When Jesse Thomas of JESS3 and I started to lay the foundation for the Conversation Prism, we realized that it was a much larger task then simply categorizing social networks and placing them within a visually-rich graphic or chart. My goal was to observe, analyze, dissect, and present the dynamics of conversations, how and where they transpired. We immediately realized that V1 would be short-lived and the need for continual iteration in order to document the evolving conversation online would…
The Undercurrent of a Cultural Renaissance
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Melissa Pierce recently at The Computer History Museum in Mountain View. Brett Petersel of Mashable and Jane Quigley of Crayon insisted that we connect and I gladly obliged. Melissa is a professional life coach and also the producer of Life In Perpetual Beta, an ambitious interview-driven documentary that features stripped-down, honest, and unpretentious one-on-one conversations with thought leaders and pioneers in the fields of New Marketing and Social Media. Life In Perpetual Beta…
BusinessWeek Seeks Guidance on Who To Profile in Social Media
Stephen Baker and Helen Walters of BusinessWeek recently asked readers to nominate those individuals who are driving the evolution and pervasiveness of Social Media as part of its “voice of innovation” series. Who is truly the most innovative force within social media? Who’s really making a difference? Who really gets it? Who do you think your fellow BusinessWeek readers NEED to know about? The submissions are in and I’m honored and humbled to be included in the list of candidates. Now,…
PR 2.0: Must Read Posts of 2008
It’s easy to lose sight of the beacons and milestones that resonate, influence and guide us as we navigate through these evolutionary times. After all, we’re deluged with education, lessons, and insight from so many brilliant leaders and inspirational voices, that it’s practically impossible to retain and reference all that moved us when we’re moved on a minute-by-minute basis. Our attention and relationships are more precious than ever. As 2008 comes to a close, I wanted to share with you…
SolutionsStars Video Series Helps Businesses Embrace Social Media
During Blogworld Expo 2008 in Las Vegas, The Network Solutions Team shot footage for SolutionsStars, its online Web series designed to help small businesses harness the potential of Social Media to identify, understand, participate, and excel in the communities that impact their bottom line. I was asked to participate by good friend Geoff Livingston (the man behind the book Now is Gone). Portions of the resulting footage were edited into two videos as part of the series, The Social Opportunity…
Newspapers are Old News
Credit As a follow up to my post, “Extra Extra, Read All About It! Newspapers Respond to the Social Web,” new research emerges that documents the looming exit of print newspapers as a primary source of national and international news. According to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, a new survey indicates that 40% of respondents claim the Internet as their primary source for national and international news, versus 24% in 2007. In comparison, 35%, up…
What Inspires You?
I’m fascinated and inspired by the unity, education, and collaboration spurred by the socialization of media. The sources for insight, artistry, and influence have proliferated globally, giving voices to, and creating communities for, every day people who share ideas, passion, and aspirations. The Social Revolution is Our Industrial Revolution Intel is also inspired by education. The company recently created Inspire, a new community that spotlights education through innovation. It is a platform to celebrate the people, voices, and actions that…
State of the Twittersphere – Q4 2008
HubSpot released a report based on the analysis of over 600,000 Twitter users who have utilized the company’s Twitter Grader app. The full study is free and available for download in PDF. Here are the highlights: – Twitter has about 4-5 million users, about 30% are relatively new or unengaged users – Twitter is dominated by newer users – 70% of Twitter users joined in 2008 – An estimated 5-10 thousand new accounts are opened per day – 35% of…
Fear Kills Businesses, Dead
What follows is the unedited version of my most recent post, currently live at TechCrunch. Credit: Stuant63 via Flickr It’s official. We’re in a recession. Recessions naturally inject fear and panic, which is only heightened by every discussion of market losses, layoffs, bailouts, and somber predictions. We’re only human after all; of course everything affects us personally and emotionally. Fear is not a catalyst for productivity however. With valuable advice pouring in from concerned and sympathetic entrepreneurs and proven leaders,…
Saying More with Less: A Directory of Short URL Services
Source Through brevity there’s clarity. As marketers and communicators in the era of socialized media, we’re relearning how to summarize and illustrate what we represent so that we might briefly captivate the attention of those we wish to reach. Twitter, FriendFeed, Plurk, Qik, Seesmic, 12seconds, Facebook News Feeds, and all other forms of micromedia communities prosper through a concise economy of language and forethought. It is the exchange of this richer dialog that flourishes through succinctness. This introspective and empathetic…