Are You Guilty of “soloing” Too Much?

Miles Davis, the late jazz trumpeter/composer when asked about his tendency to emphasize the space between the notes when he played, replied “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” As I wend my way through the mass of content on Twitter, Facebook and other outlets, I am struck by the frequency of posts by some users. How much is too much?

If Twitter is indeed a conversation, some people just don’t know when to shut up. A conversation is between two or more people. And a conversation requires that participants listen to each other before responding with another message. It’s “what’s not there” that tells the story. It shows introspection as well as respect. The message becomes much clearer if it isn’t surrounded by all the noise.

We have all seen the “twitter flurry”. When someone logs in to their account and tries to catch up on time lost by making 10 or 15 posts in an hour. I know that when I see a stream of this type, I tune out. It’s as if someone walks into a room where people have been talking, and suddenly just rambles on, not even caring if anyone is listening, and subsequently walking out.

A good conversation is like jazz, there’s a lot of listening, learning and sharing going on. And when that happens, we all benefit.

Walter Cronkite’s Legacy and Social Media’s Responsibility

The death of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite and news coverage of his storied career in the development of television journalism in the 20th century gives me pause as the world of media continues to change at breakneck speed. Especially within the realm of social media.

Everyone knows Cronkite’s title of “most trusted man in America”. And most agree, that we will never see anyone in the unique position that he held in America for over 20 years.
The very way that news is gathered and disseminated, and by whom, guarantees this.

But it also should remind us, that although there will no longer be a single, trusted source for our news, we are all now responsible for what information is disseminated. Every link, every tweet, every rumor has the potential to influence people.

In virtually every post I have read about blogging, the mandate is stated. “you must establish trust” with your readers. But maybe even more important, is that all of us as consumers of information must be trusted as well. Trusted that we will research a story before re-tweeting. Trusted that we will think about the potential consequences of a story before hitting “send”. And trusted that we will use these incredible channels of communications that sit on our desktops to do good, and not just a channel to sell goods.

One thing that Walter Cronkite gave us was a great example of what to do when given such incredible responsibility. He showed us the way, and it is now, our responsibility to respect it.

Clay Shirky: How Social Media Can Make History

Thanks to Olivier Blanchard for posting this link to a stimulating talk by Clay Shirky in a TED conference. Shirky explains how this new media is, “global, social, ubiquitous and cheap”. How the conversation has opened up in a way that, “the former consumers (of media) are now producers”. And that there is no turning back.

Who Has Time for Social Media?

Okay, I get it. Everybody has a Facebook site now. I’ve already heard it said it’s for “old people”. And LinkedIn is for professionals to use for networking. Twitter is pointing people to blogs and websites on every corner of the globe talking about everything imaginable. A lot of this content is extremely good, some, not so much. There are a lot of very good writers, experts in their fields and gurus tapping away at their keyboards filling us with our insatiable need for information. So who has time for social media? Well right now, unfortunately, I do. And it’s still not enough time to keep up.

I have been spending the better part of the last 2 months in my home office, pushing the limits to what my eyes can take, reading, researching, bookmarking (yeah that looks like an article I need to read let me bookmark it for later) and tweeting. And I’ve done this all  in the pursuit of understanding where and what social media is and where it is headed. And what it holds for me.

Are people spending hours at their desks checking their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn sites? Are they reading their favorite blogs? If so, who’s minding the store? All this content is being pushed around, and I am wondering who is reading it? Well I guess since the unemployment rate is in the 10 percent range, there’s a whole lot of people. Besides me, that is.

When I initially began thinking about this post, the title question was rhetorical. But I guess I really would like to hear some answers. Where do you find time for all this information? Comments?

The Kids Are Alright

Last weekend, I hosted a graduation beach party for my son and his friends who just wrapped up their high school years. My head was flooded with so many emotions ranging from remembrances from those long ago days of innocence, to the amazing and yet troubled world into which they are headed.

I was so proud of both the graduates and the success of the public school system (not to mention the parents) here in Long Beach, CA. Here is a graduating class of some 700 plus students and close to 10% graduated with honors. Of these, they garnered over $6 million in grants, scholarship and other aid. This is over twice what the class of 2008 had accomplished. And while doing this, they as a group had a combined 12,000 hours of community service in their 4 years.

Many are headed to 4 year universities, while others will attend local community colleges, but one thing about this class of “over-achievers”, was that they were not a bunch of bookworms. They had full, well-rounded lives throughout their high school years. They were artists and musicians. They were poets and photographers. I have heard so often that our kids are being raised in a super competitive environment with too much pressure to achieve. Yes, the pressure is there, as it should be. Life is full of challenges and teaching children to focus on task is essential. But I reject the fact that all this pressure is turning kids into one-dimensional beings.

They play video games, they Twitter and Facebook and MySpace and YouTube. But they also create and learn about the world around them. They are curious. They are anxious about the unknown. But they cannot wait to take the next steps that will lead them to the lives that lie ahead. It is an unnerving time to be an adult in this world, but the kids, they’ll be okay.

Not My Post on Politicians Who Tweet

As I continue on my journey through the world of social media / communications, I find myself somewhat overwhelmed by the wealth of information available to me. Great minds offering the latest opinions and tools. or even something that was just uttered at a conference.

I have been planning on putting together a blog post about politicians who tweet (and I will), but have been buried in the morass of research material that I have gathered. Thank you all. But I thought it important to include this post about how difficult it is to research a subject thoroughly enough to feel confident about writing something, while at the same time, keeping up with all the great tweets that lead to great blogs that lead to, well you know.

Just the other day I had a conversation with my 58-year old (sorry sis) sister about my recent forays into social media and what I have learned. I told her that I ended my 30 year run as a subscriber to the LA Times, and how that, yes I miss the way that the news presented itself to me in newsprint. Her fear is that those who seek information solely through the internet, are only going to be exposed to thoughts/opinions that they are already aligned with. My response was that it has always been that way depending on which news source landed on your stoop in the morning. By the way, you would not believe how many phone calls I have received from said LA Times offering me great deals to re-up my subscription. But I am trying to see the way the world presents itself to those who never read a paper.

My kids, both attending the University of California have never been regular newspaper readers like most of their contemporaries. Nor do they buy magazines. And if they choose to watch television, it’s on their terms, either on a DVR or on their computers. So what’s a marketer to do? Listen.

Listen to the fact that that this generation will not accept brands being force fed to them. They want to engage their brands on their terms. And so that means Facebook, MySpace and the internet for their entertainment and information. I do find it interesting that neither my 18-year old nor my 20-year old, bother much with Twitter at this point. They think that their old man is kind of odd. They might be right, but as I told my daughter who is studying communications in college, if you don’t get involved soon, you will miss the boat when it comes to future opportunities.

There’s one thing for sure, I am not going to let this stuff pass me by.

BooneOakley Agency Website on YouTube

BooneOakley has done a fabulous job of utilizing one arm, albeit a very strong arm, of the social media network to launch their entire website. Although I haven’t been through all the links on the intro video, the concept, and attention that it is receiving as far as number of views is stellar. Take a moment to watch. And let me know what your thoughts are.

Stop and Listen to the Medium

So let’s say you’re in a room, at a party maybe and there are a lot of people there. And everyone there is there for the same reason, to get noticed. To be heard and seen and perceived as important in some way or another so that they stand out in the crowd. Okay, now imagine the room stretches from Boston to LA, and those attending the party have at least one thing in common-–they are all out of work print production professionals. The first thing you might ask is, “do I have to be at this party?” For these purposes, the answer is yes.

You are an unemployed print pro, so that’s why you are there.
But do you have to stay? Well, that’s different. You are free to leave at anytime and join any other group of people looking for work. You decide to leave.

So there you are in a new room. It’s unfamiliar. The conversation is different. At first you feel like maybe you don’t belong there. The other room was filled with conversation that was so comfortable. It just felt familiar, easy. Maybe you should head back to the other party. No. You begin to listen to what’s being said. It’s not all that different at all. In fact, the more you listen, you realize that these people have a lot in common with those in the other room. They just do it without paper. They converse online with Twitter and Facebook and yes, with blogs. And the conversation is stimulating. This is a party you want to be at.

So you decide to stay, to listen to what folks are saying. You listen a lot at first because you’re a little unsure about whether you know enough to join in the conversation. You want to make a good first impression. You do have a lot to say though. You’ve been a marketing person for 25 years. It’s not so different, it’s just a different medium. But like a lifelong painter approaching a chunk of marble with a chisel for the first time, you stop yourself. You step back and listen. There will be plenty of time to talk later. Once you learn and understand the medium.

One Week of Tweeting and I’m Number 1, 2 and 3

Okay a week ago I began my quest to get me, Bill Thompson, the real me to reveal myself above the fold as they say on a Google Search. I had no illusions that this would be a simple task, but to my surprise, it only took a week. And to be honest, all I did was utilize my 3 current social media sites to accomplish this. Communicating between Twitter, Facebook and this blog, it only took 7 days to put me on top. (Local business results not factored)For those of you who missed the original post, you can find it here

The power of social media in powering the visibility of your brand, in my case, that being me, is undeniable. If you or your company are beginning to explore the power of these networks, you can use me as an example. Go ahead, tell your boss.

And while you’re at it, have them take a look at this blog, or my LinkedIn profile.

More to come, as this re-branding project is just getting in gear!

Can an Old Dog Learn to Tweet?

Have spent the good portion of the last few days–no actually almost every waking moment–educating myself in the realm of social media marketing. For me that has meant twitter, facebook, Linkedin and this blog. I continue to build my network through Linkedin and have had an epiphany concerning twitter.

I find the implications of this social media network to be mind numbing. The great news is that there is so much knowledge out there for a 51 year-old neophyte such as myself. In just one week I have been schooled by some of the best minds out there. From Tim O’Reilly, Pete Cashmore at Mashable and the persistent locals here in Long Beach, Nostrum Inc.

Friends are joining in and sharing links and so the momentum builds. Coming from the print world, I find the immediacy of this medium thrilling, if not a bit overwhelming. Pace yourself I say. I attended an APALA meeting this week on the subject of social media marketing and was convinced by being in a room full of print professionals that I was on the right track. It will be fascinating to see how the world of offset lithographers react to this media taking a chunk out of ink on paper.

And this morning I attended a webcast by O’Reilly and was introduced to many more features, tips and philosophy that jumpstarted another series of ideas for my re-branding project. Suffice it to say, the days of spending 6 hours looking at job boards everyday are over. I’ll continue to utilize traditional methods, but if I am really going to find a position that challeges me to continue to grow in a field that will definitely continue to grow, I’ll keep on tweeting and learning. After all, if as they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, I’m only a little over 7 years old in dog years!