November 10, 2008 91 Comments

Communications in a Post Media World

When Google is the front door, the side door, the hidden key under the mat, the cash register, the finder of everything we ever lost, and everything we wished we’d lost, what comes next? When everyone is a newspaper, a magazine, a TV station, a radio station, a conference, a curator, an educator, a business owner, a shopkeeper, what do we have? When you and I are the creators, the consumers, and the collaborators of this media, what does this mean to us?

The gatekeepers are still out there. Neither you nor I can write for the New York Times or put a film up on the BBC. We can’t just bind up our book and stick it on the shelf at Waterstones or Chapters. We can’t waltz into any giant corporation and offer up our products.

Maybe we’re just preachers and nonprofit types. Maybe we just want to reach people like us in all this noise. How do we connect? This might just be the wilderness of a million signals, the atomization of the world’s voices, the fall of the tower of Babel. Again.

Tune Your Signal. Gather.

We hold the tools. We have the goals. We have permission. It’s us.

What comes next in a post media world, where everything is atomized, is that we work on building molecules. We cast off the old models, and we assemble new forms.

Put up your first signal. Get your voice out there. What happens next? Do people respond?

Because what comes next, I believe, is that you gather together the people who share your views. You reach out and connect with those who understand your goals, who share them, who breathe them in the same pulse.

And as you learn how to reach out to people? As you tune your signal, you’ll find that you can accomplish more with more people in collaboration.

The Next Action

This might read as just a thought piece to you, but it isn’t. It’s the mindset before the action. It’s the larger vision before the tiny, granular moves.

If everything is modular, make each piece have a means to connect. If everything is its own gatejumper, make each piece such that it can align with others. If everything is a solo voice, make it harmonize with a choir.

If you are selling, make everything a la carte, and everything a bundle. If you are curating, find the frame, collect, and make it easy to build the large work. If you are servicing, be the very best at building the crowd into a voice, and listen long and hard to that voice.

Oh, and community is not an option.

And if this makes no sense whatsoever, go back to reading about blogging and the ROI of Facebook and Twitter and stock prices.

Inspired by my friend, Ed, who pointed out this brief post by Fred Wilson, who used the term “post media company” to refer to Google. I found an older reference here pointing to this snip.

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http://www.yellowstoneinternational.com Shelli Johnson

Whitney, thanks for your feedback. That’s what I was thinking but appreciate your input very much.
Sometimes I feel selfish because I read and watch adn listen to more than I contribute. But it takes all I have just to stay on top of things, and I’m a mediasnacker on every level. I consume newspapers, print magazines, books, podcasts, online video, websites, social media, and have no time to contribute.
Also contributing really exposes you and this is a little scary for many, I think.
Fortunately the internet as a platform, aka twitter, facebook, blogging, etc., enables people to socialize in a way that’s not as threatening as it might be physically, and as a result the information is more democratized and there’s more of it!
Thanks again everyone for your input,
Shelli
http://www.yellowstoneinternational.com Shelli Johnson

Ok, from out on the frontier in Wyoming, I think I have figured Social Media out. : >

SOCIAL MEDIA=the Watercooler 2.0.

It’s just people being people… Social Media is Word of Mouth … about politics, passions, places… But instead of 5-7 people around the watercooler, you’re engaging a global population of friends and family and coworkers that numbers more than 1 billion.

Social Media is just people being people, but we have better access to the conversation. The internet is our platform, instead of the watercooler and telephone.

Cheers, great thought-provoking post and thread here.
Thanks Chris and everyone,
Shelli
http://www.yellowstoneinternational.com Shelli Johnson

Ok, from out on the frontier in Wyoming, I think I have figured Social Media out. : >

SOCIAL MEDIA=the Watercooler 2.0.

It’s just people being people… Social Media is Word of Mouth … about politics, passions, places… But instead of 5-7 people around the watercooler, you’re engaging a global population of friends and family and coworkers that numbers more than 1 billion.

Social Media is just people being people, but we have better access to the conversation. The internet is our platform, instead of the watercooler and telephone.

Cheers, great thought-provoking post and thread here.
Thanks Chris and everyone,
Shelli
http://www.clifftop.us Ellen Feaheny

I drove by a store on El Camino in Santa Clara, CA the other day that had a huge sign in the window.

The store’s name was “Instinct” – not sure what they were selling (sorry) – but they at least sold the message in the window:

“Waiting is like so last year!”

In response to some of the comments about “join together and do, not just talk” – that will happen – I am sure. The fundamentals behind the contacts is the same: people and relationships, but they are not instant of course, even though they stroke our egos with an initial “Follow”. :)

Yet – to stop talking about the tools – I think that is wrong. TOOLS are the cornerstone to allow this evolution – be it Website tools, Enterprise collaboration, or interactive engagement tools.

The good news is that the tools finally are here, here to stay, and actually work after years in the making. Seems like some good learns from the dot.com bust bad SW days..

But you know all know this… obviously! This is the “clued in” group – but it is a huge world still…

Cheers, and nice article.

Ellen Feaheny
http://www.clifftop.us
http://www.clifftop.us Ellen Feaheny

I drove by a store on El Camino in Santa Clara, CA the other day that had a huge sign in the window.

The store’s name was “Instinct” – not sure what they were selling (sorry) – but they at least sold the message in the window:

“Waiting is like so last year!”

In response to some of the comments about “join together and do, not just talk” – that will happen – I am sure. The fundamentals behind the contacts is the same: people and relationships, but they are not instant of course, even though they stroke our egos with an initial “Follow”. :)

Yet – to stop talking about the tools – I think that is wrong. TOOLS are the cornerstone to allow this evolution – be it Website tools, Enterprise collaboration, or interactive engagement tools.

The good news is that the tools finally are here, here to stay, and actually work after years in the making. Seems like some good learns from the dot.com bust bad SW days..

But you know all know this… obviously! This is the “clued in” group – but it is a huge world still…

Cheers, and nice article.

Ellen Feaheny
http://www.clifftop.us
http://allanmcdougall.wordpress.com Allan McDougall

What does “community is not an option” mean? Anyone want to expand on that for me?
http://allanmcdougall.wordpress.com Allan McDougall

What does “community is not an option” mean? Anyone want to expand on that for me?
http://www.clifftop.us Ellen Feaheny

I believe he is saying to the effect of to not grow and develop your community in product development or business development “is not an option” (internal collaborations, partnerships, third party developers, buyers, fans, online community, etc… all of them… ).

In other words, chose to work and develop and grow a business in a silo, and you will stay in a silo (in terms of success).

That’s my take.
http://www.clifftop.us Ellen Feaheny

I believe he is saying to the effect of to not grow and develop your community in product development or business development “is not an option” (internal collaborations, partnerships, third party developers, buyers, fans, online community, etc… all of them… ).

In other words, chose to work and develop and grow a business in a silo, and you will stay in a silo (in terms of success).

That’s my take.
http://www.wiredprworks.com Barbara Rozgonyi

Hello Chris! I like the next action segment best. The whole piece reads like a meditation on how to be who you [we?] are. Would be fun to hear your read this one or see it as a picture book.
@wiredprworks on twitter.com
http://www.wiredprworks.com Barbara Rozgonyi

Hello Chris! I like the next action segment best. The whole piece reads like a meditation on how to be who you [we?] are. Would be fun to hear your read this one or see it as a picture book.
@wiredprworks on twitter.com
http://katie.heyvan.com Katie Van Domelen

This was inspiring. There is definitely a tendancy to get wrapped up in ROI and latest technologies – it’s all about how to capitalize, how can the client use it, how can my business use it and how can I grow my reputation with it. But this post reminded me why I fell in love with this stuff in the first place. It’s about being a part of something, following your passion and finding people to connect with in a deeper and broader sense all at once. Using social media means we can make connections and help each other move forward, whether that’s B2C, C2C, C2B, B2B or any other crazy combination of those things. Thank you for taking a second to step back and show us a simple view of the big picture.
http://katie.heyvan.com Katie Van Domelen

This was inspiring. There is definitely a tendancy to get wrapped up in ROI and latest technologies – it’s all about how to capitalize, how can the client use it, how can my business use it and how can I grow my reputation with it. But this post reminded me why I fell in love with this stuff in the first place. It’s about being a part of something, following your passion and finding people to connect with in a deeper and broader sense all at once. Using social media means we can make connections and help each other move forward, whether that’s B2C, C2C, C2B, B2B or any other crazy combination of those things. Thank you for taking a second to step back and show us a simple view of the big picture.
http://www.royalants.com Ryan Roylance

“Because what comes next, I believe, is that you gather together the people who share your views. You reach out and connect with those who understand your goals, who share them, who breathe them in the same pulse.”

This sounds Utopian, but often manifests as conformity. I am not disagreeing, rather just worrying about the possibility of people only searching out like minded individuals to share ideas and concerns with. It sounds like the beginning of online cults.

One of the beautiful things about the direction media is going (has gone) is how many points of view exist that truly allow people to consider all sides of an issue. The concept of only searching out like minded views through media is scary (I understand this was not your point and I am just trying to play devils advocate while be painfully pessimistic!)
http://www.royalants.com Ryan Roylance

“Because what comes next, I believe, is that you gather together the people who share your views. You reach out and connect with those who understand your goals, who share them, who breathe them in the same pulse.”

This sounds Utopian, but often manifests as conformity. I am not disagreeing, rather just worrying about the possibility of people only searching out like minded individuals to share ideas and concerns with. It sounds like the beginning of online cults.

One of the beautiful things about the direction media is going (has gone) is how many points of view exist that truly allow people to consider all sides of an issue. The concept of only searching out like minded views through media is scary (I understand this was not your point and I am just trying to play devils advocate while be painfully pessimistic!)
http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog

The moment a crowd is converged into a single voice is the moment diversity dies.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding you, Chris, but I’d rather view America (and the world) as a mosaic of cultures, each having something different to share, than a Utopian-like master race.
http://www.ariwriter.com Ari Herzog

The moment a crowd is converged into a single voice is the moment diversity dies.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding you, Chris, but I’d rather view America (and the world) as a mosaic of cultures, each having something different to share, than a Utopian-like master race.
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http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

How did Obama get made president? By a single voice standing alone? No.

That’s my point. Only, that’s just one implementation of the point. I could find you several smaller versions of the same.
http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

How did Obama get made president? By a single voice standing alone? No.

That’s my point. Only, that’s just one implementation of the point. I could find you several smaller versions of the same.
http://shannonehlers.com Shannon Ehlers

Nice job, as always. I’m not totally on board with the idea that we are in a “post media” world, but I agree with much of the message here. I really love all of the allegory and metaphor in use both in the post and in the comments.

Being a trained chemist and a radio enthusiast, I particularly like your radio analogy (“Tune your signal.”) and your chemistry metaphors (atomization, molecules, etc). I also found zenpundit’s herd allusion interesting.

I wonder if the Obama election wasn’t more similar to a football team’s win than the arrival of a herd or a flock. The difference? Each player has a unique role, rather than similar responses to a single stimulus (herd) or lead/follow response (flock). Each voter likely had individual, somewhat uncoordinated reasons for choosing Obama.
http://shannonehlers.com Shannon Ehlers

Nice job, as always. I’m not totally on board with the idea that we are in a “post media” world, but I agree with much of the message here. I really love all of the allegory and metaphor in use both in the post and in the comments.

Being a trained chemist and a radio enthusiast, I particularly like your radio analogy (“Tune your signal.”) and your chemistry metaphors (atomization, molecules, etc). I also found zenpundit’s herd allusion interesting.

I wonder if the Obama election wasn’t more similar to a football team’s win than the arrival of a herd or a flock. The difference? Each player has a unique role, rather than similar responses to a single stimulus (herd) or lead/follow response (flock). Each voter likely had individual, somewhat uncoordinated reasons for choosing Obama.
http://allanmcdougall.wordpress.com Allan McDougall

Ryan has a good point. A multitude of voices and perspectives is important, but they definitely don’t need to be in concordance. I don’t think any post-media conglomerate would agree anyway. What Chris means is that you find people with common interests and goals, but not necessarily the same viewpoint on the world–like, say, a cult. Just like Obama’s case: there are a lot of people who voted for Obama who disagree on a variety of controversial topics, but the fact remains that they have one common vision: change.
http://allanmcdougall.wordpress.com Allan McDougall

Ryan has a good point. A multitude of voices and perspectives is important, but they definitely don’t need to be in concordance. I don’t think any post-media conglomerate would agree anyway. What Chris means is that you find people with common interests and goals, but not necessarily the same viewpoint on the world–like, say, a cult. Just like Obama’s case: there are a lot of people who voted for Obama who disagree on a variety of controversial topics, but the fact remains that they have one common vision: change.
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http://tinyurl.com/cabezas Harold Cabezas

Thank you. I have found myself contemplating this topic quite a bit recently as I find myself more and more drawn to YouTube, Miro, Hulu, and Joost. I watch broadcast TV b/c I work in media and I need to monitor what is going on in certain niche markets. (USHispanic) I know I am not alone, and if I am not alone, this marks the start of a tremendous transformation of how media is created and consumed {to echo your remarks}.

As you also said, certain media are not going anywhere. They will always be with and transform to adapt to changing times. But more and more digital, user-created media is taking the pie that was once shared in great part by TV, Radio, and Print. Exciting times!
http://tinyurl.com/cabezas Harold Cabezas

Thank you. I have found myself contemplating this topic quite a bit recently as I find myself more and more drawn to YouTube, Miro, Hulu, and Joost. I watch broadcast TV b/c I work in media and I need to monitor what is going on in certain niche markets. (USHispanic) I know I am not alone, and if I am not alone, this marks the start of a tremendous transformation of how media is created and consumed {to echo your remarks}.

As you also said, certain media are not going anywhere. They will always be with and transform to adapt to changing times. But more and more digital, user-created media is taking the pie that was once shared in great part by TV, Radio, and Print. Exciting times!
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Ronit

Wow Chris
You and I have very similar life philosophies. And I’m all game! I would totally love to collaborate with you on possible future projects…
My email address is tcbyer33@netzero.com and my name is Ronit.
Looking forward to keeping in touch…
Ronit

Wow Chris
You and I have very similar life philosophies. And I’m all game! I would totally love to collaborate with you on possible future projects…
My email address is tcbyer33@netzero.com and my name is Ronit.
Looking forward to keeping in touch…
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http://Blog.Sephone.com joe DiStefano

The one voice is spot on… What we need to learn is how to harness that voice. Just think of what the post media world could be if WE ALL spoke with the same voice.
There would be no question that we could have 0 emmission cars; wind, solar, tidal and nuclear power generation; no more wars…

Some of this is really a pipe dream, but wow, how Roddenberryesque would it be? We already communicate with little
Devices… Who knows, maybe we should give this some more thought!
http://Blog.Sephone.com joe DiStefano

The one voice is spot on… What we need to learn is how to harness that voice. Just think of what the post media world could be if WE ALL spoke with the same voice.
There would be no question that we could have 0 emmission cars; wind, solar, tidal and nuclear power generation; no more wars…

Some of this is really a pipe dream, but wow, how Roddenberryesque would it be? We already communicate with little
Devices… Who knows, maybe we should give this some more thought!
CoankCabplapy

pipnuwhdvtygakfxwell, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch ;)
CoankCabplapy

pipnuwhdvtygakfxwell, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch ;)
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Communications in a Post Media World

Tune Your Signal. Gather.

The Next Action

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