, I’m sure. And if not, start. Your fellow underwater knitters will rush to join the site.
It Answers A Basic Human Need
Communicating through these digital platforms, creating personal media of whatever variety, gives you the opportunity to connect with others and be seen (understood / recognized for what you are / accepted). There are other needs that come first (food, safety, shelter, etc), but this is still a very basic, human need. And through creating media, participating with others in their creations, and sharing stories back and forth, you fulfill some version of this need.
Create: It Makes a Difference
The saddest thing people tell me in any given day is that they don’t blog (podcast/photoblog/videoblog/whatever) because they figure no one cares about what they have to say. While it’s true that learning how to connect using these digital methods isn’t always easy, it’s less true that someone doesn’t care what you have to say. Create something. Share. Participate with others telling their stories on these tools. And if you have questions, or want help or advice, reach out to me, or the people who participate actively in this blog. We’ll help you.
Share this with a friend. If you have a coworker or friend who hasn’t yet taken the plunge, consider sending them this post as something to think about. And if you want more, please consider subscribing for free to my blog. And thanks!
Photo credit, JeffPulver
Facebook- When In Doubt
I just added a new application to my Facebook profile. It’s called Blog Friends. I’d turned down adding the app about 30 times, because I didn’t understand it.
And then I was perusing Robert Scoble’s profile and saw the app in action. I got it instantly.
If you’re trying out a new application and want to better understand how it can be used, see what others are doing. In my case, I have a boss who rants about how great Facebook is incessantly, so I’m already halfway sold on most things, but if you’re not so lucky, look around at people who are really using the hell out of the app and see what they’re doing.
It can help.
Like Words for Snow
I need more words for “friend.” What do you call that person you really like a lot, but have only met in person once? What do you call that person you wish you spent more time with, but who you connect with every time you’re together? What do you call the people you work with? What do you call all these various people who come into our day? They’re all friends. But how do you explain the context? “This is my friend who I’d take a bullet for, and that is my friend I think of as the ‘will you Digg this?’ friend.” What do you call people who add you on Facebook that you don’t exactly know, but that you seem reasonably nice?
Twitter did away with friends. They just tell me that I’m following 1373 people. Seems fair enough. Facebook tries to let me explain them, but with silly terms. But even in face-to-face this is tricky. What do I call some of you? I’m sticking with “friend.”
Media Makers Next Steps
If I were creating a blog, or a podcast, or a videoblog, and I was still thinking about how to make a living from it, I’d stop what I’m doing, and take stock. These are tough times, and the stakes are going up and up for companies gambling on a new media future. A turbulent landscape and some potential impending failures are only the start. Are you prepared?
Be a Production Company, Not a Show
If you’re doing audio or video, separate your brand from the show you’re creating. Pay attention to folks like Casey and Rudy of Galacticast using 8BitBrownie as their brand, and Steve and Zadi from JETSET using Smashface productions. There’s a reason for this. Should one of your properties do well, you might get the chance to sell it. Should it tank, you might want a platform and brand upon which to launch more shows. Structure any legal paperwork similarly. Don’t BE the show, be the production company.
Watch the Big Guys
Are people buying Internet video or are they hiring talent out of shows? Is it Amanda Congdon or Wallstrip? Pay attention by reading all kinds of blogs and other sources for more industry-facing news. You can’t just create merrily any longer, should you be interested in taking that next step up into the big leagues. (I should disclaimer this all to say that I’m writing as if you want to make a living off your media). Follow the trends, and try to react accordingly, even anticipate.
Improve Your Quality
The “gee whiz” phase of audio and video ends this year. You might have a small audience, but that’s probably all it’ll be. Produce something good, tight, well-made, that tells a story. Want bonus points? Produce something that can SLOT INTO something else. If you create cooking vignettes, consider creating them such that they could be placed inside a larger news show? Why? Because someone might be buying in that capacity, not seeking to fund your show outright.
People will buy if the material is tight, captivating, and serves a purpose. They won’t buy crap, even if you’re cute. They may buy you, but they’re not funding a show just based on your clever wit any longer.
Learn How to Work with Advertisers
If you’re still convinced that you want to run your own show and that everyone will come knock your door down, learn what advertisers want. Understand the demographics they need. Figure out (by asking other producers) what to ask for your audience. Decide what the value is, and decide if the value goes both ways. Does your audience want the products you’re being offered?
People creating media are in the business of offering their audience and their reach up for advertisers. That’s what they do. Is that the business model you want? Then learn how it’s really done. Use your library. Subscribe to Advertising blogs and newspapers. Learn the words, the way they see the world. It’s not how YOU see it.
Become a Businessperson, or Hire One
Loose deals won’t cut it any longer. If someone wants to do business with you, understand where the beginning, middle, and the end of the deal are. Otherwise, when things get really interesting later, you run the risk of getting into legal messes. I know too many creators who’ve found themselves in less-than-deisreable business deals, often because it started as a friendly agreement and then turned into real business. Cyndi Lauper said it, baby: money changes everything. Pay attention.
And if you’re not the businessperson, hire someone. Or become an employee somewhere that makes sense to your business. And read everything. EVERYTHING.
The Future of Internet Media
Blogging is still nascent to the outside world, but all the major print publications, the major TV media outlets, and several other creators of media are turning their brands more blog-focused, meaning that they’re pointing lots of professional talent at the same spaces where some of us have been toiling away happily in our amateur status. If you’re hoping to make money from your blog (at least through ads), this requires you to step up the game, improve your quality, or suffer quickly.
Podcasting in audio form still has some potential value, but with almost all traditional media sources rebroadcasting their radio properties as a podcast, the landscape is far more competitive than ever before. I can’t strongly recommend staying with an audio product, unless you have a very strong niche, and/or a strong strategy to distributing your product to a core audience (I’m writing that as a disclaimer for the Financial Aid Podcast, which doesn’t count because it has such a strong business plan of its own.)
Videoblogging is shifting fast, from a novelty to a strong category in need of strong production quality. If you want to do more than seem interesting, find your production quality, grow your niche products, and improve, improve, improve. Did I mention “improve?” Want to see a great product? Check out Crafty Nation. Produced by Jim Long and Verge New Media, I think this is a sample for what good video will look like. (I have dozens of other samples, if you ask).
Any Questions?
If you’re creating any of the above with the goal of quitting your day job and living as a new media producer, have I missed anything? Probably. I didn’t talk much about the tons of ways that B2B (business to business) could be tackled. That will come in another post for Tuesday. But what else?
What’s your take?
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Clones Rock
I have two fake me’s on Twitter. Maybe I’ve made it, or maybe I’m just that annoying. First up is AntiChrisBrogan, who does a great job of mocking my typical twitters. What I especially love is that AntiChrisBrogan takes my current avatar and makes it evil. Like so:
Next up is BritChrisBrogan. Here’s a cool one: BritChrisBrogan took my karaoke exploits from the other day and found a suitable British counterpart. Here’s Tony Blair singing “Should I Stay or Should I Go:”
So yeah. Twitter dopplegangers.
8 Random Things
I was tagged by The Fem Geek for 8 Random Things. I haven’t been playing lots of blog tag lately, but why the heck not? The game is simple: list 8 random things about yourself that someone might not know. I’ve done it a few times, so you’re probably starting to know lots about me. Never the less, it’s Saturday night, and I’m game.
8 Random Things About Chris Brogan
- The first motivational moment I clearly remember in my adult life was listening to Les Brown on PBS talk about how people didn’t believe in him, but that he plowed his way through life. I remember clearly lying on the couch, depressed, at a dead end job, and thinking, “I can do more with myself than I have to date.” And boy did I.
- I tried reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People a half dozen times to no avail. It wasn’t until I got the audio program that I got through it, and then ABSORBED it.
- I’m a quick learner, and capable at most things I try. This seems good at first, until you realize that I’m never motivated to try harder, and thus, I’m only marginally capable at several things. I’ve learned to make a benefit out of my ability to learn quickly, by using my small knowledge to forge relationships with people who know tons more, and who appreciate that I get what they’re talking about.
- I can follow multiple inputs at the same time (such as twitter, IM, RSS reading, and writing a blog post) without much effort. In fact, I seem to function better when I have more than one focus than when I buckle down to one thing.
- I have no ability to remember lines in plays or lyrics of songs I love (with precious few exceptions). That’s probably why I love improv acting more than traditional, and why I can appreciate karaoke, but never much made it as anything in a band. I can, however, remember musical notes very well, and can play by ear capably.
- From where I sit, a random sampling of books on my shelf (sorry, no links for all these): Core Performance Essentials, by Mark Verstegen (fitness book); Linux Cookbook; Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath; Story, by Robert McKee (suggested to me by Justin Kownacki); Wikinomics (suggested to me by Whitney Hoffman), and Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card.
- Before September 11, 2001, I read almost entirely fiction; now, I read almost entirely nonfiction (though right now, I’m reading PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Mieville- again!). It had something to do with what I realized about myself (and society) after that incident. I realized that we knew so very little. We’re so unprepared. We hold a lot of faith in our government, in corporations, and in magic that we’ll somehow survive after something horrible happens. Instead, I decided to learn as much as I could about many things. This has degraded. I know very little of what I studied so intently after 2001. But I still read lots of nonfiction.
- What endears me most to people is usually their creative spark coupled with their confidence and their ability to accomplish things. I’m excited by people who seek to do great things. The bigger the chunk they’re biting off of the world, the more excited I get. Does this describe you? It’s probably what I like about you. Oh, and I love to see hidden potential in people who haven’t yet taken their shot.
So that’s 8 random things about me. In true blog tag fashion, I’m going to pass the meme on to some other people. Let’s see. How about:
Laura, Becky, Chel, Derrick, Bryan, and Matthew.
New Media Types- Pay Attention to PodTech
Mike Arrington reported that things are afoot at PodTech. There’s some back and forth about how much is changing, but something is certainly changing. This applies to you, if you’re in the game of creating content, and looking towards the future.
The article states that PodTech is shying away from the creation of content, and might instead seek out good content to run on its network (in its player, with their ad stock). This means that if you’re creating, PodTech might be a place for you to consider putting your content.
It also suggests that if you’re thinking of starting a business around creating content that some really smart people are having an issue with it, and you might want to consider that before you dive too deep. It might be that the business model for creating independent content isn’t fully there yet. I think John Furrier and company are some really smart guys, and if they’re not seeing a way to prove the model out just yet, you’d better consider just what you’re going to do differently than them.
PodTech is not out. They’re going to do some interesting things in the year ahead, and they’ve always been a company to watch (very much more than the other big company starting with Pod). The trick is, if YOU are in this space and YOU are creating, you’ve gotta keep your eyes on what everyone else is doing, and compare what you’re doing to them. That is, if you’re seeking a way to get paid to do this for a living.
The rest of us who create for other reasons? Well, just go about your business. : )
But This Karaoke Goes to 11
I was in Atlanta the last few days to hang with all the cool kids at Turner (holy cow! LOTS of people there get new media), but man can’t live by business meetings alone. I was in the company of Jeff Pulver and Amit Shafrir, out on the town looking for a nice place to maybe enjoy the nightlife, and get a drink or seven. Enter: some bar with live music emanating from the basement.
What happens next is amazing. Turns out they’re called Metalsome, and they run live karaoke on Mondays and Saturdays playing metal songs. On Wednesdays, they do 80s music. So, we’ve wandered into a club playing 80s music with a metal tinge, and they want US to sing. I’m game. So I got up on stage and did two numbers.
Please forgive my non-rock outfit. I was dressed for a conference, not a club. : )
Blogging Advice for the Next Level
Okay, you’ve started a blog. You’re writing posts, but you want more. You want more connection, comments, awareness, recognition. How can you go from having a tiny shop on a dirt road out on the far side of town to a trendy spot that becomes a hot stop for people looking for information, connectivity, and useful information? I’ve got a few ideas for you.
Break up text to make it readable
Use bold titles inside your blog posts to separate sections. Use bulleted and numbered lists when illustrating several points. Pull out quotes and surround them in the blockquote tag to make them stand out from the rest of your text. Use pictures.
Write for your audience
Consider what they might take from your posts and how they might use it. Think about being USEFUL. Then, make it as clever, as brief, and as streamlined as possible. (More words is not better).
Connect
Use tools like plugins for Wordpress for comments to improve the two-way nature of your blog. Ask questions. RESPOND to comments on your blog. Give people other ways to reach you, like a Twitter account or, gasp, a phone number. Put a PICTURE OF YOURSELF on your blog, and make it known who you are. People want to connect with the person/brand, not just the product.
Comment
Get out and comment on other people’s blogs. Comment and track back to stories on the ‘big guys’ and make yourself useful to your community of interest. That will help others discover YOUR useful blog.
Post daily
Repetition breeds reputation. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Post something useful every day. Don’t be afraid to go personal, or off-topic, but try and keep even those posts useful to your audience.
Lead with the best
Put the absolutely most important information of your post in the first few paragraphs. People skim. Make it easier.
Prominently display your RSS feed
And consider using Feedburner so you can add an email-subscription option, like this:
And ASK for ideas/opinions/suggestions
An easy one, but people forget to solicit their audience for ideas. Remember, if you’ve got someone doing you the favor of reading your blog, you should return the kindness by making it really useful to that reader. Ask often for ideas and advice.
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It’s up to you to develop your blog into something people want to read. I’m grateful to everyone who comes by and finds something useful here at [chrisbrogan.com], and I’m thankful for people who write about topics of interest to me, link back and forth with me, who have chosen to be listed on the Rockstars page.
Should you ever want improvements, have suggestions or requests, you know where to find me.
If you’re visiting via the web page, please consider subscribing for free
Understanding Community Development Strategies
Community Developers (evangelists, advocates, whatevers) are in the spotlight lately, thanks to the likes of Seth Godin and Jeremiah Owyang, to name a few. In the last week alone, I’ve had four conversations with people about community programs for their organizations, and how they might better leverage all the various online tools including social media, social networks, and presence apps like Twitter. I’ve been thinking about this even more so than normal, and so here are some ideas for you to consider, should you be interested in either A.) engaging in a Community Development strategy, or B.) becoming a community developer yourself.
Have a Strategy
This sounds chiding, but it’s true. If you’re going to hire a community evangelist type, understand why you’re hiring them. Because the role isn’t exactly sales (though it is somewhat business development-oriented). The role isn’t marketing (though there’s a certain “rah rah” aspect to what we do). We aren’t going to guarantee X sales, X new contracts, etc. And yet, if you’re an employer considering hiring someone for this role, you have to measure their efforts somehow, right?
Potential Measurements
What if you used the following measurements to drive community around a product or service:
- Social network group membership #
- Social network group activity - are you able to motivate your group with regards to the product/service?
- Write-ups on blogs, podcasts, videoblogs - how many a month would be reasonable?
- Invites to business meetings, conferences, partnership opportunities
- New registrations for product/service (after all, that’s the point, right?)
Not all organizations will be the same, obviously, and the uses for this role are ubiquitous. In my company, I’m paid to do everything from write the conference program (all the sessions), to invite the speakers, to talk with the exhibitors about why they should come, and to drive awareness and attendance. After all, it’s a conference, and I need to find revenue to stay paid and to keep my company growing.
The “Friendly Face” Role
In lots of companies, the Community Developer is the “Friendly Face” of the organization to the outside world. One of the most famous versions of this is Robert Scoble for his work with Microsoft. Before Scoble, Microsoft was just Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and to a lesser extent Ray Ozzie. No one really “knew” anyone working there, and for the most part, the language out on the web was “Microsoft is evil.” I’d offer that Scoble pretty much cracked that nut, got us all to give Redmond a chance, and then went on to an even larger role evangelizing.
Other great community types I can think of without breaking a sweat: Scott Simpson at iTunes, Gina Bianchini at Ning, Eric Olson at FeedBurner (okay, Eric’s bizdev but he acts like a community guy!), Drew Olanoff at Plugg’d, and probably YOU if you’re a community type and read this site (forgive my memory lately).
What NOT to Do
A caution to community types: don’t be THAT GUY. I could name names here, but I won’t. No matter how amazing your product/service/website is, please don’t plug your product all the time. Please don’t prattle on about it, hide it in blog posts, or otherwise do things to make me annoyed with you. Be cool. Be someone interesting and someone who’s not MARRIED to the product.
The best community people I hang out with are the ones who talk about YOU, and who talk about cool things going on, and who talk about the common interests of our overall ecosystem, whatever that might be. They’re not blunt instruments. We all know you’re the community guy. Just stay calm, and when there’s that perfect moment of obvious mention, then make your bit.
What TO Do
Always have business cards so you can carry on conversations. Seek out ways to be helpful to your community at large. Look for partnerships and relationships. Offer something above and beyond what I can get from the bare bones system, if you’re looking for more than my baseline support (as a customer, I’m saying). Think up ways that your user base can be your partners in parts of the operation. Can we have an open blog? Can we do something to spread the love? Have you made buttons and widgets and blog outreach tools? Are you courting the people who make a passion out of building audience?
All things to consider.
Should Community Developers Blog “OFFICIALLY”?
I tried keeping a blog at Network2. I hated it. I just couldn’t get into blogging topically that way. Should companies blog? Yes. But I think that in our case, Jeff Pulver and I were getting the job done via our primary blogs. We were talking video, just not on the official site.
I think there should be an official blog, but that it shouldn’t be the community developer’s primary “home” on the Net. I think instead that the community developer can contribute to that blog, but should keep their own. We could probably slice this a few ways, because maybe some people aren’t as married to what they do between their day job and their night activities. For instance, if I’m community guy for a soft drink company, it might be okay to blog about rock bands. But would a health care company want me to blog about goth bands or some similar disconnect?
What’s your take on this one?
Developing Community Means Being There
It’s great to be on Facebook and Twitter and MySpace and Ning and a blog and all these social constructs, but being there in person is very much part of the deal. I say with pride that I’ve bought beers (with Jeff Pulver’s money) for several hundred video producers all over the US, Canada, and parts of Sweden. I LOVE meeting people at social events. I’m encouraged to continue my work with PodCamp because it develops community as well.
If you’re a company considering hiring a Community Developer, there has to be a budget there for real live, in the flesh promotions and hanging out time. It’s social. There isn’t an end goal to this. It’s meant to build a relationship, because one learns really quickly who one is dealing with face to face over coffee or beers.
Which Online Services Do What for You?
TWITTER-
Should you set up a product/service account on Twitter? I’ll tell you right now that I never add them. Even services that I like don’t get an add if all you’re doing is pointing me back to your stuff over and over and over. Unless it’s useful. I really like how Ustream represents itself on Twitter, because in a way, it’s a live-time TV guide for what Internet TV shows I could be watching live.
If you’re going to Twitter as a company, make it as a human, and respond. Twitter is two-way. It’s not ‘what are you doing.’ It’s ‘what has your attention?’ Make that answer other users from time to time, and it goes a long way.
** What about Jaiku and Pownce? I’m not sold. That’s a personal opinion. You decide. Thoughts?
FACEBOOK-
I’ve written a lot about how I’m upset that Facebook doesn’t use RSS and that their Terms Of Service are set up to suck in content and not share. I still think you should be on Facebook if you’re out there looking to reach the online community. Why? Because it’s hot and people are going there. There are LOTS of people on Facebook and you should even consider building an application to plug into the network.
** What about Ning and MySpace and other social networks? I love NING from my experience. Not so much MySpace, unless you’re reaching the youth markets. What’s YOUR take?
BLOGGING/PODCASTING/VIDEOBLOGGING - Blogging is a must for most organizations, because it gives a voice to your community efforts. Do NOT just let any old marketing person do this. Don’t make the C-levels do it if they don’t have soul. Find the person who is the heart and soul and easy-to-approach person in your org (or hire them) and give them the blog. Podcasting in audio format can be useful (I usually shy away from this, but why not try something live via TalkShoe or BlogTalkRadio?) Videoblogging is a lot hotter these days, and fairly easy to set up. Or again, you could go live with Ustream or BlogTV or several other new live companies.
I think new media community tools like those above are a must for the toolkit, but each requires some though as to how one might properly get the most out of it.
Career Guidance
Lots of people ask me how to go about getting a community development job. For one, I know that Seth Godin will post something on Thursday showing a lot of job offerings. I just posted one today for the Boston area. And you could always ask around via the Grasshoppers group on Ning (I started the group, but it’s got 250 great members so far).
The job isn’t all fun and games. There are times when you’re out there to face the disappointment of a community for something that went wrong. There are times when you’ll be asked internally to do something that’s not exactly Kosher, and at those points, if you’re the community person, you have to advocate for your community and stand up. You never want to be on the stinky end of something like that later on. Credibility and trust are fairly important currencies for a community evangelist.
Why Community Builds Business
It’s not all sales. It’s not all search engine optimization. There is a human element to all companies. At the end of the day, we like doing business with people we like. We prefer it. So there’s an obvious long-term reward to having someone in place at your organization to be a community-facing component. Not customer service, not marketing, not sales, but someone that connects all the vital facets of the organization / service / product to the outside world.
We react to this. Having a name to turn to when there’s something going on is so much more comforting than filling out an online form or waiting in a queue at a website. I believe it brings real, measurable business advantage to the game, and companies not considering their strategy with regards to building community are doing so at their own risk. (Okay, maybe not ALL companies need this: any ideas who wouldn’t?)
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Photo credit: the amazing FramesMedia
