Social, Mobile …UNSTOPPABLE? - January 29, 2010
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I vote: Inane. When you wake up in the morning, do you want to have a dialogue with your toothbrush? A conversation with your shampoo? A discussion with your coffee maker? It’s curious to me that marketing mavens are continuing to pound the drumbeat that manufacturers and service providers need to engage their customers in a “relationship experience” if they are going to survive in the 21st Century. In SocialNetDaily this week, the Deeter Gallagher Group again trumpets that “to be effective in social media you must — engage people in two-way conversations” citing Ford Motor Company’s CEO as their role model. Yet watching his YouTube video, I was struck by how uninteresting it was. So in answer to their (likely) rhetorical question “Twitter: Inane Chatter or Powerful Conversation Channel?” I vote “inane chatter.” But perhaps that’s just because I drive a German car? A huge part of the social media revolution is the explosion in text messaging as a way to send status updates, check e-mail, or just chat with friends and coworkers. But should we be doing this behind the wheel? Research shows that just TALKING on the phone while driving is dangerous enough, but increasingly drivers are taking their hands off the wheel to punch tiny keys while navigating through rush hour traffic, down highways, or even while lost and searching for an address. Think you’re above it all…that you can multitask better than that idiot in the car next to you? Don’t be so sure! According to CommonCraft, which has put out a number of fun and practical social networking tutorials online, the best way to explain “social media” is to imagine you’re in a village of ice cream makers. Personally, I found this example to be somewhat perplexing. And as an economist, I had to laugh when at the end of their explanation, they noted that if hundreds of small entrepreneurs began making and selling their own ice cream it would have an “uplift” effect on the village’s sole ice cream factory. Seems to me that if this tutorial is correct, social media is really all about beggaring thy neighbor while we all go broke together. Forget about those pictures of grandma or your trip to Yosemite, wouldn’t you rather have a blow-by-blow record of everything that everyone you know is doing 24/7? For years there have been products like the Ceiva digital frame that allow you to electronically upload pictures to friends and family. But at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, companies like Kodak began promoting the idea that it’s not about digitally replacing classic photos. Rather, it’s about sharing a constant stream of updated pictures of your life. For example, if you just had a baby, no doubt you’ll want to ensure that every single person you know “can share in every moment of your child’s life.” I wonder, do these frames come with an “off” button? |
