Facebook Killed the Blog, Part II

So, I found myself wondering the other day about Facebook's impact on blogs, again.

When blogs first hit the scene, some 13-15 years ago, they were really, the only gig in town. If you wanted to interact socially, it was blogs or forums or nothing.

Now, of course, Facebook (and Twitter, to a far lesser degree) is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Way too many people view Facebook and social media as completely synonymous (which, they're not).

So, here's an example.

My blog, obviously, is public-facing. Anyone can find it, read it, comment on it. I don't restrict the viewing of the blog to anyone.

But, when I promote the blog, I do it on Facebook, a lot of times. When my friends want to comment, they do that in response to my link post on Facebook; *NOT* on the blog. The net result is that 90 percent of the comments to my blog don't actually make it TO my blog; they're restricted to my circle of friends on Facebook. And, any other viewers might not see that a good deal of my posts actually generate a number of comments.

Now, ideally, blogs are meant to be viral -- viewers should read them, comment and share -- and by doing that, the readership grows. But, Facebook continues to make that less conducive. Now, in some cases, it's understandable that people don't want to post publicly (maybe they want to send something to me directly; and they don't want everyone to see what they've written). And, that's the bigger risk of social media -- the fact that the web makes things archivable and findable and permanent.

I thought about this a lot last year, while I was out of work -- ensuring that what I posted in various places made sense given the venue (in other words, public forums demanded one level of self-imposed privacy; Facebook demanded another; email conversations could be less concerning). I went back over my internet history and ensured that anything I had posted in a public setting was appropriate and suitable.

I basically subscribe to this version of internet privacy (something we all should follow), and I see the value in being more careful (even now that I'm no longer looking for a job). But, I think you need to know the setting you're in -- this doesn't mean you have to completely change your online personality, necessarily; it just means that, perhaps, that highly off-color joke is better served through email than on Facebook.

One of my favorite communications professionals, Shel Holtz, has a great saying -- "New media do not kill old media" -- and that's certainly true. All of these media work together -- email has a place; blogs have a place; and Facebook has a place. Unfortunately, I wonder if blogs have overstayed their welcome -- not really from a functional standpoint (I still think they're outstanding forms of communication); but from an audience perspective.

How NOT to Use Facebook

Obviously, as someone who works in communications, I’m pay special attention to the way various companies communicate with their customers. And, as someone who saw the value of social media long before there were such vehicles as Facebook or Twitter, it’s always both entertaining and disappointing when someone really doesn’t get it.

Take, for example, the Long Island Wine and Food Festival.

For a small, regional event, there are nearly 1700 people who like/follow it online. That’s good.

Last year was the first time the event was held, over a weekend in June. Not sure how many people actually attended; but starting last September, they started priming the pump for this year’s event. It started by asking people to vote for them for “Best North Fork Event.” And, by November, they were requesting recommendations for the 2011 event.

From then on, about once a month (or more frequently), they would post something on Facebook about “Hope everyone is looking forward to the festival,” or “The 2011 Festival is right around the corner.” Each time, you had an opportunity to head to their website.

Let’s visit, shall we?

That’s it – you can send them an email; or submit your email to get on their mailing list. No information on last year’s festival; nothing. And, the page has been like this for months. Each month, another post would go up on Facebook, directing visitors to their website.

Starting in mid-May, things start to spiral downhill:

May 14 – “Looking for information about the festival” – and a link to the page.

You won’t actually find any information; but you can send us an email or join our email list (which, by the way, why can’t the information in the email list *be* the information sent out via Facebook? I digress).

May 15 – the same link posted.

May 19 – the same link posted.

May 19 – “We would like to let you all know that it is confirmed, the festival has been postponed for this year! Hopefully we will see you all next year! Enjoy the summer! There are tons of great wineries to visit and restaurants to enjoy! Check back often for updated information. Don't forget to join our email list!”

 

Wow – so in nearly no time, everything is off (but, you can still join the email list).

 

So, I did what any other engaged customer would do – I posted a comment; basically asking what happened and how surprising it was, after the marketing blitz, to see the event canceled.

 

My comment was deleted.

 

So, I posted again; asking “when was it postponed until?”

 

I received back a response, “indefinitely.”

 

I posted again, “why?” And, then another 5-6 people posted after me, asking much the same thing, and expressing their disappointment.

 

That was 17 hours ago; so far, no response.

On so many levels, this is a complete failure from a communications standpoint. If there was an issue with the festival that could be addressed; you have 1700 people who have already said, “I want to see this happen” – tap into that network. Secondly, why the lack of transparency? This isn’t a cure for cancer or equally valuable trade secret; you’re putting together a weekend for tourists. Be honest with your audience – what’s the reason for it not happening? Is it lack of interest; is it lack of volunteers? Of course, posting through social media to ask people to go to your website to sign up for an email newsletter than will be delivered to my email periodically is so incredibly behind the times – you have 1700 fans on your facebook page … communicate with them directly!

But, then again, no one asked me.

Why Politicians Make Good Marketers (and Vice Versa)

So, I happened to catch a news broadcast this morning (I think it was on Good Morning America). The show featured an interview with a politician whom, apparently, was in a bit of a pickle last year. In October, he was "going through some things," and it resulted in nearly a quarter of his staff resigning.

So, he went on GMA this morning to set the record straight. What we learned was the following:

1. He's in a good place now.
2. He's taking care of his two kids.
3. He's taking care of his 88-year-old mother.
4. He got help.
5. He's in a good place now.

That's it -- over and over, regardless of the questions asked of him, his answers were the same: some variation of those answers.

And I got to thinking, most politicians are just good speakers (and some aren't even that!). Most don't actually write their own material -- they have speechwriters to do that for them. The only thing they're asked to do is speak effectively (and in the case of today's speaker, even that was a challenge). So, I thought, why aren't more marketing professionals turning to politics? An original thinker -- someone who can actually *think* of what to say, and say it effectively, should be a slam-dunk.

Much like how I did in grad school -- when you're able to write effectively, you're already 10 or 20 percent better than everyone else. I sat there, with my mouth wide open, listening to this politician spew the same stuff out over and over. And then I envisioned his speechwriter, who probably advised him to "mention" these few key points; doing the facepalm, while he heard his politician repeating the same lines over and over, like a trained parrot.

It's interesting that the older I get, the less "awed" I am by professions/people -- celebrities; politicians; doctors -- there's no mystique to them, anymore. Today's broadcast was another stark reminder....

Is Facebook Killing the Blog?

While it's popular to think that Facebook started the whole "social media" movement, it's also incredibly untrue. In fact, it's far more likely that the blog was the first form of social media -- it signaled a change from static, one-way communication to a more fluid conversation that took place online.

However, with the rise in popularity of Facebook, are blogs now completely passe?

Like many, I use Facebook to broadcast details of my life -- including, obviously, when I make new posts here on my blog. Invariably, people choose to comment not here on the blog; but back on Facebook; even though they, clearly, have to visit the blog to view the post.

Why is that? Is it that the blog isn't nearly as graphically pleasing as Facebook (and thus, the thought of leaving a comment here is less satisfying that leaving one on Facebook)? Is it that the people don't think I'll see it here (I do, rest assured)? Is it a selfish thing -- I think it's significantly easier these days to start building up a Facebook network than it is to build a blog following -- perhaps those leaving comments want the maximum exposure to their contributions; and Facebook probably offers that.

Is this signaling the end of the blog? For a period of time, new blogs were being created at insane paces. Now, it's just as easy to write a Facebook "note" and share it with your network. And, if the content is good, perhaps that network shares the "note" with their networks, and you build up your following equally as fast. Are there really any drawbacks?

So, is Facebook killing the blog? And -- perhaps more importantly -- is it really a worthy successor?

Why NaNoWriMo is a NoNo for me this year

Every November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and there's a full website dedicated to the 'contest' (where the only prize, of course, is completing your novel -- a pretty good prize!)

I seriously considered participating this year. After all, I'm not working. Conceivably, I should have more free time than any other period in my life. And, while that's true, I'm lacking structure (which I find refreshing, personally).

So, my commitment to NaNoWriMo lasted about 6 hours. More glaring than the lack of structure was, quite frankly, a lack of ideas. I didn't want to sit at a computer with ZERO ideas.

So, I also learned that November is National Blog Posting Month (and, again, there's a website. What *isn't* there a website for these days?). This, I can do (I think), and it will condition me to begin writing again, on an every-day basis.

But, I don't want to give up on NaNoWriMo entirely, so, I'm planning on doing some real idea-searching in the month of November (and probably December), and make writing something significant a real goal. I'll certainly be posting about that process this month, for sure (I already have a few ideas for the next few days' posts, coming up...)

Wish me luck! (and remember, you can get automatic updates each day, when I post -- which SHOULD be every day this month!)

Is anyone in charge?

As we approach November, that can only mean one thing -- election-time! I'm not going to get into a discussion of politics; but I did want to relay an interesting tale (or, actually, two tales).

A few months ago, before the primaries, I received a call from a survey-taker for Kathleen Rice, who was running for attorney general. At the end of the survey, I was asked if I would be able to volunteer any time to help Ms. Rice's campaign. In the past, I've almost always declined these offers, but I thought about it -- I *am* unemployed; and odds are there would be some great connections there -- and said, "sure, I'd consider it!"

I heard nothing for a week-or-so, and then, I got a phone call. The gentleman asked me what I was interested in doing, so I outlined my skillset -- communications, writing, etc. "Oh no," he said, "we don't need any help there -- we need help stuffing envelopes and making phone calls." I explained I was looking to make this a win-win possibility, and he asked me to send him my resume.

A few days later, I received a postcard in the mail for Ms. Rice's pre-primary day bash, held the Monday evening before the Primaries. Tickets were pricey (of course), but any volunteer who donated 10 hours of time, could attend for free. I immediately wrote the gentleman back again, and explained that, with that offer on the table, I would be happy to stuff envelopes (since it would lead to an opportunity to do something that would, in fact, better my chances of landing a position).

And, I waited. And waited. Sent another email, with no response. Finally, on the Monday (!) of the bash, I got a phone call from someone who said, "oh, you were passed on as someone who was interested in volunteering; would you be interested in handling duties in the office tonight, while the bash is going on?" I politely declined.

So, a few weeks ago, a walk-up surveytaker for Brian Foley (who's runing for NY State Senate), showed up at my door. I answered all the questions, and, at the end, I was asked, again, if I would be willing to volunteer (and also, if I would be willing to have a lawn sign on my property). Again, I expressed my interest in helping out, and I offered to have a lawn sign.

That was nearly three weeks ago. I haven't received any communication regarding my willingness to volunteer; and I have no lawn sign. I'm amazed that something as basic as providing a lawn sign seems beyond the capabilities of the "people in charge" at these campaigns.

If I was Mr. Foley, I'd take notice of the fact that Ms. Rice, ultimately, came up short in her campaign. I'm not saying that was entirely due to not using my skills to her advantage, but one never knows, does one?


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Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #1

And so, we've reached the end of our countdown. This is the top book on my list of books all communicators (and business people) should read.

This book is somewhat of an anomaly: It's a book about social media, written well before any true social media channels even existed. It's a book that *every* book about social media written since then, pays tribute to (in fact, if there's a book about social media that you find that *doesn't* mention this book, just put the other book down - it will be useless to you).

It's a book that every CEO and marketing director should have read; but most likely, most didn't (and, they've probably suffered for it, on some level).

To those who know me, the book will come as no surprise -- I've championed the book for years now. The Cluetrain Manifesto is 10 years old this year, and yet, nearly every word resonates as strongly as it did when it was first released. Written by four authors (Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searsls, David Weinberger), the book foreshadowed the coming of what we term 'social media.'

I think it's important to identify social media -- too many people (including interviewers) ask, "do you know social media? Do you use Facebook and Twitter?" Facebook and Twitter are, in fact, quite useful channels for social media (just like blogs), but they are not all-encompassing of social media. Social media is more of a comprehensive movement -- one that embraces clear, conversational two-way communication over the previous standard jargon-filled, pompous writing of corporate America.

Facebook and Twitter were born out of the need for channels that would enable that type of communication; but it's infinitely more important to understand the concept (and the benefits) social media presents.

The book's name dervies from a quote from a veteran of a firm that free-fell out of the Fortune 500 -- "The clue train stopped there four times a day for ten years and they never took delivery."

Admittedly, the book is not easy to read. In fact, in the foreward, the guest author says, "...this is no feel-good book. Though the broad theme is overwhelmingly optimistic, the details will make you squirm. This is an obituary for business-as-usual. It reveals how the Internet has made your entry-level employees as powerful as your senior vice-president of marketing."

I've said many times the book is hard to get through. It's one of the most audacious, pretentious and condescending books I've ever read. The entire book, I felt annoyed with the authors - almost a feeling of "...who do these guys think they are?" And then, at the end of the book, you realize they really were the smartest guys in the room. It's certainly not a pleasant feeling; but it's one everyone owes to themselves to feel.

And, although you can buy it from Amazon, you can also read the entire book for free online. That's how important the book is, and how strongly the authors believe in what they wrote -- you can access the entire book (in PDF, ASCII or html format) on its website: www.cluetrain.com.

The book opens up with powerful content: "Corporate firewalls have kept smart employees in and smart markets out. It's going to cause real pain to tear those walls down..."

The book then launches into its 95 Theses (I warned you it was arrogant). Here's a sampling of some of the powerful ideas discussed there:

1. Markets are conversations.
2. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
16. Companies that speak in the language of the pitch are no longer speaking to anyone.
17. Companies that assume online markets are the same markets that used to watch their ads on television are kidding themselves.
40. Companies that do not belong to a community of discourse will die.
45. Intranets naturally tend to route around boredom.
52. Paranoia kills conversation. But lack of open conversation kills companies.
74. We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.
94. To traditional corporations, networked conversations may appear confused, may sound confusing. But, we are organizing faster than they are. We have better tools, more new ideas, no rules to slow us down.
95. We are waking up and linking to each other. We are watching. But we are not waiting.

The book is about 180 pages long, and each page, basically, begs companies (and marketing professionals) to change the way they communicate -- with their customers and with their colleagues. There are seven LONG chapters that - as stated above - are fairly difficult to get through; but the end result is worth it.

To put the book's impact into perspective, here's a brief list of the services launched AFTER Cluetrain:

• Wikipedia
• Second Life
• Facebook
• MySpace
• iTunes
• Flickr
• World of Warcraft
• YouTube
• Podcasts

And, the first blogs were launched in August 1999 -- just a few months prior to Cluetrain's release.

Smart companies have already adopted what the authors recommended; for some companies, there may still be time to salvage their operations; for others, it's already too late (something the recent recession probably accelerated).

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #2

I know I've prefaced this book countdown by saying these books are must-reads for communicators and business people, but that mantra really holds through for these final two books.

A quick background - when I was younger, in middle school, my career goal was to be a sabermetrician. There's no listing for that position in the Department of Labor. Basically, it was a term coined by Bill James, to reflect interest in baseball statistics and new ways to interpret them.

So, in 9th grade, I was taking an independent study course, and my project was going to be to write a book about sabermetrics. I was unable to reach James, but I did find a willing mentor in Craig Wright, who was a contemporary of James; the main difference being that Wright was working for the Texas Rangers in that capacity.

One day, I asked him, "what courses do I need to focus on to become a sabermetrician?" And, he replied, without hesitating, "English." I was confused. I'd expected to hear something like statistics or algebra or calculus or accounting; why would English be important? I asked him if he'd heard my initial question, since his answer didn't seem to make sense. He said (and, I remember this as if it was yesterday - it may be the most meaningful comment I've ever heard in my life), "If you can't effectively communicate your findings, it's as good as never having done them in the first place."

So - communications matters to everyone - not just communicators. Smart business people know this.

Our #4 book, Made to Stick, is the top-rated writing-focused book on my list. While there are some books that are classics (like the great Elements of Style), this "writing" book is appropriate for all audiences.

And, in a definite change of pace from the rest of this list, the tips in this book are not dedicated to social media. Then again, good content is good content, regardless of the channel being used.

The authors (brothers Chip and Dan Heath) term content that is memorable as "sticky," and they list six factors that contribute to stickiness:

• Simplicity (it can't be too complex)
• Unexpectednes (if the audience sees it coming, it won't capture their attention)
• Concreteness (ideas must be explained in human actions to avoid being ambiguous and/or meaningless)
• Credibility (if the information is too unbelievable, it won't be sticky)
• Emotional (you need to connect with the audience)
• Stories (metaphors and anecdotes resonate far more than abstract concepts)

Each of these six factors includes ample examples of how content was made sticky. And, each of them is powerful (and realistic, more importantly - the reader completely believes creating sticky content is well within his grasp).

The book opens, inronically, with a story that is sticky while being completely untrue (but credible, so it qualifies as sticky). The story - the Kidney Heist - has been told time and again, and has preserved its stickiness by adhering to the six factors above (even though it's untrue). Such is the power of creating communication that is sticky.

There's not really a bad example in the book. I'm going to list two here that I have been lucky enough to remember to this day (but, by no means are these the only good examples -- the whole book is chock full of them).

1. (From the "Credible" section): The use of vivid details helps build credibility. An organization - Beyond War - wanted to address the following paradox: When we see a child running with scissors, we wince; but when we read newspaper articles about nuclear weapons, it provokes, at best, a moment of dismay.

To get their point across, the organization would arrange house parties where a representative would speak with guests. One common presentation would involve a metal bucket and BB pellets. At the appropriate point in the presentation, the speaker would take a metal BB out of his pocket and drop it in the empty bucket. "This is the Hiroshima bomb," he'd say, as the BB made a loud clatter. He'd then spend a few minutes describing the devastation of the bomb - the miles of flattened buildings, the tens of thousands killed instantly.

Then, he'd drop 10 BBs into the bucket. This clatter was louder and more chaotic. "This is the firepower of the missiles on one U.S. or Soviet nuclear submarine." Then, he'd ask the attendees to close their eyes. "This is the world's current arsenal of nuclear weapons," he'd say, as he poured 5,000 BBs into the bucket - one for every nuclear warhead in the world. The noise was startling and terrifying. The roar of the BBs went on and on, and then, there was always dead silence.

This is a great example of how to make something abstract more credible -- how to turn a statistic like 5,000 warheads into something meaningful. The demonstration added a sensory dimension to an otherwise abstract concept. It turned an abstract statistic into something sticky.

2. (From the "Unexpected" section): Nora Ephron, a famous screenwriter, started her career as a journalist. Her first day of journalism class in high school, she walked into the class with a sense of what a journalist does - they get the facts and report them. To get the facts, you track down the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why).

The teacher announced the first assignment. They would write the lead of a newspaper story for the school paper. The teacher reeled off the facts, "Kenneth Peters, principal of the high school, announced today that the entire high school faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a seminar on new teaching methods. Among the speakers will be anthropologist Margaret Mead, college professor Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins and California governor Edmund "Pat" Brown."

The budding writers sat at their typewriters and pecked out their first leads. According to Ephron, she and most of the other students, produced leads that reordered the facts into one sentence, "Governor Pat Brown, Margaret Mead and Robert Maynard Hutchins will address the High School faculty Thursday in Sacramento ... blah, blah, blah."

The teacher collected the leads and scanned the rapidly. Then, he laid them aside and paused for a moment. Finally, he said, "The lead to the story is, 'There will be no school next Thursday!'"

There are two key points: 1) know your audience and 2) writing is more than just the 5 Ws; it also means figuring out the point and why it matters.

**************************************************

This is - by far - the best book on communicating I've ever read. Each example is powerfully chosen and the concept of "stickiness" is spot-on. If you're responsible for communicating, this is the book for you. But, even if it isn't your primary responsibility, this is a book for everyone to read. There's just too much good information here for the book to be dismissed as a "communications" book.

Next up - the #1 book, and the one that truly revolutionized the world of communications.

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #3

So, for the #3 book, we're going to go *way* back to 2006 (seemingly an eternity ago for communications theory). While this isn't the oldest book on the list (we'll actually get to that one when we hit the #1 book next week), the #3 book -- Naked Conversations -- is still a landmark book in the field of social media.

Authored by Robert Scoble (one of the early adopters of social media, and still a frequent blogger at scobleizer.com) and Shel Israel (who penned the #5 book on this list), Naked Conversations is one of the first books to analyze the impact blogging can have on a business.

Two quick asides: First, as you look at Robert Scoble's blog, you're struck by how ... stark ... it is. There's no flash, no intricate designs. It's done (I think) on Wordpress, and it's a great reminder that even today, content is kind. When Scoble posts, people read (most bloggers would kill to get 1/10th his traffic). In the end, it doesn't matter what cool things you have on your website; people are drawn to killer content.

Second, I think an awful lot of people throw the term "social media" around, expecting that it just refers to the channels (Facebook, blogs, etc.). While those channels are certainly included, I think a hallmark of social media is also the transformation from more formal communication to more conversational - and, blogs do that really well. Still, social media includes more than just Facebook, Twitter and blogging. The key word there is "social."

On to Naked Conversations. One of the key messages of the book is that people don't trust big companies. The first company cited is Microsoft, which - for many years - was termed "the Evil Empire." In more recent years, the fervor around that nickname has died down considerably; program manager Joshua Allen, Microsoft's first blogger, attributes blogging as having had the most impact on that shift in perception.

Once Allen began blogging, his boss received an internal email demanding he be fired. This request would continue. All were ignored. When the number of bloggers reached 15, Legal started worrying. By March 2005, there were 1500 active bloggers at Microsoft. "Legal is still worrying," Allen says., "but we haven't had anyone do something so incredibly stupid that it required a blogging policy and none has ever been issued."

This all goes back to primary tenet of blogging -- people will not do stupid things just because they have new tools. Throughout history, new tools have been routinely introduced; smart people don't suddenly do dumb things because of that.

In the book, a total of six characteristics are identified, and referred to as the "Six Pillars of Blogging." Although some communication channels exist that have some of these; none have all, besides blogging (and, probably, micro-blogging, as well):

1. Publishable (anyone can publish a blog; for free, even).
2. Findable (through search engines, technorati, you can find blogs by subject, author or both).
3. Social (as mentioned before - the opportunity to comment and have one-to-one or one-to-many conversations simultaneously).
4. Viral (information spreads faster through blogs than through other channels).
5. Syndicatable (most/all (?) blogs have RSS enabled, which makes it infinitely easier to stay up to speed on what you're reading (shameless pitch - read my post on RSS)).
6. Linkable (most blogs will constantly link to other blogs/sites to keep the information chain going; it's safe to say linking is one of the most important things blogs can do (and that helps with the viral spreading of information)).

I often feel, reading these books, like succeeding in social media is like capturing lightning in a bottle. For each success you read (Skype and Firefox, for example, effectively *launched* using nothing more than blogs), there are countless of others that fail. Certainly, one of the most accessible aspects of Web 2.0 tools is that - for the most part - they're free, and therefore, it's not crushing to start over. Imagine if Skype had launched in a traditional way - printed brochures; broadcast advertising - and then, what if it had failed? Nowadays, that could be a death knell for a company.

Like most of the books on my list, this book is chock full of great, real-life examples. You can read about large businesses, small businesses and how they blog and the impact those blogs have had on their success. You get to read about companies that don't do it correctly (and how the impact *that* has). There are no rules to blogging (as of yet), but there are certainly accepted best practices -- and you get to see many of them through this book.

Naked Conversations wasn't groundbreaking - the authors admit as much in the Introduction to the book. They readily admit that, quite a few years earlier, another book had laid much of the groundwork towards this transformation (and that book is still coming on the countdown ...), but this was one of the first books to be written during the rise in popularity of the blog; and when a number of companies were in the process of starting to include blogs in their corporate strategies (for external audiences; even now, many companies don't see the value of blogging internally, regrettably).

For example, here are three images (from 2006, 2007, 2008) that show the rise in popularity of blogs. You can see, clearly, from 2004-2006, there was a marked increase in the number of blogs created daily and the cumulative number of blogs. While there are still a great number being created each day, the rampant increase has slowed slightly.

It's no surprise this book was written when it was - companies were searching for a knowledgeable voice to lead them, and they found it. What's great is that the guidelines and examples presented in this book are still applicable today. There's a reason this is #3 on the list, and it's a must-have for any communicator.

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #4

The #4 book on my list of Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) is one of two books that isn't, directly, about social media (although, you could argue that social media is certainly more than simply a channel, but rather, is a philosophy about how to communicate, in which case, this book certainly qualifies):

Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway and Jon Warshawsky
In 2003, Deloitte Consulting released a program, known as "Bullfighter," which intended to point out corporate-speak and jargon in various written communication. It integrated nicely with Microsoft Word, and writers were astonished to see how far from transparent they really were.

A few years later, those same people decided to write a book, which outlined much of what Bullfighter tried to point out in its execution. And, much like Shel Holtz's Corporate Conversations book (which I covered in my Honorable Mentions post), as well as a few other boks on this list yet to come, there's not much in this book that is groundbreaking - but, we've created a pretty deep pool of corporate-speak; it's less important to find innovative ways to communicate; and far better to keep reinforcing the concept of natural conversations.

In the first chapter, Fugere, etc., outlines a sample corporate communication that we all face each day when we go to work:

After extensive analysis of the economic factors and trends facing our industry, we have concluded that a restructuring is essential to maintaining competitive position. A task force has been assembled to review the issues and opportunities, and they will report back with a work plan for implementing the mission-critical changes necessary to transform our company into a more agile, customer-focused enterprise.

If we could throw in a "leverage," a "core competencies" and a reference to "low-hanging fruit," we would hit on nearly every instance of corporate speak.

The first chapter of this book doesn't try to lull you into seeing its point -- it jumps out at you, and attacks the concepts we've grown to accept, and then helps you break them down. They identify four 'traps' that writers fall into when writing - obscurity (the "empty calories" of business communication - long, heady words that mean less than the shorter words that could have (and should have) been chosen, anonymity (the stripping away of all personality in communication), hard-selling (over-promising and relying on focusing on the positive as compared to focusing on the real), and tedium (avoiding any details in writing).

In fact, you could argue that three of those four traps are all inter-related. They all deal with a lack of natural conversation - something that makes all the difference in the world. At my last company, they deduced that the number-one influencer over our company getting a sale, compared to another company, was our relationship with the company -- the personal connections we made with the colleagues at that company. Clearly, those relationships didn't form or nurture through communications that featured the type of writing above ... it's safer to say that those relationships formed through natural, mutually-respected communications; very similar to what this book proposes.

This book is chock full of great examples of the types of writing and situations that qualify under those four traps (and, better still, it provides greater examples of situations that don't qualify and compares the two). It slices and dices the concept of using email as a business tool (and, finally relents to say, perhaps there is a place for email; but certainly not the way it's currently used.

Perhaps the most basic of all tenets is repeated over and over in this book. The idea of "Show, Don't Tell" is one of the most elementary concepts to writing. In the chapter on Tedium, Fugere etc. include a real excerpt from a Fortune 500 CEO's message to the organization:

We continue to be recognized as one of the best places to work in America. Our human resources programs are being copied by others for their innovation and effectiveness.

Perhaps, like me, initially, you didn't see anything wrong with that - and, in truth, there's isn't anything *wrong* with that. But, it certainly can be better. As the book points out, the interesting part is that the executive was speaking the truth; the company is an HR leader, but rather than simply saying this, he should have demonstrated the truth - not through a boring recitation of mind-numbing statistics, but with a couple of stories that make the point. Where's the data that proves these statements? Third-party recommendations? Internal surveys? Which companies are copying the company and how does the company *know* other companies are copying them?

The art of not speaking like an idiot is one that takes time to learn. It doesn't happen overnight; not with the amount of training we've all had. As a great first step, I ranked this book #4 on my list of Top 5 Books for Communicators and Business People.

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - #5

The #5 book on my list of Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) is also the newest one on the list:

Twitterville, by Shel Israel
Before reading this book, I was quite undecided on the purpose/use of Twitter as a business tool. I certainly saw the use as a general information tool (and, I'll admit I've used it to 'follow' celebrities, all of whom have mobile devices and use the tool as a way to stay "in touch" with fans).

But, I didn't think there was much hope for the tool in the business world. It smacked of 'fad', and - maybe more terrifyingly - a continued devolving of the written word (something that has already suffered greatly).

Unlike Twitter Power, which I reviewed last week, in the Honorable Mentions post on this topic, Twitterville doesn't provide a step-by-step process for setting up an account and using Twitter. It assumes you already have an account, and it shows you how other companies have used the tool to their advantage (and, in some cases, how using it might have helped other companies).

The book starts by outlining how Twitter began; from the original company (Odeo) to the new initiative. It discusses Twitter's "coming-out" party at Austin's popular South by Southwest festival (SXSW), where it gained rapid acceptance, as attendees used the tool to find each other and to share recommendations of which day and night events to attend.

I won't recap the entire book -- safe to say, there are ample demonstrations of companies using Twitter in a business capacity -- Dell, Comcast (which has truly embraced Twitter as a tool -- now boasting a 10-person Twitter Team for customer service), Southwest Airlines, Pepsi, Zappos (obviously) and even H&R Block. And, as I mentioned earlier, a nearly equal number of companies that haven't taken to the tool (or any real tool for that matter) with details of the damage caused by their ignorance towards social media.

There are discussions on using Twitter in b2b settings; for recruiting; and for branding; as well as an abundance of examples on the uses in customer service.

At this point, there should be no doubt that social media is here to stay -- as I mentioned in the first post in this series, three of the books deal with social media, specifically. The fact that newer, faster (and more comprehensive) tools are being introduced proves that companies may finally be "getting it." Unfortunately, the fact that this rise in awareness coincides with the worst economic recession has done little to make people believers (I can hear the nay-sayers now, asking, "well, if social media is so great, why aren't we recovering faster?") Sigh.

I heartily recommend this work - it's a truly comprehensive book on the influence of Twitter, and - while every tip/anecdote in the book won't be a great fit for every company, even a small nugget is worth the $16 this book will set you back.

Top 5 Books for Communicators (and Business People) - The Honorable Mentions

This is the beginning of a series I've been planning for a while, on the Top 5 Books for Communicators (and business people in general). While they're definitively communication-related, any business person who doesn't think communication is an integral part of doing business - especially today - is missing the boat.

Accordingly, at least two of the top 5 are devoted to social media; while one is almost certainly the forefather of the movement. At least 4 of the books I'll be covering were instrumental in the crafting of my communications model (for which I received the Achievement in Communications Award in 2008 from the International Association of Business Communicators).

I chose to deal more with philosophical works as compared to tactical books; but, there are some outstanding tactical books available. Since I've relied upon many of those to hone my skills, I thought it would be appropriate to pay some homage to the best tactical books. Consider these my "Honorable Mentions."

Beyond Spin, by Markos Kounalakis, Drew Banks, Kim Daus.
This one may be more philosophical than tactical, but only slightly. It attempts to explain how corporate journalism (or business communications) differs from public relations. In business journalism, it's imperative that the information/conversation be open and transparent; not pumped up to sound like propaganda. Since, especially with regards to internal communications, the audience is the workplace, it's very important they not view the communication as being less-than-honest. Any gains made from the fabricated information is easily trashed by the incremental lack of trust that will build up in the organization.

There's a lot of high-brow information here, and the sentiment is valuable; but I think other books make the point a little more easily.

Twitter Power, by Joel Comm
Admittedly, I've read the first version of this book (and, to show the growth of Twitter, there's already a second version - the first version came out in 2009!)

We're going to cover Twitter more in depth in a later installment, but, this book does a great job of getting someone up-and-running with a Twitter account. It begins by discussing social media in general and then, identifies how Twitter fits into that landscape. Details on signing up, posting and designing a profile follow.

And, then, it launches into how to build a following and how to use Twitter for business and team communication. It's easily one of the best primers I've read on going from zero to 60 in the Twitter world. What it lacks (which is why it's an honorable mention) are case studies; real-world examples of how these tactics have worked. Even still, this is a definite read for anyone looking to learn more about Twitter.

The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing, by Natalie Canavor, Claire Meirowitz
Admittedly, I'm slightly biased, as I know both Natalie and Claire - and, Natalie was one of the judges on the panel when I won my award (and Claire was the president of the organization at the time).

This is a solid book on writing, broken into a great format. It's a VERY broadly focused book -- with 52 "truths" (or tips) for writers. These truths are separated into different sections - self-editing, letters, new media, websites, etc. These truths include gems on "forget outlines - organize your thinking," "less can be a whole lot more"and "know your email dos and don'ts."

It avoids being preachy (no small feat!) and sprinkles in enough examples of how to perform the tips. Most of the tips are discussed in fewer than three pages, which makes the book easy to digest and understand.

Although there are no case studies, there are a number of instances of when it makes sense to employ these tasks (for example, the lead in to the tip on "Effective Messages Lead with Strength" is "Did you freeze whenever your high school or college teachers told you to develop a "strong thesis statement" for your "essays"?). This is authentic - something everyone can identify with - and certainly better than any metaphor. The entire book follows this same format.

Corporate Conversations, by Shel Holtz
I've had the pleasure of meeting Shel Holtz several times at various conventions. He's on my short list of people I "pay attention to." His book - Corporate Conversations - was one of the first I read when I was named to my position as corporate communications manager.

It was incredibly difficult to not include this in the top 5 - but, I think most of the top 5 books are more focused (which, almost became a barometer, I guess).

This book is completely dedicated to internal communications (although, many of the tactics are not all that dissimilar to the practice of external communications). He breaks things down into planning, tools, online tools, communicating bad news and communicating change. He preserves the identity of the companies he's worked with (and for) by attributing the "bad" communication practices to Amalgamated Pulp & Paper (a clueless company) and the "good" practices to Allied Gate & Fence, a company taking advantage of the fruits of effective internal communication.

Shel is a great author - he gets right into the information, without spending a lot of time trying to sell you on why internal communications is important, preferring, instead, to show through the plentiful examples.

When my last company needed to communicate bad news, I followed his guidelines -- tell employees first, deal with rumors, be candid and comprehensive, focus on the future and be visible.

Everything in this book is practical, hard-hitting and incredibly useful. It's a must-have for anyone in the communications world (and, almost certainly for any business person -- as Shel says, 'if communications is not a company's main priority, all its other priorities are at risk.') And, more than ever, today, internal/employee communications are even more important than when Shel wrote this book, back in 2004. The recession and subsequent reduction of benefits and increase in productivity have led to record-lows in employee engagement. One of the key components to improving employee engagement is communications.

For a tactical book, this is my #1 choice, bar none. And, although it's set up for internal audiences, I'd suggest all the information in the book is appropriate for external audiences, as well.

Next week, I'll tackle the #5 and #4 books on my list. Any guesses as to what will be in the top 5? Any books you think *should* be in there?

Four Mass Media Memorable Moments

This year marks 20 years since I started watching the NCAA college basketball tournament religiously. I got to thinking about the circumstances that led to that, which led to this post - four moments (not intentionally, all tragedies) that I'll remember forever. While I don't always remember "where I was when ..." I do think, on some level, each of these events changed my life forever. They're listed chronologically; not in order of importance (in truth, these four are so drastically different in terms of impact on the world, it would be inappropriate to "rank" them).

1. Thurman Munson Dies in Plane Crash (8/2/79)
I was 12 (just two days before I'd turn 13). Baseball was my favorite sport and Thurman Munson was my favorite player. I wasn't particularly good at baseball, and I hated playing catcher, but Munson did both, and I wanted to be like him desperately.

(I eventually became ~okay~ at baseball. I became a decent fielding second baseman, and I was quick, with a good batting eye; although my coaches later realized it wasn't so much a good batting eye, as much as sheer terror keeping the bat on my shoulder. I don't know that I ever actually *hit* a pitched baseball more than 10 times in my career).

The impact of Munson's death was probably the first step towards moving me away from baseball (and more towards basketball, I suppose). It was also the first experience I'd had with 'death' - even in such an abstract way. It may have been the first experience with tragedy I'd had. I do remember that I didn't find out on my own - my mother came and told me (which probably wasn't particularly easy for her, either).

2. Shuttle Challenger Explodes (1/28/86)


People don't necessarily remember how big of a deal this was at the time -- this flight featured one of the first civilians ever to fly on a shuttle - a teacher, Christa McAuliffe. The media promoted this experience heavily. And, although I was in school at the time, the news spread quickly that something had happened. I remember racing home to watch the TV report (today, of course, all the students would just whip out their web-enabled mobile phones).

What followed was one of the most horrifying sights I'd seen. As I was unfamiliar with the space program, etc., I did not even recognize the explosion for what it was (if you see the CNN video of the event, it's fairly clear the announcer there didn't either: a good 35-40 seconds go by before he says anything about an explosion -- he's still talking about the shuttle and the mechanics of the separation, even while the mission is effectively over).

Even today, nearly a quarter-century later, it's still chilling to watch.

3. Hank Gathers Dies (3/4/90)


This was different than the Thurman Munson tragedy, in that Gathers was young and died while ACTUALLY playing the game. Gathers played for Loyola-Marymount University, a program that had never achieved, well, *anything* prior to his arrival (and, hasn't achieved anything since).

I had watched parts of the NCAA tournament before - the earliest I remember was 1985, when Villanova shot the lights out, beating a heavily favored Georgetown team; and I watched the finals in 1986 (my first exposure to Duke - still my favorite team, even though they lost) and all the way up through 1989, when I was in college, and we had to reserve the TV lounge to watch the finals.

But, 1990 was different - Gathers (and Bo Kimble) were leading a program that had no real right to lay any claim to the NCAA tournament. They played a VERY uptempo game that seemingly was based on the concept of each team taking as many shots as possible in a game, and, hopefully, Loyola-Marymount would make more. And that worked (until they ran into the buzzsaw that was UNLV in the tournament - still one of the most exciting games I've ever seen).

Seeing Gathers collapse just seconds after a great dunk, was damned scary - and, for someone *in* college at the time, this was something that hit home hard. This was different than Len Bias, who died because he'd dabbled in cocaine; this was someone who died doing something he loved ... something *I* loved doing, as well!

And, Bo Kimble's tribute to his late friend (shooting free throws left-handed) still ranks as one of the most emotional additions to a sporting event. It's impossible to watch this without getting at least a little misty-eyed.

The net effect of this is very apparent in my life. That year, I watched the entire tournament - beginning to end, for the first time in my life. I have done the same thing every year - this year, marking the 20th anniversary.

4. September 11, 2001 (9/11/01)


For my generation, I think 9/11 is the "where were you when ..." moment. It's still a sickening memory, and yet, one I remember vividly.

I was home for the day -- my wife had needed me to go into NYC to handle some paperwork for her, and I was planning on going in later in the day. When we woke up, we turned on the TV (around 8:50am), and simultaneously bolted up from the bed into a 90 degree angle. The first scene we saw was the gaping hole in the side of the WTC.

Over the next few hours, I don't know that I moved my eyes from a TV -- over the next few days, I don't know that I slept. A host of emotions were flowing through me -- not the least of which was the recollection of the number of times I'd had breakfast meetings at Windows on the World, just one year prior (probably around 6-7 times, in total).

I had several friends in NYC - some walked out of the city, over the Brooklyn Bridge. One had had an interview that morning at the WTC, but one day earlier, he learned he'd been accepted into the Fire Academy, so he canceled his interview. Ultimately, I was fortunate to only know 1-2 people that actually passed away: one, was someone I'd attended college with for two years, until he'd transferred out (Damian Meehan); the other, was someone that rode on the same train as I -- and, as we'd pull into Ronkonkoma, we'd both be standing by the door, and occasionally, we'd chat. I didnt even know his name ...


So, those are my four mass-media memorable moments. I'm inclined to think tragedies stick around longer in our consciousness than celebrations, etc. (so, while I remember the hubbub surrounding Princess Diana's wedding; I remember her passing more vividly).

What are some of your mass-media moments?