184 million bloggers 73% of active online users have read a blog 45% have started their own blog 57% have joined a social network 55% have uploaded photos 83% have watched video clips 39% subscribe to an RSS feed Source: Universal McCann Comparative Study on Social Media Trends April 2008
SOCIAL IS BECOMING A PART OF ALL MEDIA STREAMS Social dimensions are paramount to most people … .and most forms of entertainment Source: Future Foundation: Entertainment Futures 2007, Image credit http://dicksdaily.co.uk/ “ The desire to be part of a group that shares, cooperates, or acts in concert is a basic human instinct.” Clay Shirky
Space defined by Media Owner Brand in control One way / Delivering a message Repeating the message Focused on the brand Entertaining Company created content Space defined by Consumer Consumer in control Two way / Being a part of a conversation Adapting the message/ beta Focused on the consumer / Adding value Influencing, involving User created content / Co-creation COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA
“ THE PHYSICS OF MEDIA ARE CHANGING”* Limited distribution channels Abundant attention Unlimited distribution Attention scarcity *http://www.fistfulayen.com/blog/?p=147
“See, I’m kind of tired of people talking about how newspapers are going through a ‘transition’. As in, ‘we just need to get through this transition.’ Transitions have beginnings, middles and ends. Transitions eventually stop and you get a chance to take a breath and say, ‘cool, we survived.’” Howard Owens THE CHANGES ARE FUNDAMENTAL AND PERMANENT http://www.flickr.com/photos/timothyschenck/
So this requires a different mindset different approaches different ways of working http://www.flickr.com/photos/adviceposters/sets/72157602720078403/
2 HOW THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR AUDIENCE HAS CHANGED FOREVER
Control is shared EMPOWERED USERS, UNLIMITED CHOICE Everyone is a media owner The means of production and distribution are now free (Moore’s Law) http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/
Models based on linear distribution are being disrupted by networked models MILLIONS OF CONNECTIONS “The web is a subset of humans interacting” Sir Tim Berners-Lee
They’re discussing the subjects you write about They’re writing reference entries on Wikipedia about them They’re documenting them on Flickr and video sharing sites They’re showing what subjects they like the most on social bookmarking sites TODAYS USERS ARE CREATING HUGE AMOUNTS OF VALUE http://www.flickr.com/photos/artsyt/
“We’ve been too busy trying to dictate the experience, building walls, obsessing over the gates rather than the experience” Ian Rogers Ref:http://www.fistfulayen.com/blog/ Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoyan/
THE VALUE EQUATION IS CHANGING Content = Attention Content, tools, services = Attention, participation, interaction, content http://www.flickr.com/photos/wespionage/
COMMUNITIES DRIVE BRANDS, COMMUNITIES DRIVE TRAFFIC Higher repeat visits More Loyal Users Higher levels of interaction More useful site More content More traffic More links More authority
“ Communities already exist. Instead, think about how you can help that community do what it wants to do” Mark Zuckerberg
UNDERSTAND HOW THEY WORK 9 1 90 Every community has super-users – high authority, highly active Know who they are
“ One part anarchy, one part aristocracy, one part democracy, one part monarchy” Jimmy Wales on the Wikipedia Community http://www.flickr.com/photos/vhata/
Understand what they are trying to do Creat tools and content to help them do it Interact with them, engage with them, respect them AND ADD VALUE http://www.flickr.com/photos/artsyt/
3 WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE WAY MEDIA COMPANIES SHOULD WORK
Media brands are increasingly defined less by the platform and more by the community http://www.flickr.com/photos/hankins/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonasj/ AND WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THAT COMMUNITY "...journalism is shifting from being a product to a service and, with this, a news outlet shifts from being a final destination to being part of a network." Alfred Hermida, reportr.net Be Useful
Ref: Tim Rosentiel www.journalism.org , Image http://www.flickr.com/photos/patty_colmer/ NEW JOURNALISM – CONTENT PRODUCERS TAKE ON A BROADER ROLE Authenticator : Help the audience figure out what to believe, what can they trust Sense-maker : Help the audience derive meaning from what is happening in the world Navigator : Help the audience find their way around a story or issue and point them to the “good stuff” Forum-leader : Help the audience engage in a discussion in a knowledgeable way
ATTRIBUTION, AUTHENTICITY, RECOGNITION, SHARING “On the web, audiences are more fragmented. People are using personal devices to communicate. That means, what works best is the conversational voice, a personal point of view, and a mindset that says, “I’m sharing,” rather than, “I’m reporting.” Howard Owens "In the past you were what you owned. Now you are what you share." Charles Leadbeater – We Think
"Over and over again, connecting people with one another is what lasts online. Some folks thought it was about technology, but it's not.“ Seth Godin AND IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY Image: http://www.gapingvoid.com/
WHAT THIS MEANS - NETWORKED MEDIA http://www.flickr.com/photos/arbegofoto/ Models built on ubiquity not scarcity “Most items of value derive that value from scarcity. Digital changes that, and you can derive value from ubiquity now.” Ian Rogers Social media thinking has to run through the organisation Loosely-coupled value chains that include users as value creators
WHAT THIS MEANS – FREE FLOWING CONTENT “ Content Ubiquity” Peter Chernin, News Corp Services, applications and content are scalable and portable Platforms that are seamlessly inter-connectable No barriers to interaction - interfaces that get out of the way Image: img209.imageshack.us/img209/5781/deadlocknajkcomafarialibh3.jpg
Make it as easy as possible for your fans to find it and spread the word If the web is a mass of conversations, then get talked about Create content and services that are worth passing on CREATE CONTENT THAT IS REMARKABLE http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldflints/
LINEAR Scheduled Appointment Sit back Messages NETWORKED On demand Whenever, wherever Participative Experiences We control the way it is delivered We allow you to play with it, pass it on Content we think you’d like Content we know you like (because you’ve told us)
LEVERAGE YOUR CONSUMER INSIGHT “Good insight helps you know what your customers need before they know themselves.” Matthew Milan, Critical Mass Listen to your community Use the feedback and insight to shape what you do Reframe problems, Identify ‘swells’ in your market http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com/
COMMUNITY GENERATED CONTENT “ The Sound Index is a massive index of the hottest bands and tracks that are being talked about on the internet right now.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/soundindex/
THANK YOU Neil Perkin Join the debate at… http://neilperkin.typepad.com/
Howard Owens http://www.howardowens.com/ Tim Rosentiel http://www.journalism.org/ Clay Shirky – Here Comes Everyone, The Power of Organising Without Organisations http://www.shirky.com/ Wikinomics http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/ Joseph Jaffe - Join The Conversation http://www.jaffejuice.com/ David Cushman http://www.fasterfuture.blogspot.com/ Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/ Mark Earls – Herd http://herd.typepad.com/ Seth Godin – Small Is The New Big http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/ Seth Godin – Purple Cow http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/ Ian Rogers – Yahoo http://www.fistfulayen.com/blog/ Alfred Hermida – Reportr.net http://reportr.net/