Comments on: Social Media Communicators Don’t Read Cluetrain

By: CoryS

CoryS — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:48:00 +0000

I think that everyone also has to understand what Gary V. is up to at WineLibrary TV. Takes the Cluetrain idea of ‘person as [company's] marketer’ to add ’social media as a layer on top of business’.

Thx for the post.

By: Mitch Anthony

Mitch Anthony — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:08:13 +0000

Geoff-

Great post. I liked it so much I linked to it from my blog…

http://www.imnewhermyself.com

Keep it up. I’m a fan. I like the way you think.

By: Geoff Livingston

Geoff Livingston — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:07:27 +0000

@Mike: Yup, it’s people. They call it social for a reason, and I am not sure why folks feel compelled to treat it differently.

@Xian: Interesting word choice: Channel.

By: Jeremy Epstein

Jeremy Epstein — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:26:15 +0000

couldn’t agree with you more. Well said, it’s so fundamental, not even funny. I called it out in “5 signs your social media guru is faking”
http://www.jer979.com/igniting-the-revolution/5signs/

By: xian3000

xian3000 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:40:05 +0000

I absolutely agree, and in my experience have found that not having read Cluetrain is the least of your worries. Not differentiating the channel at all from print or broadcast or (gasp) direct response is how far away the PR pros around non profits seem to be. Thanks to @Kanter, @IFTF, yourself and many others, there is hope, but I find my self nearly distraught that here, years later, there is no understanding.

P.S. I’m going to finish my week by Yammering this post to the communications group and assigning Cluetrain as the weekend reading. THANKS

By: Josh Morgan

Josh Morgan — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:14:16 +0000

I don’t always agree with Geoff, but on this I am in complete agreement. If you’re not on the train, you’re stuck in the station. It’s not a tactical book, it’s about acknowledging a change in how you view relationships between people. A lot of the “social media gurus” preach about “participation” but are still primarily interested in helping companies talk at “markets.”

By: Connie Reece

Connie Reece — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:40:46 +0000

I’m with Junior: Cluetrain. :-) Thanks for focusing in on some core principles that get overlooked when everybody starts jumping on the buzzwagon.

By: mike ashworth

mike ashworth — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:05:49 +0000

As usual a spot on post Geoff :-)

I’ll be honest with you I haven’t read the book however I do believe that we have become so hung up on the tools and the latest craze that many have missed that they dont work without other people being involved.

I feel that when the tools are understood as something that can simply help initiate and facilitate a discussion rather than people being obsessed with the tool itself then we’ll see a return to real values.

People should convey the same values, beliefs, ways of doing business, managing friendships, wherever they are.

Could you for one moment imagine people measuring the effectiveness of their human social circle, their marriage, counting the number of people who commented upon a discussion they had in the pub, ignoring people who look up to them because they don’t have enough “friends”.

The irony is that we used to do business in a very personable human way before the internet came along. Now I hear so many people shouting that the this can be created or recreated with these tools. What many fail to understand is that it never went away, people just got distracted.

I feel that their’s more to be learnt from the fields of psychology and sociology than the latest tool. Discovering more about the power of both human and social capital. Understanding more about how communities in the real world work (or not).

Applying these to everything we do will result in remarkable changes occurring.

Mike Ashworth
Marketing Coach and Consultant
Brighton and Hove, Sussex, UK
Boosting Sales for Small and Medium Sized Businesses by
helping them find, attract and keep Customers.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeashworth
http://MichaelAshworth.wordpress.com

By: SpaceyG

SpaceyG — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:02:59 +0000

Oh mon Dior. Let me type my punishment: Austen Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops Austen.. you get the point…

And while I’m correcting the usual blather, I am being led to understand that Chris Brogan most certainly did not play loosely with his social commitments. Rather, the marketing folk for ITEC failed to remove his name from the literature in time to reflect his commitment elsewhere.

It still sucked.

Back to my penance:

Austen Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops Austen Austen Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops AustenAusten Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops AustenAusten Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops AustenAusten Austen Austen Hey Baby Austen Austen Austin ooops Austen Wanna See My Ducati Austin ooops Austen…

Need to go get my nails done…

By: Susan Getgood

Susan Getgood — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:00:17 +0000

The fundamental error made by traditional marketers, and yes “personal branders” is to think you can *control* the brand — whether it be a product or the product that is you.

And yes I have read Cluetrain. Gonzo Marketing & Small Pieces Loosely too.