Insights and Ingenuity

Is there a different set of rules for an individual involved with new media, and a company involved in the same? Do followers’ expectations vary (think frequency, tone of voice, responsiveness, subjectivity, etc.) whether they’re following/fanning/reading an individual whose career may be in the marketing function, versus a company firmly in the marketing communications space? There is, and they do.

Farming, in particular in scale, is a 24/7/365 job when you consider all the tasks and responsibilities. I think the same can be said for companies trying out new media platforms.

I read a blog comment someone left on a site recently, and the comment characterized social media as a broad category that, depending on the execution, could be called publishing, customer service, community relations, and many other things. For me, observing and joining social media communities has been incredibly educational and fulfilling, both professionally and personally. One of the important lessons I’ve learned is that when someone graciously wants to engage you in conversation, it’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly.

I read a comment in Twitterverse today, something like “Will blogging supplant traditional journalism?” and thought that was an interesting and intriguing question. I’m not qualified to be a journalist or news writer (sheepskin notwithstanding), but I love blogging. I love writing posts for my blog, reading the blogs of others, adding comments to blogs. I love bookmarking blogs and comparing bloggers’ positions on the same issue. I know why I blog (and Twitter and network); do you?

Do you participate in the UGC conversation? Do you bring original, new thought, or fresh perspective on established ideas? Do you share all your media, your good finds? Let’s consider how all the elements come together result in a tighter profile, organic growth, and personal brand sizzle.

When soft and challenging times befall a great iconic brand, how can it advance a product line headed one direction while also building another product line running a perpendicular path? Not a “one size fits all” scenario.

With this post, I’m participating in a viral project to identify and define the best practices for social media marketing. I’ll tag a few people in an effort to keep the wave going; feel free to comment or join in yourself – perspectives welcome!