There are approximately 16,926,015 Internet users as of Feb. '09, which is roughly 79.6% of the Australian population, according to ITU. As marketers, it's our job to reach them with messages; however, Twitter is not the place to broadcast sales of products and talk about how great a company is - Twitter is a place to exchange contextual information; meaning, information that is specific to what people are asking questions about or talking about already. My involvement with Twitter is not to talk up the company I work for or the clients I represent - it's to engage with people who share the same interests as me. It's personal and entirely about my indidivual opinion. The best use of Twitter is Zappos, a company that empowers their entire workforce to engage in real time.
I spend a lot of time thinking about social media, reading about social media, talking about social media and writing about social media. It’s very hard to not get lost in the semantics, misinformation and negative assumptions surrounding the topic of web 2.0. It isn't hard to get started - there are people out there who want to scare you for their own benefit. Fear is one of the most powerful selling pitches around - look at George Bush's presidency if you need an example of how it's possible to manipulate popular opinion through fear tactics.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the negative taste some have developed for the use of the term. I can remember several instances where a person scoffed or raised an eye brow or simply discarded the concept as ludicrous. I believe people have this reaction because they are confused. 'Experts' tell them that they need to be careful, that involvement is dangerous, that once you say something you'll be held to it forever and no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to live down your mistakes.
There are lots of reasons why people have adverse reactions to the concept of social media. I’ve blogged about it before, and will continue to blog about it again and again because it is the pervasive darkness that lingers in my daily existence. I cannot escape the constancy of negative barrage against change- regardless of the person’s age, gender, life position; everyone seems to carry large amounts of doubt with them. There is something incredibly threatening about social media for most people and it is because of these individual fears that my job can be incredibly challenging.
I don’t know what it is that makes some people open to the idea of sharing their knowledge, opinions, creative talents- or lack thereof; I’m not a Sociologist. I assume there is something within our survival instincts that tells us to communicate with our fellow human beings. It’s our learned behaviour that teaches us to fear each other and fear strangers. Insecurity keeps us safe in a mute state. We fear judgment. I’m sure there are tons of theories and philosophies about open communication, but it is a very new thing to be able to cross over so many physical barriers and reach out to people on the other side of the world.
To me, the role of Marketing within the context of social media is to listen and communicate. Build relationships and treat people as individuals. Perhaps what is most scary about social media is how incredibly simple it is and does not require degrees to master. Social media breaks down convention – and that is a huge reason as to why it appeals to me. I don’t take it anymore seriously then I take myself. If I make a mistake or I’m misunderstood then I learn from it and move on. And most importantly, maintaining the ability to laugh at oneself is important. Social media can become a reflection of the persona we project out into the world – and sometimes it’s very humbling to see yourself as others see you. It’s not about tricking people with smoke and mirrors- you don’t need to learn a heap of “Twitter rules” to engage. Do what feels natural and I guarantee that you will enviably connect with like-minded people.
In conclusion, next time you see a post, article, comment about the 'rules' of online engagement - don't waste your time with it. Would you buy a book to learn to swim? Not likely, you'd find someone who knows how to swim and practice with them. Don't buy into the wrongful thinking that you need to learn a ton of new terms or abbreviations - just jump in and splash around. It's fun and everyone is allowed to play in any pool they like. Whatever technology or platform works for you is perfectly ok - old fashioned email works just fine.
Source of cartoon: Outraged Comics
