I’m always fairly active on facebook. But to be very honest, not for very political or noble reasons. Generally, I like to make fun of my friends and post witty, marginally inappropriate posts. A host of invitations to philanthropic initiatives sent by friends continues to build into a gargantuan list on my ‘pending page.’ Frankly, there are just too many invites. Save a tree here, build a house here, support this initiative over there. I do like to check on the facebook pages of USAID project’s that I have provided technical support to. I checked on our Agbiz project in Nigeria which is posting a lot of content but still not generating much dialogue.
Last week I finally set up a Twitter account. On Thursday I attended a panel discussion at Georgetown University. The debate on digital media in Africa was fairly heated at one point. I had to leave early but checked on some of the Twitter posts from the panel group later that evening. The posts didn’t convey a sense of the tone of the debate but it did communicate a summary of some of the discussions.
I have not set up a MySpace page yet. I’m not sure what I would use it for. Perhaps that’s the point.
Next week as part of my Work the Circuit effort, I will find and join groups on healthcare reform.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Here Comes Everybody, Here Goes Anything
Last week I reviewed Pat Rigby’s manual on using Web 2.0 to mobilize people. In my review I made the off-hand comment that Rigby’s guidebook is great because it doesn’t waste time explaining why new media like Facebook or Twitter are important, but goes right into using these tools. In truth, I still feel like web 2.0 technology is a fact of life and not an idea or concept that needs to be pushed. But allow me, briefly, to eat my words. I may think I know why Facebook and Twitter are such a big deal: everybody’s using it. But to truly understand why online social media is such a transformative technology, I needed to read Clay Shirkey’s, Here Comes Everybody. In this seminal work –OK, there probably aren’t too many books specifically on this subject-- Mr. Shirkey explains what exactly it is we are going through and how, through a historical lens, this is nothing short of a watershed moment; pivotal point in the narrative of human social interaction.
I make reference to history because Mr. Shirkey himself draws from historical analogies to illustrate how history is shaped by precisely these types of events. It’s a key approach to showing the reader how momentous the advent of social media is. All around us are modern day scribes awaiting redundancy by this new equivalent of the printing press. The book’s opening sets the stage for this analysis perfectly. The story of a missing cell phone in New York and the events surrounding its eventual recovery are delivered with a perfect sense of comedy, gravitas and general incredulity from the writer and from the story’s main protagonists. From the bumbling police, the confused family of the cell phone bandit, the original owner and even the online hordes who, through their collective conscience, shepherd the cell phone toward its original owner, the story illustrates Shirkey’s central argument; people are not fully aware of how online organization is changing our society. The classic analogy about not seeing the Forest for the trees comes to mind.
Web 2.0 technology is changing the nature of human interaction, civic participation, media and journalism. As a result, our conversations, our governments and our jobs will likely change as well. It sounds daunting, but Shirkey is neither a pessimist nor a gleeful savant. We may have fewer working journalists, but there will still be a place for experts. The opportunities for otherwise constrained initiatives or non-profit generating ideas are plenty even if that means hapless initiatives join the melee. It’s a mixed bag and its nice to have someone show you how massive the bag actually is.
A word of advice for future readers with little exposure to web 2.0. Reading this book before reading Pat Rigby’s Mobilizing Generation 2.0 offers a nice continuum. Rigby tells you practically how to use the tools, but its nice to already have a head full of Shirkey’s lessons on why these tools are so transformative.
I make reference to history because Mr. Shirkey himself draws from historical analogies to illustrate how history is shaped by precisely these types of events. It’s a key approach to showing the reader how momentous the advent of social media is. All around us are modern day scribes awaiting redundancy by this new equivalent of the printing press. The book’s opening sets the stage for this analysis perfectly. The story of a missing cell phone in New York and the events surrounding its eventual recovery are delivered with a perfect sense of comedy, gravitas and general incredulity from the writer and from the story’s main protagonists. From the bumbling police, the confused family of the cell phone bandit, the original owner and even the online hordes who, through their collective conscience, shepherd the cell phone toward its original owner, the story illustrates Shirkey’s central argument; people are not fully aware of how online organization is changing our society. The classic analogy about not seeing the Forest for the trees comes to mind.
Web 2.0 technology is changing the nature of human interaction, civic participation, media and journalism. As a result, our conversations, our governments and our jobs will likely change as well. It sounds daunting, but Shirkey is neither a pessimist nor a gleeful savant. We may have fewer working journalists, but there will still be a place for experts. The opportunities for otherwise constrained initiatives or non-profit generating ideas are plenty even if that means hapless initiatives join the melee. It’s a mixed bag and its nice to have someone show you how massive the bag actually is.
A word of advice for future readers with little exposure to web 2.0. Reading this book before reading Pat Rigby’s Mobilizing Generation 2.0 offers a nice continuum. Rigby tells you practically how to use the tools, but its nice to already have a head full of Shirkey’s lessons on why these tools are so transformative.
Monday, September 21, 2009
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.
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.
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