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Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category

This week I had the honor of spending a couple days with Chris Barger and his team, along with several brand team members at General Motors. I was really taken with the passion and excitement many of the folks there had for what they were doing and want to do with social media marketing. From the refreshing resurgence that has the Buick team chomping at the bit to carry their momentum forward to the I-cannot-wait-to-get-people-in-this-car frenzy of the Chevy Volt team, you could just sense an energy at GM that probably hasn’t been there in a while.

In the midst of witnessing that, someone asked me what fuels my passion for social media. Odd, but I’d never really thought about it much until then. Here’s what I landed on:

I grew up in a small town in Eastern Kentucky. Pikeville has about 6,050 people in the city limits and probably about 65,000 or so in the county. It’s at least a two-hour drive from any city that would really qualify as a city (i.e., one with a commercial airport). In Pikeville, Ky., when I was growing up, we didn’t keep our money in a bank. We didn’t buy insurance from AllState or Nationwide. We didn’t buy cars from Ford or Dodge or even Chevy. We didn’t buy clothes from J.C. Penney or Sears or even Kentucky-based Dawahares department stores.

In my small town, we kept our money with David and Danny. We bought our insurance from Shirley. We bought cars from Terry. And when we needed new clothes, we went to see Jerry.

In a small town, you do business with people you know and trust. Social media brings that nugget of down home goodness to a global scale. No, you won’t actually purchase a Chevy Volt from Chris Barger himself. But the fact that you can reach out to him on Twitter and get a response makes that purchase a more trusted one.

There are a lot of disadvantages to living in a rural community, tucked away from the world. But there’s a whole lot of value there, too. I’m just hoping to share that one with everyone else.

What fuels your passion?

There’s always a crowd gathered outside the front door of the Louisville Free Public Library’s main branch in the morning. Doors open at 9 a.m. but the regulars show up long before. Some talk, some read, some listen to music. A few who have forged friendships laugh about the latest developments in professional wrestling or the NBA playoffs.

Most of the people waiting are anxious to grab a good seat in the computer lab available to anyone who walks through the door. Some want to get online and check their email, send resumes and search for jobs. Others are taking online courses to better themselves. A few are immigrants using the free access to apply for citizenship, learn English online or even navigate the State of Kentucky’s website to figure out how to start their own business.

I waited with the crowd recently just to take in the patron perspective. I recently accepted an invitation to serve on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation and had a 9 a.m. meeting with the Foundation staff, so I waited outside like everyone else.

At precisely 9 a.m., James, a long-time security guard and library fixture, walked through the inner doors and began unlocking the series of exterior ones. Friendly, but firm, he asked everyone to wait until he got the full set of doors unlocked before coming in. Sometimes anxious computer users make mad dashes to get the right machine or their preferred station. James knows a more orderly entry will prevent folks from getting hurt … or mad.

As we began to filter in to the main lobby area between the doors and the front desk, James recited a welcome to the patrons. He said:

“Welcome to the Louisville Free Public Library. We’ve got books, periodicals, computers and more. And here, everybody’s welcome.”

He didn’t say it to anyone in particular, but to everyone in particular all at once. In many ways, James is all the community manager the library needs. He opens the door, welcomes everyone and hangs around in case you need something.

Who is your James?

You may notice me being a bit off the grid this week. And there are some very good reasons.

First, we all need some R&R from the daily grind, even if it’s the grind we love so. I spend between 10 and 18 hours a day sometimes looking at a computer of some sorts. At a minimum, my eyes need to rest. And since I get paid to think, my brain needs some time, too.

Thanksgiving is also an important family time for many, me included. I don’t spend nearly as much time with my family – wife and kids – as I’d like to, and almost none with the extended folks we’ll visit with this week. So for a few days blog posts and Tweets and such will take a back seat.

I hope you take some time to be off the grid, too. Technology is wonderful. Social media is enriching. But sometimes we just need to curl up with a good book, a warm fire and a loved one and enjoy the here and now.

Do that instead of reading SME this week. I’ll see you back here on Monday.

The era of the social web has given us unprecedented access. We can see more about each other’s lives, know more about each other’s daily routines and find each other easier now than ever before. We have access to what would have been millions of dollars in software applications and platforms now, too. But they, in turn, have access to us. Our lives, not just our computer programs, have become open source.

And we plod along, going with the flow and accepting the fact that the creepy guy from junior high is now commenting on our Facebook pictures. We’ve mostly grown wise to not sharing our credit card or social security numbers with sites we don’t know and trust, but we’ll announce on Twitter we’re leaving town for a two-week vacation without hesitation, inviting anyone with sinister motives to come over and enjoy our stereo systems all the way to their house.

While speaking to a leadership group of the Association of Educators of Communications and Technology (AECT) last week, a cell phone went off in the audience. No one seemed to notice. Not even me. Later in the question-answer period, an audience member pointed out that we’re becoming desensitized to the technology and what it brings. Five years ago, every head would have turned to look at the person with the cell phone. Ten years ago, they’d have been escorted from the room. Today? Shrug.

As I pointed out on Monday, Facebook is hoping we all become less sensitive … more desensitized … to sharing our information across technology and networks. But should we? An article in my local newspaper Sunday pointed out the big brother-type data gathering companies have been mining out of our web browsing and usage for years. For the most part, we’re unaware sites like Facebook, Yahoo and even Google are tracking our behaviors, sites visited and more every time we log in. Should we be concerned?

I’m of the mindset that these companies would be in a world of hurt if they used that information in a sinister fashion. But is serving up more relevant advertisements to you sinister? It’s not for me, but it may be for some. Can we opt out? I’m sure we can, but how do we even know who is collecting what and where to say, “No thanks!”

The social web will require more trust, both for and from us. There will always be individuals out there misusing and even violating that trust. So how do we allow our newfound connectivity to prosper without the, “Oh shit!” moments many of us are sure to have in years to come?

The only thoughts I have are to take a few minutes the next time you log into any website that requires it, including your email, and look at the account settings with particular regard for security settings. (Selfishly, I want you to back your data up, too. See Backupify.com, a company I’m involved with that backs up your Web 2.0 data.) Read the fine print, check the right boxes and set things up to share what you’re comfortable sharing. Think of this for your company or brand as well. While you have to be careful – participating fully in these networks often requires a minimal level of openness – you need to make sure you aren’t lulled into a false sense of security.

Because when we open the flood gates, the waters will rise. Are you ready to swim?

IMAGE: By NDZ on Shutterstock.com. Used with permission.

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I don’t normally fall for press releases unless they have some new data or information in them that’s interesting. Nationwide Insurance and Harris Interactive conducted a survey recently, though, that stood out in the inbox. It seems 80% of Americans say they would support legislation restricting cell phone use while driving. That doesn’t surprise me.

What surprises me is that cell phones have been around a long time. People have been driving poorly while using them for a long time. Why now?

The salient question is, has Twitter caused an increase in texting and phone use while driving that suddenly has phone use in cars taboo?

Laugh if you will, but text messaging has been around a while, too. And the information I received from Nationwide was heavy on the texting stats. Eighty percent favor banning texting while driving, 66% favor a ban on cell phone calls and more than 50% say they would favor a ban on cell use altogether. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) announced this week it has enacted a new policy encouraging every state to ban texting behind the wheel for all drivers. Nationwide took a stance, but just earlier this summer, to support the concept of a national ban on texting while driving.

The study also showed that more than half of respondents say they see more drivers using cell phones than they did 12 months ago. Does Twitter have something to do with that? Is the iPhone to blame?

While my questions are light and somewhat rhetorical, what do you think?

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