Powerful, Lethal, Boring: Why We Owe Rigby

Mobilizing youth has never been so easy! Or so legions of web-savvy pundits and marketers would have us believe. Take, for instance, our new president; delivered on a silver platter by millions of young people drawn inexorably onto his website whereupon their wallets proffered a multitude of twenties and tens. It’s the power of web 2.0! Well, yes. That and an engaging story. Web 2.0 is a powerful, even lethal, communications tool. But like all tools, the message or story must resonate with the audience. Thank goodness Pat Rigby recognizes the importance of age-old communications messaging and audience connection.

In fact, his clear headed assessment of all the challenges to mobilizing young people through web 2.0 technologies is one the greatest strengths of his book, Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0. Rigby is a realist; a man with a clear vision for how new media can be used to move an idea forward and a candid appreciation for the hurdles that confront web 2.0 marketers. His introduction includes a sobering recollection of his first unsuccessful foray into mobile phone campaigning and the rest of the book is sprinkled with the counsel you might expect of someone who has experienced frustration. It’s this pragmatic tone that makes all of Rigby’s tips and guidance so credible.

His writing balances communications guidance with new media analysis. His modularized presentation of Web 2.0 channels and how they are best used is logical and accessible and Rigby uses examples expertly. The chapter on video and photo sharing opens with the story of Virginia Senator George Allen and the now infamous “Macaca” incident. For the rest of the chapter, as Rigby delves into the nuts and bolts of video posting and sharing, the reader remains keenly aware of why this stuff is important.

Rigby’s manual is detailed without being cumbersome. The use of screen-shots to illustrate guidance is useful and breaks up the narrative. It feels very much like a reference book or field manual rather than a rambling discourse on the seismic, societal shift we face. The introduction offers clarity on the confusing lexicon surrounding new media and web 2.0, but the book focuses on the tools, methods and approach needed to manage this new media. Rigby assumes, and rightfully so, that he does not need to spend time building value or import into new media. We can all see that its here. Now we need to know how to use it.

We may all want to thank Rigby for reminding those with an idea -however passionate they may be- that they need a story. Who wants to read a billion bloggers who have no sense of storytelling? The basic rules of good communication are still the same. You need an audience and you need to earn their attention. If you have that down, then web 2.0 technology offers a dynamic channel for moving your idea forward and this book is just the place to start.