What’s happened to the marketing blogosphere?  Our conversations in posts and on Twitter used to be so dynamic.   Our corner of the blogosphere used to be a nice place to be, a collegial debate on the future media and communications. When we had spats, we made up.

Now it’s just downright snitty. The confluence of many new, inexperienced voices and folks pretending to be social media aficionados has created a much different kind of place.  Now it’s about looking savvy at others expense, garnering the biggest follower count, and throwing back handed comments. Increasingly, I find myself walking away from the Twitter marketing conversation early in the work week, and completely avoiding it during the weekends.

Joseph Jaffe and I discussed this change at the Forrester Customer Experience Forum this morning:

What do you think?

Well, I’ve been called arrogant three times privately, anonymously and now publicly because of Thursday’s post on “Why a Final BlogPotomac: Social Media Really is Dead.” There have been public posts, some debating or decrying the discussion, others turning it into a parody.  My feelings about social media innovation still remain the same, but based on the response and general anger the post inspired, it appears a clarification is necessary.

To frame this discussion, in that post I said for me, social media is dead, that the innovation period of its dynamic growth had passed.  I also said that social media would go on and continue to grow.

I’ve always seen the innovation portion of social as the movement from one-way to two-way communications.  Yes, technologies will continue to develop providing new ways for us to do that.  Innovation in that sense will continue.

At the same time, I have to tell you the basic principles behind two-way communication haven’t changed much.  I wrote about these principles two years ago in Now Is Gone, and still find it necessary to continue educating people on them: Control, listening, serving your stakeholders, participation is marketing, etc., etc.  These dynamic principles apply across the social web regardless of the technology or medium. People still act like people.

To continue educating communicators on social media via tools like BlogPotomac seems like beating a dead horse into the ground.  It has become boring for me. I feel like I’ve been sent back in time into the 4th week of Olivia Newton John’s reign on top of the charts.  Do I really have to listen to “Physical” for another six weeks?

I’ve lost my passion for talking social media. It’s simply a media form, one of many and not a panacea. For me, it’s an old hat.  Consider that I’ve written one book, authored 800 blog posts, spoken numerous times, and hosted two conferences on the topic.

As a blogger and writer that’s a dangerous place. If I don’t find something that interests me — that captivates my soul — I’ll go dark. So for me, it’s time to use the remainder of this year and end a commitment to educate on social media, and start focusing on aspects of communication that are personally newer and more interesting. What inspires me, what excites me are the following:

• How do we use communications to hasten the adoption of green technologies?
• How will mobile applications and the smaller, portable computing device affect the way we communicate?
• What are the best ways to use online media to affect social change?
• How will pinpoint location technologies affect the way we communicate?
• Will virtual and tactile technologies force another revolution and change in the way we communicate?
• What are the cultural barriers in organizations that prevent them from listening to and talking with their customers?
• How will search evolve with new engines like Bing?

The final BlogPotomac will focus on some of the old and some of the new. The Buzz Bin will show this migration, too. I commit to creating high quality content for both of these vehicles. You deserve that. I also promise to keep educating my clients and venues that ask me to talk on social.

As to future social media marcom unconferences in DC? The final BlogPotomac can be seen as an opportunity for someone else to rise to the fore. What about writing on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, blogging, Facebook, etc.?  If it’s truly innovative from a communications principles standpoint, it’s likely to grab me. But in the interim, please pardon the interruption. Three years after its launch, Twitter really isn’t doing it for me.

If you still have passion for new and challenging social media conversations, my hat’s off to you. Keep talking, keep working it, keep innovating within the medium.  Your path is an honorable one. New voices and perspectives are needed to build on and add to the social media conversation.

With more than 3600 Tweets (3300 day of) and most blog posts written about last Friday’s BlogPotomac singing its praises (here’s one negative review and an unhappy happy hour attendee), many have been asking me why hold a final modified unconference? I cited two reasons, one of which was a desire to recapture some of my personal life, and not become shackled by what is supposed to be a gift back to the community. The second is the subject matter — social media — is really dead (or dying), at least from this innovators perspective.

Let me explain. The technology adoption cycle has been maturing for social media (and social media, web 2.0 whatever you want to call it is definitely inspired by technology) for some time. Widespread corporate adoption is happening as we speak, albeit with many stumbles. Based on conversations I’m having, even the most conservative organizations are adapting now.

The time when social media as a special or unique or “shiny and new” type of communication is rapidly ending. Does that mean it’s going away? Hardly.

But from an innovators standpoint, as someone who lives on the edge, who wants to be where new frontiers are being created, we’re at the end. For me, social media is dead… That means it’s future forward.

And thus this fall’s BlogPotomac (October 23) will be the last one. It’s my final effort to transmit knowledge to the DC marketing community, and the event will predominantly focus on the future of Internet media as well as some traditional social media discussion.

October’s BlogPotomac Line Up

This final BlogPotomac is still being planned, but here’s the line-up so far:

Renowned social media chronicler Shel Israel will keynote and discuss his book Twitterville (out September 3), including the future of the red hot social network. Everyone will get a copy of his book.

Beth Kanter, the top-ranked changeblogger, will discuss how nonprofits are using online media to innovate and affect change.

crayonista and ace strategist Jane Quigley will discuss future Internet media forms, such as the semantic web and other new forms she’s watching.

The seventh and final session will be given by me and the focus will be on Liquid Strategies: Methods for keeping communications relevant in the face of evolving media.

There will also be sessions on mobile social networks and applications (iPhone and traditional), and location based web applications. Amber Naslund will return and join me as co-hostess.

Previous attendees will have the first opportunity to buy tickets this week. Public tickets will go on sale July 1 and are priced at $95 again. As with the prior events seating will be strictly limited to 150 tickets. Both prior BlogPotomacs sold out, and the current one was sold out four weeks in advance of the event so if your someone who likes to wait, do so at your own risk.

For the next few days, I will be absent on the Buzz Bin as I attend to and recover from my unconference, BlogPotomac. Expect to see me return to the Buzz Bin during the middle of next week.

The schedule of events for BlogPotomac has been posted. Check it out! While the event is sold out, anyone can attend the opening Happy Hour the night before at CarPool (details are here).

BlogPotomac is already generating a lot of buzz on Twitter. The hashtag for the event is #blogpotomac if you care to follow along. Also the speakers’ Twitter addresses are:

* Shel Holtz (@shel)
* Shireen Mitchell (@digitalsista)
* Scott Monty (@scottmonty)
* Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss)
* Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra) and Aaron Brazell (@technosailor)
* Shashi Bellamkonda (@shashib)
* Doug Meacham (@dougmeacham), Rohit Bhargava (@rohitbhargava) and Kaitln Wilkens (@catchuplady)
* Co hosts: Me (@geoffliving), Jen McClure (@SNCR) and Viget Labs (Brian WIlliams , CEO is @barn)

We have also created an unpopulated Flickr group for the event. You can search for last year’s BlogPotomac photos (as well as new ones as they are uploaded) here. Blog searches can be conducted on Google.

Just a reminder to attendees that BlogPotomac is an unconference. That means it’s casual dress. As host, I plan on wearing jeans and a T-Shirt. I hope that helps set the tone. Other things to expect as part of the BlogPotomac modified unconference format:

* No PowerPoint (sorry, this nap excuse has been extracted)
* Boxed lunches from DC Central Kitchen, our event beneficiary
* A cash bar in the middle of the afternoon
* Filling out your own nametag at the event

Other aspects of the unconference format have been posted here.

Today’s lackluster iPhone announcement at the Apple WorldWide Developers Conference left rabid online fanatics disappointed and wanting more. The letdown has to leave many customers, potential buyers and investors wondering now that Jobs is gone as CEO, “Is this the beginning of the end?”

Perhaps what made today so disappointing was the incredible tension and excitement built up before the iPhone announcement. Instead of a great new iPhone, Apple delivered 3G S. 3G S adds some functionality, but is really the same device with a few new features.

In essence, Apple took a card out of the automobile manufacturer promo catalog between major model revisions. Say it’s new for 2009 by providing a minor feature upgrade! Heck even put a new letter on the end of the name.

So instead of fulfillment, Apple/AT&T users got a dud, and one that would cost $500 to upgrade to the maximum 3G S unit. Not the most advisable tactic for a company that wants to keep its brand evangelists happy.

When Jobs left in the 90s, Apple crashed. Many have argued the current executives are a stronger bunch, that a succession plan was in place to replace the mad genius.

First indicators show that Apple may be in for a tough road in the post Jobs era (assuming the mad genius doesn’t return). And while the WWDC was not a complete disaster, it’s going to take more than 1.0 megapixel upgrade or a price drop to keep the Nokia, Palms, Dells and HPs of the world from capitalizing on Jobs’ absence. PR is more than an announcement. It requires substantive actions that back up the hype.

Today, Beth Kanter, Shannon Whitley and I are launching the List of Change, a ranking of the top English-language change and cause-related blogs in the world. The ranking provides a glimpse into the change and cause bloggers who are trying to positively affect our lives throughout the world. The List of Change only uses open APIs to weigh statistical performance, and does not include any subjective measures. Any blogger can participate by submitting their URL for inclusion in the List of Change.

The List of Change was developed by programmer Shannon Whitley and I, and is co-facilitated by leading Changeblogger Beth Kanter. The List was also one of Qui Diaz’s last projects as an employee of Livingston Communications.

Shannon and I created the List because we ended up owning the ranking code, something that happened during the past year and a half. We wanted to use the code for good, and as participants in the nonprofit industry we could think of no better place to do so. Beth thought it was a great idea, and graciously agreed to lend her name to and promote the List, thereby helping us give the ranking to the nonprofit industry. By creating the List of Change we felt we could benefit the sector for several reasons:

1) It will provide a single point of aggregation for change blogs, allowing new and old readers alike to discover new blogs

2) Change and cause bloggers can use the list to promote themselves to new readers. They can also use the list to benchmark their own performance against their peers.

3) We realize that some people see rankings as competitive or subjective, and don’t want to participate. The List of Change is an opt in ranking where change bloggers have to submit their URL to become part of the ranking. Only those who truly want to participate will, thus keeping a spirit of fellowship among the listed.

4) At SXSW Panel on Social Media ROI for Nonprofits - KD Paine was asked a question about metrics for blogs. KD said that she couldn’t answer that because you’d need to have some industry or nonprofit benchmark. And, if one does not exist - trade that information with your colleagues. The list helps facilitate the exchange of benchmarks. So, it isn’t about the score or the number - it gives an industry number and way to begin thinking about to improve our effort.

And so here we are. We hope you agree, and will join the List of Change today.

“The “List of Change” is something that has been needed in the non-profit and social change blogosphere for awhile,” said Fly4Change Changeblogger Alex “SocialBttrfly” Rampy. “It’ll help welcome newcomers and highlight our growing and diverse community. Whether you consider yourself a changeblogger, do-gooder, non-profiteer or have a heart for social good, get to know this valuable community. Engage them in conversation and recruit others in your wake as our times call for all hands on deck.”

There is no profit motive behind the List. While this is currently being hosted on the livingstonbuzz.com URL, my professional blog’s domain, the ultimate intent is to move the list to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s site when it launches its redesigned philanthropy.com. Thank you to Peter Panepento and the Chronicle team for serving as our partners in this endeavor.

When we do move the List to the Chronicle’s site, we will donate the code without financial compensation. You will also note there are no corporate logos affiliated with the list either. This is literally a gift from Shannon, Beth and I.

Methodology

Credit for the idea behind the List of Change Index goes to Todd Andrlik, who developed the AdAge Power150. Many of the sources for the List of Change are the same as the original Power150, including Technorati Rank, Technorati InLinks, Bloglines Subscribers, Alexa Points, Google PageRank, and Yahoo InLinks. The List of Change takes a slightly different approach in generating the actual ranks. All of the blogs are essentially graded on a curve, using standard deviations to rank the blogs against each other on a scale of 0 – 100.

P.S. I want to thank my employer CRT/tanaka for supporting my philanthropic side projects. Without their silent, but substantive help it would be much harder for me to participate.

Copyblogger Brian Clark Presents at SOBCon

One of the more controversial sessions at SOBCon was the nice guys finish last [online] conversation, inspired by Brian Clark’s discussion of classic positioning theory. The point: It’s better to be hated and known for a strong minority opinion than to be liked. One gets you discussed, read and positioned in the marketplace, while the other — especially if you are not already a thought leader in an established space — leaves you behind in the discussion. My experience and core beliefs subscribe to this theory.

Yet, when discussed in the session and online many people struggled with this topic right out of the gate for semantic reasons. As children, we are taught to be “nice” from the moment we enter public settings. But what is nice?

Whether you see nice as being kind, pleasing, agreeable or delightful, no where do the terms opinionated, nonconforming, strong, objectionable, or dissenting get associated with the word. Yet these are things a thought leader must engage in to stay on top. To me, nice means safe. Safe does not mean winning. Winning means doing whatever is necessary to achieve a goal, and removing distractions and unrelated concerns from his/her life even when it hurts others.

A thought leader must actually lead at times, and that means doing what’s uncomfortable and/or unpopular at moments. In such times words like “not nice,” a subjective opinion of tone and stance, are often bantied about. It’s my experience that such moments are when a thought leader is tested on character. Will he/she cave to the need to be popular and “liked,” or do they have the meddle to stand strong?

This is as true online as it is offline. Great blogging and social media means delivering content and opinions that either rises above the pack or is separate and unique. And sometimes people — present company included — achieve that by saying what they truly believe, even when it flies in the face of everything people want to believe. Thus they are considered not “nice.”

I’ve experienced this with my own adamant position that personal branding is a bad strategy for enterprises, and in the long term for individuals. As further examples I submit Jason Calacanis and Michael Arrington and their oft controversial, yet unquestioned market leadership.

Seeing as this is Mother’s Day and this is largely a semantical conversation, I’d like to offer another word out there to consider. That word is good, something or someone who is morally excellent, virtuous, righteous or pious. There’s a noticeable difference between being good and nice. I’d rather win and be good, than be nice. Nice guys finish last.

What do you think?

One of the biggest challenges in 2009 is executing strategic approaches towards community conversation versus publishing content mechanisms.  Specifically, many communicators feel the need to sell a Facebook application, a Twitter account (though you should own the organization’s brand name), publish a YouTube channel, create a blog, etc.  The end result creates social network litter, leaving companies with failed or semi-dormant properties across the Internet (original image by kikisdad).

Instead, the right strategic approach remains the community.  By closely following the actual people, the folks who are driving the and participating in the relevant online conversation, enterprises and organizations can build an intelligent strategy.

Real activism and marketing occurs when there is a compelling conversation and intelligent calls to action that encourage further engagement.  Really understanding a community and becoming a populist is essential.  That engagement can range from petitioning and purchase to intangibles that you could never expect, all of which creates tangible by-product called ROI.

The tools used to get there often include several channels, from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and Flickr, as well as relevant blogs, subject specific social networks, and bulletin boards.  But the tools adhere to that higher community strategy, otherwise organizations are simply single track publishing, a dangerous proposition that can lead to social media litter.

Social Karaoke: Using Offline Interactions to Strengthen Your Brand Online

With…
* David Armano (Logic+Emotion)
* Kaitlyn Wilkins (VP of Digital Strategy, Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence)
* Doug Meacham (Multi-Channel Retail consultant, IBM)

Congratulations!

It is apparent from online and offline discussion that there are still great challenges to social media adoption. Regardless of cause – control, forcing one-way communication models into conversational media, lack of participation, time, or fear – companies and organizations find themselves stubbing their metaphorical toes quite a bit.  Their cultures prevent them from succeeding (Image: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre 9 by honou).

There’s no greater example of this than the enormous challenges the Obama Administration is facing in getting the government into the web 2.0 era. No one questions whether the mighty O and company get social media. But a prohibitive federal culture is designed to enforce privacy and security regulation, and protect agencies from getting lambasted publicly.

Quite frankly, as Allison Fine puts it, organizational silos prevent people from empowering their edge.  And many companies attempt social media with a trial balloon or a beach-head approach.  While this can be successful and in my book, represents a great way to introduce the power of social media, this short-term approach does not build an organization that can truly engage.

If an organization needs to become social media friendly –  from PR firms and nonprofits to enterprises and government agencies – then  a serious gut check needs to occur. Will our culture allow us to embrace these new tools? And more importantly, can we change the way we interact to allow more of our community into our business?

In the end, management must make a conscious decision to bring more voices to the table. This does not mean crowdsourcing your finances and trade secrets. It does acknowledge that real conversations involve more stakeholders than just the people inside the walls of the department/division/organization/enterprise. And that those people expect a genuine relationship with the organization using these tools.

That means the old ways of communicating won’t work. Publishing a Twitter feed, a blog, a Facebook group, a “viral” video is not the answer.  Instead change the way relational communications are approached throughout the organization. And to achieve that organizations will have to move a lot of folks’ cheese, so to speak, and spend some money.

If you are afraid of what will happen, here’s a few thoughts for you.

• Competitors will read your conversations. They will see what you are doing. And in most cases their efforts to emulate you will fail. Because they are not you, and while you are open, your core offering is your very special people and processes.
• Customers and partners will want to suggest that products/services/programs to be run differently. And you know what, a couple of their ideas will actually be improvements.
• The integrity of the company and internal relationships will not be drained. You will not lose power. Instead you will only strengthen relationships and add more human capital and equity to the equation (hat tip: Allison Fine).

There are so many case studies and books now about the power of social media, and the results it can achieve.  No, now it’s really a question of whether the C-suite is willing to embrace the painful change to become a socialprise. The C-suite needs to take responsibility for moving the cultural bar towards openness.

But a decision means nothing without the ensuing action. From a CxO perspective, how does one move an organization into the social, collaborative web? More coming soon.

What are your thoughts on all of this?