NO BLOG IS AN ISLANDblogging and the social media ecosystem

Why do we blog?

• Personal expression and satisfaction• Status (aka personal branding)• Philanthropy• Promotion and marketing• Cold, hard, cash-ola

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

All those things rely on...

•Readers• Regular• Loyal• Vocal• Bloggers themselves

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

The attention economy

• People’s attention span is limited• In the last 20 years we’ve gone from dozens of

channels to a quarter of a billion• So you are in a war to win people’s attention• People no longer revere traditional media• People pay attention to other people

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

So how do I get more of them?

• Write better• Write more often• Advertise• Join the social media ecosystem

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

What do I mean by social media?

• Any media in which the majority of the content is derived from the users

• We are great apes – social animals

• Social media reduces the friction of distance and time

• DemocraticSOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Can’t see the video? Find it here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE

...and “ecosystem”?

• Any sustainable, cyclical system in which all the parts are connected to and rely on all the other parts

• In social media terms: the interconnected cycle (flow) of influence and information on the internet

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

The social media ecosystem

You

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

And this will help me, how?

• This ecosystem gives your messages “suface area”

• That means more opportunities to be seen in more places

• To maximise surface area you need to be: – On all appropriate channels– Shareable / portable– Approachable / reachable– Responsive

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

CLIMBING THE FOODCHAINTackling Twitter, beating blogs and slaying social networks

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Twitter?

• A free flowing stream of content, conversations and questions

• Social media at its most immediate and raw• A “pure” social network• Totally meritocratic• The “pulse” of the real-time internet

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

How do I use it?

• Publishing / expression

• Research

• Interaction – instant feedback

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

The lingo• “Tweet” (v) to say something in Twitter

– (n) a single unit of conversation – an update

• Retweet (v) to pass on a tweet and give credit to the source (like forwarding an email)– (n) see “tweet” above

• “@ reply” (v) to reply directly to someone using their Twitter name– (n) one such reply

• “Mention” (n) an @ reply directed at your account

• “Trending topic” (n) any subject that is currently in the list of the top 20 most discussed topics on Twitter (worldwide)

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

How do I measure it?

• Followers

• Retweets and mentions

• Tweetmeme

• Snip.URL

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Blogging the ecosystem

• Choose an angle / flavour / personality• Read, read, read• Comment everywhere• Link to other blogs• Post about posts

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

How do I measure it?

• Blog posts• Track or pingbacks• Comments• Google Analytics– Incoming links– Readers

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Social Networking?

• Any site or service whose primary purpose is to allow users to interact with each other on a personal level

• Yes, that means email and chat• The most personal form of social media

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

How do I use it?

• Publishing (blog network app)• Private messaging• Events • Research

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

How do I measure it?

• Blog network application• Activity (comments, discussions etc)• Number of messages you receive• Analytics

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Other social media channels

• Video sharing (YouTube)• Social knowledge (Answerit)• Forums• Social gaming• Custom social media offerings

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

Small is beautiful

• Don’t expect a huge response (at least not at the start)

• One new loyal reader is worth 100 gawkers• Remember: it’s a conversation• Be present

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009

THANK YOUMuchos gracias

SOCIAL ANIMALS - Alistair Fairweather8/25/2009