I spent the day last Thursday in Martinsburg, WV discussing "social media" with a group of about 100 community leaders over lunch. Of course, I am breaking my own rule here using the phrase "social media" in my first sentence here; while I think the phrase is instructive of philosophy, I also find it misleading. Isn't most (or all) media inherently social in some way?I titled the presentation "yoU iS I iS Open," a play on my employer's, USIS, efforts to promote a culture of openness within the organization through the use of new media tools. Ours is a recent effort (underway December 8 of that year), but it has already begun to connect our people spread very far afield with our leadership in Falls Church, VA.
In any case, I really enjoyed "going home" (so to speak) to West Virginia to spend a few hours with folks at the Martinsburg Rotary Club sponsored lunch. Thank you, everyone, for having me. We really tried to be slide light and spend more time looking at some social media elements in practice, but were limited by technical difficulties. My presentation is below, along with some brief slide by slide explanation.
The notion of "openness"
It's cliche, it's a buzzword, and it's overused, but the idea of being "open" to your customers and your coworkers is at the center of the new media value proposition. Part of this, as we discussed later, is about accepting the risk (or reality) that there are people out there that don't like you. New media provides another opportunity to overcome this sad but true state of affairs. I cited as an example the day when my cable went out, and I was clearly not happy with Cox Communications. I posted a rather flippant tweet about it, and within 30 minutes Cox had contacted me and was getting the problem fixed. Suddenly I went from being an irritated customer to singing praises (at least for now) about my cable company.
I spent a moment highlighting the work I am currently doing in my job at USIS, in a variety of assignments with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and as an advisor to science-focused media and PR firm WHITECOAT Strategies. My blog tells the story to a greater extent...
The Internet and the Cocktail Party
One of my favorite analogies (and told in the Jobsian way, with nothing but an image in the background): think of the Internet, and social media in particular, as a cocktail party. Now, at every party, there are small knots of people that form and mingle. These groups form around interests, work experiences, pre-existing friendships, and a number of other social distinctions that we use to define ourselves. Nothing wrong with this, but we're here to make new friends, right? Just as certain the knots of people will form in a room is the inevitability that a newcomer, or a social butterfly will walk over, introduce him or herself, and try to join in. As friendly folks, we're usually eager for the opportunity to talk with someone new... unless the only thing on their agenda is talking about their lives, their work, and the things that are important only to them. Life on the Internet works similarly, and the lesson is clear: if you are coming to the party without any intention of engaging with and caring about the needs and interests of the people you interact with, then you are likely to become irrelevant very quickly. The group will vote with their feet (or clicks) and move you right along.
In expanding the paradigm, I tried to make connections between new ("That which is new") and traditional ("That which we knew") media. The slide is self explanatory, and I find this to be a particularly useful discussion for those that have not delved too deeply into the topic.
A culture of openness
The most important theme, I think, when I speak on this topic is the importance of making openness a part of your organization's culture. I am not describing a "warm and fuzzy," business case dubious, environment, but rather an environment where the opinions and contributions of all are valued, and social media provides the outlet to share them. The Coast Guard does an excellent job here, from thousands of individuals that make up our active duty, reserve, auxiliary, and civilian force -- all empowered by their own voice -- to our most senior leaders, to the organization itself. I cited some of my favorite examples in my presentation.
Wrapping up with a thought provoking article I read a while back, "No, I don't want to be friends with my butter," I challenged everyone to consider what value their products or ideas offer the Internet faithful, and how they might be able to capitalize on that value in real, meaningful, and authentic ways that go beyond "just making friends with your condiments."
Again, I thank the folks in Martinsburg for having me, and I with you the best of luck in your personal and organizational "social media" efforts!
