Shel Horowitz on Social Media |
| Blooker Comments - Social Media | |||
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Interview with Shel Horowitz, author, blogger and ethical marketing expert. When Sandy sent out requests for comment on the issue of social media, she got this response from "ethical marketing expert" Shel Horowitz: "As a trend-watcher, blogger, author of six books on marketing and PR, and social media participant/strategist who was trained as a journalist, I'd be glad to help." OK, Shel, you're on!  How do you use social media in your line of work?SH: To build/expand networks, develop interest in my products and services, and to receive assistance when I need resources, have questions, etc. Do you foresee much impact from social media in major news operations such as newspapers and TV news, or in the future of journalism generally? SH: Absolutely. Journalists bring many important things to the table: professional training, good writing skills, nose for what's real and what's fake ... but they need to accommodate the new realities of instant buzz, disintermediation, etc. There seems to be a quick turnover/burnout rate in Twitter and devices such as Facebook and YouTube seem used mainly by the young. Whether these devices can become or remain profitable is in doubt. Do you see these as permanent limitations on the scope of social media? SH: No. Those who are smart enough to work with, rather than against, the medium (and the individual culture of a particular community) will succeed. This has been true since Usenet and BBSs in the 1980s. Those who try to shove square pegs into round holes ... the majority will fail. And BTW, Boomers are the fastest-growing demographic on Facebook. Of the various social media, do you see any one in particular as having the greatest potential on the media or generally in society? Any that will fade? SH: Just as MySpace faded very quickly when something better came along, I think Facebook and Plaxo and many others are vulnerable because their user experience/interface leaves a lot to be desired. As one example among many: how hard it can be to return to a page after several intermediate clicks. So they will eventually either evolve or be replaced, just as the very unfriendly listservs of the 1990s morphed into Yahoogroups, which vastly simplified use and grew lightning-fast. Which would mean more to you, a Twitter message from someone or an old-fashioned handwritten note from that same person? Do social media represent a dumbing down of America, a liberation of new possibilities, or both, or neither? SH: For me, It's much more about content than form. I'd prefer a really useful, helpful, informative tweet to a handwritten bit of gibberish. But I'd prefer a handwritten note to a random, inane tweet, even if the content were about equal. Hybrids like SendOutCards.com may have quite a future. They're very personal and individualized, but they are generated by computer. Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summit complained that players on the team bus were texting each other rather than speaking face to face. Your reaction? SH: She's right. If you're sitting in a bus with someone you want to talk to, talk to them! Unless you want the "electronic paper trail" or the mass-broadcast facilities. But the lines are blurring. If I'm giving a speech and some people are tweeting highlights of my talk in real time (yes, this has happened), I'd consider it an honor ... that my stuff is good enough to want to share. Others might be insulted because the tweeter was not giving 100 percent attention ... but I don't see it as materially different than taking notes, except that these notes actually serve to broaden my audience. The Obama campaign used social media for organizing and a means of getting out the message. Can you see an expansion of uses of social media, perhaps taking a serious turn with politicians and public officials using them to create better policies? SH: Yes, especially those who are willing to have real two-way dialog. Twitter as a real-time polling device has enormous potential that almost no one is exploring meaningfully. There have been abuses in the social media such as parody sites allowed on Twitter that pretend to be a celebrity's thoughts but really aren't. Is there much abuse in your opinion and if so, how can it be prevented? SH: I haven't paid much attention to this phenomenon, and I think it'll be hard to control ... other than having an appeal process in place where the actual celeb can reclaim the username. Parody is fair game but should be disclosed. Do you have any other thoughts on social media you wish to share? SH: Marketers who are not doing social media are going to miss the boat. In addition to redefining the relationship between consumers and business/celebrities, it's powerful, easy, extremely cheap and still in its infancy. Ignoring it would be like riding a horse to work in New York City in 1925. Important things will happen and pass you by if you don't participate. And there are ways to keep participation meaningful without chewing up all your time.
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