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Who You Calling MommyBlogger? The Web's Most Influential and Diverse Community Begs You to Stop Generalizing

Understanding a group that's not so sure about their name, or what you assume to be true about them.

What Presidents Both Dead and Alive Tell Me About the Future of Social Media

Wonder where social media is going? Ask our Founding Fathers.

Are We Becoming a Bunch of Twitter Tales?: Looking for a Code of Smart Tweeting

Recently I was speaking with a colleague in the industry who was perturbed by an entry she'd read on Twitter by someone she'd just met with, who consequently mentioned their meeting in his Twitter feed. There weren't many details; how much proprietary info can you fit into 140 characters? Still, she told me, it irked her. The meeting was set to determine suitability for partnering with this person's company. With more than 20 years in media, she wasn't accustomed to publicizing any meetings with potential partners or clients unless they resulted in something signed and on paper.

"Total amateur move," she said. "This guy's showing all of his cards."

Honestly, I wonder then, how many "amateurs" are out there, and whether we need to be worried about showing our hands, so to speak, on a platform that makes mincemeat out of the subtleties of in-person communication. Or whether my colleague needs to get with the program (or platform).

Reading my Twitter feed this week, I found many innocuous updates, many promotional ones, and sprinkled in were a few from professional contacts that were politically partisan in nature--most of which I agreed with--but which made me question the wisdom behind mixing political affiliation with professional networking. And then there were some that struck me as even more dangerous. One contact provided updates on his corporate fundraising. The positive spin he took was likely a construct for the public, and one that seemed unnecessary. I wondered why he would bother mentioning his fundraising at all.

In mentioning this topic I feel a tad hypocritical. I've been coaching companies and small businesses to default to transparency for well-nigh four years! What's the harm in sharing where your company stands? Isn't this practically the duty of any new media leader?

As much as I agree with transparency, I do believe there are limits. And platforms like Twitter that require abbreviated, less formal communication provides a deceptive invitation to share things that are counteractive to the purpose for why people use the tool in the first place. Someone with no business or promotional aspirations may not suffer any consequences for sharing such opinions as "McCain is an idiot," but for me, someone who manages a "clientele" of bloggers with political views ranging from far left to far right, and with corporate clients that observe all degrees of corporate discretion, I've had to think hard about what I divulge. I don't recommend that companies clam up online; I only encourage them to think about their purpose, and the entire range of the people they are broadcasting to, and consider messaging from there.

I was sent a copy of Peggy Post's latest book to review, Excuse Me, But I Was Next. Not my thing to review on my blog, but fascinating nonetheless. I'm impressed with Post (the granddaughter of the famous etiquette expert Emily Post), whose advice still supports what I fear may be a dying art while still taking into account the need to communicate. In reading her section on making small talk in social settings I found myself agreeing with her advice. Divisive issues such as politics are not necessarily hands-off topics, she says, but you must get a handle on the views of the people you are talking to. And even then, consider the alacrity with which you express your views. I say, consider the purpose for being in the setting. For instance, I agreed with the views of a friend who was vociferously against Proposition 8 out here in California, but given that we were at a PR luncheon talking about a research study, where we were sitting with people I'd never met before, I kept my views to facts, not opinion, and certainly not insults when pressed for my take.

"I felt strongly about the issue," I said, "and our community on BlogHer landed in both directions on the issue."

But unless you are only following people with your political/social/sexual affiliation you can't "feel out" your audience on Twitter. Twitter doesn't allow us (yet) to create distinctions for the different types of people following us. We can't send certain messages to, say, go to those who are only Democrats, or polyamorous. We can't possibly know all of the proclivities of the people with whom we network.

Increasingly, my concerns are not just for corporate communicators. Bloggers who want to partner with companies should think about them too. I've spoken with many marketing execs who follow bloggers. There isn't a blogger blacklist, but there are a few that won't be asked to review product anytime soon. To be fair to advertisers, they aren't looking for the "yes" bloggers, whose sole blogging/microblogging purpose is to push product, though frankly that kind of enthusiasm doesn't hurt. But they do question bloggers who mix very loaded political and sexual topics in their posts, who use their platform to criticize and create acidic debate, and who love the F word and to talk about how drunk they were last night. This list is not exhaustive.

Of course, we often love to read Tweets for their candid content, but what's the ultimate purpose of your Twitter feed: to get as many followers as possible, or to attract opportunities? You get the gist.

I would love to create a Code of Smart Tweeting, for bloggers and marketers, and wonder where to start. Where do you draw the line? I'll publish responses in my various outlets, including BlogHer and JackMyers.com.

 
 
 

Digital Marketing Anti-Predictions: What I Hope Goes Away in 2009

My Prediction Piece, on JackMyers.com. I should not have defaulted to the edit team for the graphic. Oy!

Pondering Motringate, the economy, and my take on agencies playing nice

My latest on JackMyers.com.

What the Motrin Moms Campaign (and resulting MomBlogger reaction) Can Teach Us About Redemption in the Blogosphere

We Can't Fully Leverage Social Media Until Brands, Media Buyers, and PR Learn to Play in the Sandbox Together

 In This Economy, Why Invest in Social Media?

Dispatches from the Monaco Media Forum

This was my second year of klatsching with leaders in the media technology space. This event is a personal luxury, and not just because it's in Monte-Carlo, though that helps. It's also a place where I get to take two steps back and look at the emerging view of new media.

There definitely were some highlights:

--Tina Brown was interviewed by Larry Kramer about her foray into new media, The Daily Beast. This was a big deal for me because I got my career start in print and have always respected her work. Now, here she was, a newcomer in this space. She was asked if she would go back if she was offered a chi-chi print job again. She said no--online is where it's at.

I asked her about a comment she had made on the Colbert Report: something about the Web freeing her to do what she couldn't get away with in print. I thought that was a curious statement, as I've found blogging puts your writing under an even finer microscope. While more voices can be heard, more voices can be heard commenting, correcting, and taking issue with what you say.

Over breakfast with Tina and her General Manager Caroline Marks, I learned what she really meant by that. Tina loves to make changes at the last minute, and get scoops without worrying about losing them. The Web is so much more immediate. While 10,000-word pieces in The New Yorker provide depth, the Web provides immediacy and instant connection to audience. These things are just what freak out most print editors, especially ones that built their careers on print, but she embraces the user on the Web.

My favorite content: Not my session I'm afraid. We suffered from panelitis--too many panelists. By the time we got through with introducing ourselves there was scant time for questions. And I wanted to sit with all of them and talk shop. At least I got to learn about some pretty cool projects:

Amra Tareen, allvoices
Reggie Brandford, Vitrue
Hans Peter Brondmo, Plum
Johan Pouwelse, Tribler
Sadato Tanaka, Enigmo

And our moderator, John Clippinger, of the Berkman Center at Harvard

I think there was one picture taken of me--the only proof I have of attending this year

I'm fighting jet lag at this point. Thanks, eirikso, for the proof.

I took copious notes during Jeffrey Cole's State of the Mediasphere keynote. Some key takeaways:

• "Old media" doesn't disappear; it adapts. Think radio after television was invented; it created partnerships that allowed it to remain relevant. Movie studios learned to monetize in other ways when people stopped going to movie theaters. TV may be challenged with moving ad budget, but it will explode in growth as it moves content online.
• The average household spends $260 per month on services that didn't exist just a few years ago. And wealth doesn't determine usage; the poorest households still spend $180 a month.
• There are three ways to get content: 1) steal it--not viable; 2) make it fee-based, which only works for the most premium, proprietary content; and 3)advertising--now accepted as the price for free content. But if your ads don't work, the public will tell you. (My addition: so now the key is to create better ways of advertising and engagement.)

Social highlights: Wine tasting, BTYB Accel Partners, who shipped over top California wines, along with wine educators in the Napa region (They had one of my favorites, Chapellet) and dinner at the Hotel de Paris--the reason why, this year, I brought a dress. I made a major gaffe last year when I interpreted "Business Casual" to mean what it does in Palo Alto. In Monaco it means not Black Tie, but step it up, nonetheless.

The place was gawrgeous.

Photo by hebig

Lawrence Lessig of Stanford Law School won the Monaco Media Forum Prize, given by His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II.

Rodrigo Sepulveda Schulz of VPOD TV took this shot.

I caught up with some folks I know:

• Mariana Danilovic: My Monaco buddy. A woman who epitomizes girl in tech. Likes shoes, likes geeking out on business models.
• Kevin Welsh of Antics Digital Marketing. I met him and his lovely wife last year.
• Jason Goldberg: The dynamo who brought you Jobster and is now knee-deep in his latest adventure socialmedian
• Dina Kaplan, Blip.TV COO and Co-founder. I always like seeing her!
• Auren Hoffman, Rapleaf--Since 2000 I've seen Auren just about everywhere, a side effect of working for start-ups in the Valley and at one time living blocks away from each other. He makes Monaco feel like home. Auren, gimme another study I can cite about women on the Web!
• Randall Rothenberg, Interactive Advertising Bureau. No conference that looks at the state of the digital advertising world is complete without this man. Pick. His. Brain.
• Lisa Sounio of Dopplr, along with her entrepreneur husband. Someone who will make the fun if she isn't having it. (Loved the tie!)
• Dave Sifry, Offbeat Guides: Dave talked about his latest endeavor which actually has a PRINT component. Think print on demand meets travel search. Too cool.
• Jennifer Schenker, Businessweek. We met earlier this year in Greece. I love that things are heating up in Europe.
• Spencer Reiss, Wired contributing Editor, and the guy who made the program possible. Nice work! Being a programming Chair is alot like herding cattle, isn't it?
• Alexis Maybank, Alexandra Wilson, Gilt Groupe. I met Alexandra in New York earlier this year and still insist their luxury shopping club would go over like chocolate at BlogHer. They announced their new CEO, Susan Lyne, earlier this year.
• Jamie Kantrowitz, MySpace, UK
• Esther Dyson, always challenging the status quo, and not letting the Facebook person steal the floor.
• Jack Myers: The one and only. My latest post went up while we were in Monaco.
• Nancy Cruikshank of Videojug. Always interesting to talk to her about the business of video content in the UK.

And some new people:

• Jonas Nordlund, Digital Image, SA: Superentrepreneur. He indulged me as I asked countless questions about what it's like to live in Monaco.
• Johnathan Medved, Vringo: A serendipitous connection, as we both were up at 4:30 a.m. to catch our flight from Nice. Great travel conversation about life in Jerusalem (his, not mine), families, the economy, my experience as a Shabbas Goy...
• Simon Waldman of Guardian Media Group
• Dan Scheinman and Danielle Barbieri of Cisco Media Solutions. Cool people who are local! We chatted on the way to the hotel about Cisco's blogging/enterprise publishing solution
• Larry Kramer, Polaris Ventures, (founder of MarketWatch).
• Richard Greenfield of Pali Capital: I saw RIchard when he moderated a panel with MySpace's Chris DeWolfe last year. This year we got to chat briefly.

A lot for 36 hours.

Who gives a Tweet? Mommybloggers do

My latest on JackMyers.com: an ode to Twitter and the women who use it.