Taking The Blogosphere Seriously

Closely tied to the issue of transparency is engagement. Controlled media is out. Conversational media is in. It is not about getting your message “out” to a targeted audience. It is about getting your message “in” to a meaningful conversation. Yes I know that you yearn for the good old days when you could just figure out what you wanted folks to hear and then blast the hell out of ‘em through every communication channel you can beg, borrow and steal. Those days are gone. People now choose their media, choose their message, choose their engagement. And when you have a company like P&G saying it – a company that wrote the book on obsessive-compulsive, hyper-controlling brand dictatorship – well then it must be true.

written by Jerry Johnson, Brodeur \\ tags: buzz, communications, Democracy, free speech, Social Media

Bullshit.  You hear this a lot but don’t believe it.  It is the misguided extension of some legitimate ideas found in the “wisdom of crowds” and “wikinomics” crowd.  That the blogosphere is more “democratic” is a fantasy.  I know Democracy.  I live in a Democracy. The blogosphere is no Democracy.  Rather, it is a fiefdom of warlords, chieftans, and medicine men (and women), each with their own cult band of followers.  Each with their own culture, language, and idiosyncratic power centers.  This is not serious.

written by Jerry Johnson, Brodeur \\ tags: campaign, Democracy, gatekeeper, Social Media