Tag Archives: Facebook

Noisy Internet

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It’s the internet age. And the clacking on keyboards have replaced the masculine huff and puff of factory machinery as the sound of progress. Just like in the industrial revolution we are streamlining our digital processes, and pushing out more content faster, faster, faster.

But Haste Makes Waste, and already we are up against an ocean of unimportant filler. A few posts ago I talked about Robin Sloan’s tap Essay Fish about finding content you LOVE on the internet (a purposeful trumping of the work LIKE), and while it’s true that there are good articles, and great photos, and fascinating things to learn, there’s also a deluge of tweets and statuses and videos and nothingness to shift through.

And whats worse?  I’m creating some of it.  I suffer from a new disease called I-Don’t-Post-Enough-on-Facebook-phobia.  This disease is one part careerism, and one part not wanting to be forgotten.  Living in New York it’s easy to observe the super-networkers rising to the top. Very often these are the types that are pumping out social media statuses 10+ times a day.  My mind doesn’t seem to go there as naturally. In the middle of a fun conversation or an adventure with friends I never think to stop and say: “this would be better if I shared it on facebook!”

There’s a lot of philosophy that comes into this debate (and I don’t intend for this to be that kind of blog), but for now I just want to say that when I read headlines like Do You Hire For IQ, or for Klout Score? I wanna throw up my hands and shout Klout Score?? is this another thing we have to obsessively monitor?

Speed, More, Most, Largest, Fastest, First: These seem to be the internet’s core values. But I beseech any readers of this post, let’s make sure BEST stays in the mix. I personally am built for Quality, not Quantity, and I don’t want my kind to go extinct. So, I’ll try to add value (hard as that is when the reader determines the value of your posts!) and I’ll try to refrain from any fear induced posts that I don’t really want to make, and you don’t really want to read.  Am I wrong to think this?  Am I wrong to think “Let’s cut back on the noise!”

Am I wrong to blog it?

I’m Coining the Term “Discoverability Tide”

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I am currently working with the New York School of Interior Design to help them develop a new social media strategy.  The school is looking to use facebook, twitter and the other big networks to better engage current students, prospective students, Alumni, and potential donors.

After working with their Communications Director for a period of time I am now charged with creating some sort of document, slideshow or video to convince the rest of the staff and board that we really should be spending work time using the facebook.

I’ve become totally fascinated by social media in the last few years mostly because I see it changing the system of communication. Anytime systems change I get excited.

Yesterday at work I got caught in a long conversation with my colleague about about how the “discoverability tide” is shifting on the internet. It used to be that companies would make themselves a findable website in hopes that interested consumers would visit that website.  Now, thanks to these social networks everyone “has a website,” and we are discoverable to these companies.  Which works well for them because they will put the work in to finding new customers.

They also can better retain customers. If I visit a standard company website, I might never go back again. But if I end up on a fan page and decide to “like” Skittles… well then Skittles can reach out to me as often as they want (everyday)  and I will see it as often as i go on the facebook (also everyday).  They’ve got me everyday now all because I said yes once. A pretty sweet treat for Skittles.

I guess I like scheming, because I’m excited by the strategy involved in all of this.  I also like “plastic” words or expressions that have been invented in the past 2 years.  I just run a google search for “discoverability tide” and I am pleased to announce that there are no results if you search with quotes.  I guess I’ve invented a term.