Business

A look at the various ways online technology is affecting the conduct of business

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Think twice, endorse once

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I’ve been impressed with a lot of the work GM has done. Even the European operation has transformed its newsroom into a social media newsroom, based loosely on the template Todd Defren released. One of the elements of GM’s social media newsroom is it’s “Blog Roll,” which direct readers to some of the more influential auto blogs.

I like the idea of an industry blogroll, even if it’s not on a blog. Still, organizations need to give some careful consideration to the independent content to which they link. That point was driven home by an article I read today in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, which was available in the lounge of the Saskatoon Sheraton Cavalier where I’m staying while doing some work up here. (The fact that this story is original reporting in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix means it may not spread very far, but who knows?)

Here’s the gist of the story: The Saskatechewan Party had included on its website a link to a blog called smalldeadanimals.com, penned by local resident Kate McMillan, that had a track record of treating the party favorably. In fact, party members had referenced the blog in the legislature.

No more. Responding to the government cancelling funding for a project, McMillan posted items that were...well...less than flattering. One post suggested that residents “try not to vandalize every business still standing in your neighbourhood, try not selling your ass up and down the street in front of doors. Try parenting your sticky-fingered brats.”

The blog would not have received any attention if the party hadn’t already been holding it up as a model of support for its policies. Premier Brad Wall actually issued a statement saying the posts went “beyond the pale.” Wall had no choice, since a member of the opposition raised the party’s affinity for the blog.

Of course, GM Europe would not find itself in the same boat if one of the bloggers on its blogroll wrote something as “intolerant and unacceptable” as McMillan’s remarks were (at least, according to Wall). A blogroll just informs others of what you’re reading and don’t serve as an endorsement. Still, think twice before using a business blog or website to endorse a blog. You could find yourself backpedaling a week later.

Friday, March 28, 2008

The social media manager debate: Can’t we get the fundamentals right first?

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Steve Rubel and Jeremiah Owyang are at odds over the future of a job labeled, “Social Media Manager.” The job description of a social media manager revolves around the coordination of a company’s activities in the social media space.

Steve believes the job will be extinct in short order:

Who should “manage” these sites? Is it the social media specialist or someone in PR with specific vertical sector expertise who also gets digital? My strong feeling is that it’s the latter.

Owyang—who held a social media manager position with a previous employer—disagrees:

While I agree that social media skills will eventually become a normal bullet point in nearly every marketing resume in the future, today, and (for) the foreseeable (future), we’re needed specializing for the following two reasons: 1) The specific duties are foreign to most other marketers 2) Online communities (like the support team) require a dedicated role.

It’s an interesting debate, but one that I believe misses a bigger picture. Jeremiah is right that full-time focus is required for some online communities. Even Southwest Airlines had to hire staff just to handle the moderation of comments to its blog, “Nuts About Southwest.” But Steve is also right that the day is coming when anybody engaged in communications will include online social skills in their toolkit, right along with good writing skills (the entry-level requirement).

Ultimately, though, whether engagement with people is online or off, social or traditional, one-way or multi-directional, multimedia or text, it all comes down to one thing:

Reputation.

I have heard calls for companies to create a C-suite position called “Chief Conversation Officer,” someone to manage the various online social channels that produce conversation. Again, that misses the point. What companies need is a Chief Reputation Officer to ensure all communication with core publics is coordinated in the company’s best interests.

This is not an original concept. Charles Fombrun, chief executive officer of The Reputation Institute and author of books like “Corporate Reputation,” has been proposing the job for years. To this position, through single- or double-solid-lines, would report anybody in the organization who engages with publics. The idea is not to make sure they all utter the same corporate jargon, but rather to make sure the company’s plans, strategies, values and actions are addressed honestly and consistently. A social media manager is a fine idea, but if he says, “Our product is shipping late because of manufacturing issues” while a media relations manager tells a Wall Street Journal reporter, “Our product is shipping late because we’ve had to redesign a part,” that inconsistency will spread through the cycle-less media space—online and off—like wildfire. Whether it’s conversation or a traditional press release, the communication channel must be used to communicate honest, transparent, accurate information.

Few organizations have anybody in a position like this. Even if there’s a senior-level public affairs person, Human Resources and employee communications often don’t report to him, and both communicate to vital publics (employees and prospective employees). Community relations often reports elsewhere, as does investor relations and government relations. And all those employees with their individual blogs? Who’s providing them with the resources they need to represent the company accurately and fairly?

Who ends up managing social media spaces is an interesting argument, but seems to me less important than making sure whoever does it is part of a network through which accurate and candid information is funneled. It’s time to look higher up and beyond the niche. We should get the basics right before worrying too much about the details.

Friday, March 21, 2008

CGM: Company-Generated Media a solid way for business to participate in social media

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Every now and then, you chance on an example of a business tapping into social media so naturally and wisely that it just warms your heart. File this one under “corporate social responsibility.”

The tale begins with a philanthropic effort by the lead singer of a band called Five for Fighting (one of the bazillion bands of which I have been unaware). John Ondrasik seems to have a do-good streak, since a lot of his pop-style music is cause-related. Ondrasik launched a website called What Kind of World Do You Want with a unique approach to rasing money for charitable causes.

The site, inspired by a Five for Fighting music video titled “World” invites people to create an upload a video that answers that question, “What kind of world do you want?” The video submission form includes a menu from which to choose one of five charities Ondrasik has designated. Each time any of the 239 videos submitted to the site (the most recent on March 16) are viewed, money is donated to the related charity. The funds are donated by individuals who contribute to the site; their names and pledges are listed on the home page, like this one:

Jo A. Reynolds has pledged $15 for the sites charities. Watch any video and approximately $1 will be raised for the charity associated with that video.

To date, the effort—run solely by Ondrasik without the assistance of any paid staff—has rasied $174,960. Ondrasik notes that all the money raised goes to the charities except for the fees collected by Revver.com, where the videos are hosted, and 1.25% for administrative costs (such as site hosting).

The site came to the attention of TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which administers the TRICARE program for military Service members and their families in the 21-state West Region. The organization produced a video to contribute to the site called ”Freedom Never Cries,” designating contributions to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit started by the wife of a soldier stationed in Iraq. The organization provides emergency assistance to soldiers and their families.

“TriWest worked with John Ondrasic in producing the video,” says Kristen Ward, who works in TriWest’s corporate communications department. (Kristen attended Ragan’s Social Media conference in Las Vegas, and contacted me afterwards to let me know about the effort and ask about how to get an email to go viral in order to get more people to watch the video.) Ondrasik’s vocals serve as the audio track for the video. “TriWest established a relationship with him when he was looking for a corporate sponsor to produce his “For the Troops” CD, a compilation album of 13 artists that was distributed free to troop in America and overseas.”

In addition to producing the video, TriWest has committed to pay $1 to Operation Homefront every time the video is viewed, up to a ceiling of $30,000. “Once $30,000 is reached, we hope other sponsors will pick up where we left off and also contribute to the organization.”

So far, the video has been viewed 7,736 times and has attracted two pages of comments, all of which are summed up by this one: “What a wonderful video. I can’t stop crying because it is so true. And I remind myself how proud I am of my husband and all the men and women who gave the freedom to me.”

That’s not enough views, according to Kristen; TriWest is hoping for 30,000 views in a single month and ultimately get into the millions. The company has devised a three-phased campaign to get to that lofty goal, beginning with the grassroots viral email that will drive people to the video. After that, the company will reach out to local and national civilian and military media; the company is also seeking a sponsor to fund contributions after TriWest’s $30,000 contribution is tapped out. The final phase of the campaign will involve more outreach to national civilian media.

More companies should take a lesson from TriWest which, rather than just write a check, TriWest got engaged through the production of a video to add to those already submitted by consumers and companies, added the money to fund contributions from views of the video, and will continue to contribute time and resources to grow donations beyond their own gift. This is particularly relevant given the American Cancer Society’s failure to capitalize on the efforts of the grassroots ”Frozen Pea Fund,” and that’s just one example of businesses missing the boat on social media.

Should you be inclined to support the effort, you can just watch the video, or you can forward along the email to your friends and family. The text of the email follows:

Support our Troops and their families by watching this powerful and important video on the Five For Fighting charity website.  Just Click Here: http://tinyurl.com/2u5zea

Through a $30,000 contribution from TriWest Healthcare Alliance, the site will donate about $1.00 per view to Operation Homefront for the first 30,000 views.

Operation Homefront is an organization that provides emergency assistance to our troops and the families they leave behind, and was started by a wife who’s husband is currently stationed in Iraq.

Let’s get to 30,000 and more. Please forward this e-mail to anyone you know who appreciates freedom, and let’s help those who protect us.

By the way, Kristen didn’t ask me to write about this. I was just impressed enough with the effort to share it and see if I could help.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

No reference to shutdown on Chrysler blog

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While Southwest Airlines has been using its blog to respond quickly and keep people up to date over its aircraft inspection crisis—and provide a forum for two-way conversation on the situation—things are very quiet over at Chrysler’s blog. The most recent item, posted today, is headlined, “This weekend in Dodge racing...treading along in Atlanta.” The big news out of Chrysler, though, is that the company is forcing employees to take a two-week vacation as it shuts down entirely in mid-July. Employees were notified in an email that was (predictably and inevitably) leaked to the press, and a company spokesperson has since confirmed the story.

Some companies know how to use their blogs. Others are still learning.

New thinking from traditional sources

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This video, offered in conjunction with a Wall Street Journal article on how companies do and should handle online attacks, includes a seeming endorsement of employee blogging. What will all the anti-employee blogging forces say when the conservative voices all begin to adopt the strategy? The individual who promotes the idea is Nate Bennett, professor of management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The video series is produced by the WSJ and the MIT Sloan Management Review. A heady trio to be supporting the direct interaction of employees and customers, and further fodder to suggest the evolution of employee communications to prepare workers to participate in conversations on behalf of their companies.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Blogging in a regulated environment

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The blueline is dead. Long live POD

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There’s a raging debate taking place on a couple blogs (here and here) about the legitimacy of Publishing on Demand (POD). Neville and I will kick this around on tomorrow’s FIR; I’ve left a few comments on both blogs, if you’re curious about where I stand.

I forwarded these links to a good friend, Mike Vincenty, who works at Blurb, a POD company that is doing blockbuster business. He pointed out—rightly so—that there is a vast difference between POD and the old vanity press concept. Vanity publishers still required a minimum press run, whereas POD allows for as few as only a single copy. This makes it easy for people to publish books who have no interest in selling them. For example, wedding albums could go the way of the dinosaur as people publish actual books of their weddings for distribution to friends and family. This use of POD makes the assertion that the only good books are ones that old-guard publishers will publish a ridiculous one.

But Mike also told me that a lot of people are starting to use Blurb for business purposes. When I asked for an example, he told me that early iterations of annual reports are published through Blurb for distribution to people who need to approve the content, allowing them to see exactly how the finished product will look. I suspect the day is fast approaching when bluelines will appear in museums as artifacts because nobody produces them anymore. (If you’ve never worked in print, a blueline proof is a copy of a project slated for printing that the printer creates by making a photographic print from the negative that will be used to create the offset press plate; the photographic paper produces a purely blue image.)

I was amazed I hadn’t heard of this use of POD before...or that I hadn’t thought of it. Mike is putting me in touch with Blurb’s PR guy so I can arrange an FIR interview and learn about other business uses of POD.

A.J. Liebling once said that freedom of the press is a right reserved for those who own one. Those days are clearly over.