Tuesday I participated in a teleseminar for The Public Relations Society of America titled "Blogs, Podcasts, Etc.: How Technology has Changed the Face of Public Affairs and Politics." The seminar panel also included Utah locals LaVarr Webb (Utah Policy.com) and Jennifer Napier-Pearce (InsideUtah.com) as well as Warren Abrogast, an IT consultant from Washington D.C. The panelists did a great job, particularly given that we were all just talking into the phone for 10-20 minutes each and didn't get any sort of audience feedback until the Q&A portion an hour into the seminar.
LaVarr asked me to post my comments. Here's a general outline of what I presented:
The World is Changing
Our economy is experiencing revolutionary events that will radically reinvent business, and particularly the media industry as we know it. The result of a confluence of inexpensive technology and the almost frictionless flow of information, the mass market is being replaced with mass customization, resulting in the ultimate of the old Burger King slogan “Have it your way”:
- When you want it
- Where you want it
- How your want it
We desire complete control over the information we receive and the manner in which we receive it. TiVo, blogs, podcasts, Instant Messaging, Blackberrys, etc. We want the devices that will provide the info we want at our fingertips. But, information access is about more than just the TiVo approach of caching data and delayed playback. With the cost of production and distribution plummeting, anyone can now be a producer, a reporter, a pundit for audiences large and small. Thomas Friedman, in “The World is Flat” describes how the democratization of technology, information, and finance is flattening the world, removing barrier.
eBay is a classis example of a world flattening technology. eBay provided a venue when anyone can become a retailer, selling just about anything worldwide. Previously, retailing was tightly controlled by the big players or else highly localized. Now we have a many-to-many environment, with anyone being able to sell to anyone else, regardless of the size of the market.
So what kind of world will it be when everyone has the power to disseminate information to anyone and everyone? What is the result when anyone becomes a stringer? From a pocket voice recorder, to a cellphone camera, to a handheld camcorder, what becomes the life of a public figure, or anyone else for that matter, when every comment is recorded and every appearance can be photographed? Think about that for a minute…..
<Give example of recording and posting of city council meetings and videos of candidate debates in Highland, UT at city of less than 3,000 residences>
Mass Customization
I’m not sure how many of you are aware of the concept called the “Long Tail”. The long tail arises as a result of unlimited selection and overcoming the tyranny of physical limitation of transportation and storage – overcoming geography and scale. Departing of a world of scarcity for a world of abundance. Amazon, Netflix, and other are reaping the rewards of the long tail:
- The average Barnes & Noble carries 130,000 titles, but, by comparison, more than half of Amazon’s sales come from outside its top 130,000 titles
- The average Blockbuster video store carrier fewer than 3,000 DVDs, yet 20% of Netflix’s rentals come outside its top 3,000 titles
What does this availability of information at little or no cost allow us to do? We can branch out from the mainstream mass market, wandering down the long tail identifying the information and entertainment that we desire. But how do we find the jewels among the piles of crap? By providing familiar points of entry and then allowing the network of customers to link recommendations together.
With this power at our finger tips is it any wonder that people are looking for avenues of information outside of the established media outlets: Goodbye CBS, hello Chris’ Blog-n- Stuff.
Mass Collaboration
Not only will people want things customized their way, but many will want to be involved in the collaboration process. Whether in a Wiki-like format with everyone contributing to a shared body of information, or a blog-based debate forum,
We are leaving a world in which a few media-elites could frame and shape the news and information we viewed, for a messier, less polished, more hands on user experience. Kind of like leaving the passive TV medium for the interactive Web medium.
Why I Blog?
I got into blogging following this past legislative session for 2 reasons:
- I was looking for better tools for communicating with constituents
- I want a forum that wasn’t truncated and spun according to the desires of the local news.
In politics, communicating with constituents is one of the most difficult and expensive tasks (both in terms of time and money). Some are active in community events, others are not. Some get info from the traditional news sources, others don’t. The minority will proactively contact legislators by phone or email, but most will not. But even if you can contact constituents, how do you take that next step to create an environment for vibrant public policy debate? I thought blogging could provide me with a forum that would allow that opportunity. Is it perfect? No, but its much better than, more convenient, more timely than what’s been available in the past.
I also wanted to get my thought out there in an unfiltered format. Last session I ran a piece of legislation that was somewhat controversial for some. From my perspective, I felt like the local and national media approached the topic with a bias that caused them to prejudge the legislation without regards to its merits. How does do I get my message out in that type of environment? The media touts themselves as the watchdog of government. Who watches the watchdogs?
Steps to Successful Blogging
- Needs to add value to your business activities
- For you & your job – too hard otherwise (can be very time consuming)
- Keep it simple
- Be genuine
- Don’t be too polished/sterile
- Be clear about your target and focus on it
- Be credible – Know what you are talking about
- Remember you can't take back what you say! It becomes a permanent, public record.
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