It's time for a little interactivity.

As an agency we work for a number of clients large and small, some projects are complex and multifaceted, some simple and very focused. Most studies have the commonality that we track message pickup. The average message pickup varies dependent on a number of factors, not least by industry. Check out the Metrica numbers report for some specifics.

In the meantime...what do you feel the optimum number of messages to clearly communicate for an organization is? Too many and focus is lost, the key messages might not come to the fore, some messages may not get picked up at all. Or, maybe too little and the organisation may be viewed as a one trick pony, or the message simply becomes a tagline?

For the results of this poll please go here.

I've talked occasionally about the fact that the lines between mainstream media (MSM) and consumer generated media (CGM) are blurring. Recent news shows that sometimes the two are not always good bedfellows.

The Associated Press recently sent take-down notices to a few influential blogs such as the Drudge Report stating that content which included more than four words of original AP copy be removed from the site as it was in breach of their ‘fair use’ clause and of copyright. When four or more words are used the AP requested that bloggers pay $2.50 per word.

Bloggers fought back, suggesting that use of headline and linking to an article on the AP was driving readership for the company and that the AP was foolishly biting the hand that feeds.

Bloggers pushed for a boycott of news content from the AP, others suggested removing links to AP pieces, reducing AP site traffic, others listed AP pieces that had used their content and suggested billing the AP for the content.

The fracas drove great publicity for the blogging community and bad publicity for the AP. See a great roundup by the Washington post here “AP, bloggers clash over wire content use”. The AP also posted a release suggesting that an agreement had been reached. Unfortunately, the headline includes more than four words so I won’t be referencing or linking to it...oh, ok here it is. And that it is clarifying guidelines for permissible use of its coverage.

It’s clear to see that not only does CGM content challenge copyright issues and business models which can’t keep up with the pace of the online environment, but that bloggers do have a voice, the kind of voice that can effect reputation and affect change.

This weekend I’m embarking on the Brit Butt 1200+ mile 36 hour endurance motorcycle ride. It’s somewhat like a treasure hunt. Riders are given a list of destinations, each worth points, just before the start. Each rider must then plan his/her own route around the UK trying to get as many points as possible. The winner is the person with the most points and the highest mileage after getting back to base. 

In order that family and friends can track progress, I’ll be using phonelocator an application developed by my team mate. It links the GPS capability of our phones to send coordinates via the mobile internet to a website which plots our position on Google Maps. We also have intercoms in our helmets to communicate and these are blue-toothed to the SatNav and our phones…you might say that as well as being consummate geeks we’re hyperconnected. 

So what and who is hyperconnected….IDC recently published a white paper on Hyperconnectivity in which they describe the hyperconnected as:  

“Those who have fully embraced the brave new world, with more devices per capita than the other clusters and more intense use of new communications applications. They liberally use technology devices and applications for both personal and business use.” 

The modern business and personal world is full of hyperconnectivity, wireless laptops, web enabled phones, Blackberries, Skype, LinkedIn, Bluetooth, Second Life, online gaming, social networks and blogs. The modern world sees us networking our personal and business lives as well as our gadgets. News is travelling further faster, both simple personal news via updates on Twitter, Facebook and business news, read online, on the move, commented on, Dugg ranked and rated.  

When an issue breaks that effects your corporate reputation the proliferation of publicly available communication may seem scary, but it also provides more avenues to evaluate the situation and guage public opinion which can be used to help refine the right approach. Aren’t us hyperconnected geeks great?

 

A report by the ABC states that weekly circulations for 534 daily US newspapers has fallen by 3.6% for the six months ended March 31st.

An article in the Wall Street Journal reports the figures along with commentary from the publications spokespeople on some of logistical reasons why, (dropping free Sunday issues to week day subscribers etc), but doesn't go on to draw conclusions or speculate on other factors that might be driving the issue in the US and elsewhere.

Back here in the UK...I'm a 31 year old, busy, professional, male and a geek; I'm also in the media analysis business. You'd expect that I subscribe to a stack of papers in order to keep abreast with general news trends and the odd bit of client news. But I don't subscribe to any, and rarely if ever pick one up...though I do admit to a bit of over the shoulder reading in the subway. Might it be me and those like me that are causing a drop in print circulation?

I do of course read the news, lot's of it, but I get my news by RSS, on my phone, through my email software, through Google reader or by visiting an online publication directly. So as we look at the fall of print press circs, we should look to the rise of online readership and RSS subscription as important factors in considering the impact of a media outlet.

A release by Pollara on some research in north America makes some interesting points.

“Self-described social media users put far more trust in friends and family online than in popular bloggers, or strangers with 10,000 MySpace "friends."  Of more than 1,100 adults polled in December, nearly 80% said they were very or somewhat more likely to consider buying products recommended by real-world friends and family, while only 23% reported being very or somewhat likely to consider a product pushed by "well-known bloggers."  

Although the research indicates that popularity may not lead to credibility, it does indicate that some bloggers are indeed ‘influential’. The statement that over 20% of those asked would consider buying products recommended by well known bloggers, shows the importance of blog evaluation when researching brand perception / reputation

Just as many corporations begin to get their arms around this aspect of social media, the release suggests that: “59% of respondents considered social media very or somewhat important in learning about products, services, organizations, and brands.” 

It’s obvious that social media doesn’t stand still; it’s the runaway train of the media world. While it’s great to be an early adopter at the cutting edge of the forms that influence your brand It’s also good to stand back, take a considered approach and find out if the latest thing really does have an impact.  

A good starting point is to join the conversation, get involved and then ask your self…who do I trust?

 

Interested in trust...check out the Edelman 2008 Trust Barometer. 

I’m blogging, you're blogging...everyone and their mother is blogging. While most people blog for the fun and a few blog for the fame/infamy, there’s a small contingent out there that blog for cold hard cash.

 

An interesting article in the New York Times looks at the pressures on those blogging for a living. It’s often a take on the familiar online business model, cheap to start up, just add content, and hope to generate enough interest to create advertising revenue.

 

While the article claims that a pay per click and ad revenue system can push bloggers towards a 24/7 work ethic and associated stress…what most interests me from a media angle is that it’s another example of the blurring of the lines between Main Stream Media and Consumer Generated Media content.

 

The standard image for blogs is that they are consumer generated, grass roots, personnel, or written by “citizen journalist” with an in-depth interest in a certain topic. However, it’s becoming  evident that many high readership blog sites form part of larger media groups where the ad revenue generated by the content is the driving force.

 

In a sense, many bloggers are extending their influence by becoming 24/7 paid journalists in the same way that many MSM journalists have extended their influence/kudos by becoming bloggers. PR is responding with some firms treating prominent bloggers in the same way as main stream journalists.

 

It’s worth thinking about next time you draw that clean line between CGM and MSM.

 

There's a lot of discussion and hype surrounding web2.0 at the moment. New media, blogging, YouTube, community building sites like MySpace and Facebook etc have changed the media landscape.

Web2.0 is not only changing the way people find and use information, it enables anyone with a connection to create, update, change and even distort information. As such the information consumer is becoming the information producer.

One media type particularly effected by this shift is news. Newspapers are moving online and adding the ability to blog or comment on articles. Journalists are reporting in the form of blogs and some bloggers are becoming as influential as journalists.

There's blurring of the lines between mainstream media (MSM) and consumer generated media (CGM); there's consolidation in the MSM marketplace as more and more of the audience connect with and create CGM content, but where will it all end?

If you have an interest in web2.0 and the social changes that it's enabling you might find the following clip interesting...