Web 2.0, the Internet’s interactive phrase, is on the verge of becoming out of control with tools, toys and hype. It’s akin to the wild west days of the tech boom in the 1990s, except today it should have become more professional, ethical and honest. Not so.

Like distant cousins of Professor Harold Hill, there are modern-day snake oil peddlers calling themselves, “Social Media Gurus.” Their gathering places include the online mini-blogging site, Twitter. They have diverse backgrounds, or none at all that they will admit. One social media guru was a holistic healer, another claims to be “founding Senior Research Fellow and Advisory Board” of a think tank that only exists on a Web site. You get the picture.

I signed on Twitter recently, and kiddingly wrote, “Is it possible that perhaps as much as eleven percent of the world’s population has become ’social media gurus?’” Many people found my comment amusing. The gurus did not.

Many of these self-proclaimed social media gurus sell their consulting services to companies, organizations and even individuals. It’s stuff that any self-respecting executive or leader can learn through a couple of hours of reading online. It’s not rocket science. In the world of Web 2.0, everything strives to be interconnected and sharing information.

Salvatore Parise, Patricia Guinan and Bruce Weinberg have written a terrific article, The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World, that first appeared in The Wall Street Journal. It demystifies Web 2.0, and provides a how-to that anyone can follow:

• Don’t just talk at consumers – work with them throughout the marketing process.
• Give consumers a reason to participate.
• Listen to – and join – the conversation outside your site.
• Resist the temptation to sell, sell, sell.
• Don’t control, let it go.
• Find a “marketing technopologist.” (An honest-to-goodness Web 2.0 consultant or advisor)
• Embrace experimentation.

Sounds like common sense, and it is. Social media is about engaging your stakeholders in conversations, and listening to what’s on their minds. That’s one of the pillars of authentic leadership.

Read the rest »

When I read Anita Bruzzese’s blog posting, What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists, that appeared today on Chris Brogan’s outstanding and popular blog, I immediately sought her permission to repost her list of ten tips here. I am very happy she said, yes:

1. It takes time to gain trust. If you post something that has an “agenda,” be upfront about it. Being deceptive, unethical or manipulative may get you short-term results, but the long-term impact to you and your efforts will be detrimental. Most big stories by journalists have come only after they spent months or even years getting a source to trust them.
2. You are what you write. Whether it’s 300 words or 60,000 words, you have to make sure it’s accurate. A Pew Centre survey on bloggers found that while 34 percent of bloggers consider their writing to be a form of journalism, only 56 percent “sometimes or often” spent extra time trying to verify facts. Always double-check the spelling of a name, the name of an organization, dates, etc. If you want to be taken seriously by those outside the blogosphere, you’re going to have to verify your facts 100 percent of the time.
3. Use attribution. Journalists are trained to always provide a source for their material. This helps put the information in context, and tells the reader you’re not just making up stuff. It shows that you have a dedication to getting it right.
4. Step away from the computer. It’s easy these days to think that all questions and answers begin and end on the Web, but don’t insulate yourself that way. Talk to people on the street. Listen to conversations in checkout lines or while waiting for a movie. Learn how to ask questions of people outside your circle of friends and acquaintances – that’s what will net you a golden nugget of information that no one else has. Anyone can regurgitate what they get from Google. It’s the effort to get original information and look beyond the obvious that grabs attention and respect. Read the rest »
   

WUSA television in Washington, D.C., has announced a significant change in how the station will cover and report news, a change that will certainly impact the quality, professionalism and accuracy of news reported by the station in the nation’s capital. It’s a move that will further trivialize the importance of local television news, in my opinion.

For decades, TV news people in larger cities have worked in teams - a reporter with a camera person, and sometimes, a person to operate the audio. The team often would include a producer to coordinate and assist.

Now, WUSA - owned by media giant Gannett, and the station that is dead-last in TV ratings in Washington - is taking advantage of the slumping economy to force a change on its newsroom and the unions.

WUSA is replacing its reporter and camera crews, and hiring one-person, so-called “multimedia journalists,” who will shoot and edit news stories single-handedly. In the TV news business, they are called, “one-man-bands.” The concept of a single person handling all those responsibilities has, to date, been limited to some of the smallest TV markets, where aspiring TV reporters often go to get a start.

Now, at WUSA in the nation’s capital, one person will try to take notes, ask questions, coordinate scheduling interviews, and operate the camera, sound and lights while attempting to cover a story. That person will then edit and present the story on the air, with little or no supervision from a producer or fact-checker. Such a practice opens a huge door to mistakes and inaccuracy.

WUSA’s more seasoned, experienced and higher paid reporters will, presumably, be forced out because they may lack the skills or ability to lug around a camera and lights.

This new direction Gannett and WUSA is taking quite likely could lead to the demise of local news coverage in the traditional sense. In a TV market, like Washington, audiences will not tolerate many mistakes or inaccurate stories attributed to a station’s cheap approach to news coverage in a quest to save money. In my opinion, it will eventually provide greater opportunities for new television news ventures online, an environment that will ultimately make WUSA … history.

Here’s a link to the story in The Washington Post.

Sincere thanks to Expert Access and my friend Steve Kayser at Cincom in Cincinnati for featuring my piece on leadership, Size Doesn’t Matter, Skills Do:

During many interviews with corporations, organizations, and PR agencies—in addition to the media—in preparation to write my new book, “The Media Savvy Leader,” I found that not many corporate leaders are exchanging high fives over the performance of even the largest global public relations agencies.

While agencies today, whether advertising or PR, charge hefty fees, many have not kept up-to-date on the skills needed to effectively communicate in the Internet era.

They might be huge, employ a lot of people, have multiple offices (which is usually accomplished through the purchase of existing agencies), and make tons of money, but they still operate in silos, and the level of expertise among offices is inconsistent. It’s a sadly dismal yet accurate picture.

On the other hand, such an environment presents tremendous opportunities for the C-level executive who wants to learn how to capture the media spotlight and establish a reputation as a compelling and charismatic leader.

Please click here to read the whole story.

I greatly enjoyed being interviewed recently by Peter Clayton, who runs Total Picture Radio, an online radio news service. And, it has reminded me of how the concept of Podcasts has grown and evolved into today’s new and far more convenient form of radio.

The purpose of the interview was to discuss my new book - The Media Savvy Leader. Online radio affords the time - in similar style to that of NPR - to be involved in in-depth interviews. Peter’s Total Picture Radio focuses on business news, and I recommend checking out the spectrum of online stories he delivers.

[Click here to listen to the interview]