Recently in Social Media Category

Yesterday, Yahoo! took the decision to take a few of its less successful products and acquisitions out behind the chemical sheds to be shot. Although the list includes Yahoo Buzz, AltaVista, MyBlogLog (sniff) and a few others - the euthanaising of Delicious has sparked by far the biggest outcry among the social media brethren.

I've always been pretty strong-willed when it comes to speaking my mind and have never been much of a pack-follower. But I know my behaviour isn't necessarily the norm. My brother - and I'm sure he won't mind me saying this - was always far more likely to be led into trouble when we were kids.

I apologise in advance for the length of this post, as there is a lot I want to say. What I don't apologise for is my frustration and disappointment. I'm not OK and we need to talk about why.

Last Thursday, Reachout Australia launched the R U OK campaign, designed to raise awareness of mental health issues - particularly depression and the risk of suicide.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

Sun Tzu - The Art of War

Last night's Digital Citizens event certainly ignited a lot of discussion about what constitutes 'strategy'...

Earlier today, I was asked for my opinion on whether The Age was displaying a misunderstanding of social media by sacking Catherine Deveny for inappropriate tweets during the Logies. I'm not going to retell the whole sorry tale here; there are already way too many news items and blog posts so that if you really have been under a rock, you can follow one of these links.

If you were somehow able to fire a virtual gun at Twitter, chances are you'd hit a social media consultant. Some of you may already be picking up the gun based on that promise, but wait - I'm making a point here. These consultants, marketing experts, tech journos, media geeks, futurists and other whatchamacallits (and I count myself among them, so watch it with that firearm) base their authority on advising brands and businesses on how to manage social media. So what happens when these same people don't behave the way they demand of their clients?

How did Verbatim's marketing team approach a tech-savvy audience with their functional and boringly inanimate digital storage offerings? By bringing them to life in a gladiatorial fight to the death, of course!

The best marketers have always known that strong cut-through isn't just about meeting a consumers need but also creating an emotional connection as well. Especially in markets where brands and products are closely competitive in pricing and benefits, an emotional edge can be immensely powerful in converting more sales.

Probably the most overused cliche in digital marketing today is referencing Minority Report when discussing augmented reality (AR). AR is on many marketing prediction lists for 2010 as the proliferation of 3G smartphones and the convergence of GPS, cameras and applications means location-specific informatin can appear on your phone.

If you want to make me chuckle, talk to me about how social media is something new - a recent innovation or modern cultural phenomenon. The only thing that's new about social media is the standard suspicious business reaction to something that - quite frankly - ain't all that surprising if you have a sense of history. The technology may have changed, but technology is merely the delivery system. The principles are exactly the same as they have been for millenia. Do CEOs and managers really believe listening and responding and building relationships with their public is a controversial new concept?

Misinformation has been a problem ever since language was invented. The moment we had words, we were telling each other that the sun was a god, the world was flat and that fire was one of only four elements.

But as mankind has evolved in our knowledge and also our ability to reason, misinformation has continued to keep pace.