Archive for year 2010
Wikileaks: Truth and Consequences
Dec 12th
The Wikileaks controversy has been weighing heavily on my mind and heart. I can’t imagine a more complex or emotional web-related issue to consider.
I’m conflicted. As a former journalist I value the role of the press as a checks-and-balance in a free society. With the declining resources available through traditional news media, it’s crucial that new media models somehow fill the void. And Wikileaks has undoubtedly exposed some areas of true corruption.
I also appreciate the important and courageous role of the whistle-blower as a soldier against injustice.
But whether you consider Wikileaks and its editor Julian Assange heroic or evil, there some questions that will impact us all …
Will leaks enable peace and political reform or impede it? The prospect of being WikiLeaked will turn nations inward; open sharing of information between countries will decrease. Centralization of secrets, rather than any kind of improved transparency, will be the result of uncensored leaks. Progressive work in the name of peace just got more difficult it seems. WikiLeaks may be a temporary victory for transparency but will it result in real reform or heightened secrecy?
What ethical guidelines should be observed? The new web mandate seems to be “publish because you can.” True journalists are conditioned to live with strict codes of conduct to help guard the integrity of the institution and the fact-gathering process. Never mind civility or common sense. What about basic human morality? Even if you despised a cause or a government, could you personally make a decision to reveal information that could cost an innocent human life?
Shouldn’t some secrets remain secret? Exposing corruption is beneficial. Exposing gossip and information that simply embarrasses is sensational. Publicizing secrets that jeopardize national security could actually be corrosive to freedom, diplomacy and democracy. I know this opens up a whole new debate — who decides what should be a secret?
Isn’t morality absolute? For a moment, go back to September 11, 2001. Wherever you were in the world, you probably experienced deep sadness, shock and horror. Would you feel any differently if Wikileaks shared secrets about America’s operations against Al Quaeda on Sept. 12, 2001? Is patriotism a matter of timing? Is morality?
What happens when Wikileaks applies to all of us? It’s fine to debate these developments when they involve a third party you will never know but would you feel the same way if you and your family were caught up in the issue? The implications of uncensored publication of “secrets” is profound. It’s fashionable to criticize the U.S. government, but what happens when the leak occurs in your own company?
I’ve been in business a long time. I’ve led teams in the negotiation of multi-billion-dollar contracts and I know that working a high-pressure deal with stakes that enormous can be ugly. It involves diplomacy in every sense of the word. Sometimes we hate what our customers put us through and internal documents and recorded conversations may even reflect that sentiment. In the heat of battle, we may say things in private that would embarrass us in public.
Are internal company documents — that have nothing to do with corruption – fair game for public consumption, too? Would it be OK for me to publish private documents that would embarrass you, destroy business relationships, jeopardize your company … and maybe even end your career and family?
There is a direct parallel between this scenario and what is happening through Wikileaks today. After all, much of the material that WikiLeaks has published has had little to do with revealing “unethical behavior” in governments and corporations. It’s voyeurism.
What is this really all about any way? The first suspect arrested from the ensuing cyber-war that erupted after the arrest of Assange was a 16-year-old hacker. Was this boy a freedom fighter or is it more likely that he was just looking for any excuse to display his considerable skills to hack into a government site? Is Wikileaks an important evolution in creating institutional transparency or is it just another place for Facebook cyber-bullies to get a thrill? Is this about political reformation or global fame and fortune for Julian Assange?
What is the “check” against Wikileaks? While the threat of leaked documents might provide a check against corruption, what is the balance against a lawless Internet to wield power that might legitimately jeopardize lives and national security?
I know I haven’t provided any answers … but that’s why you’re here. Are you conflicted as I am, or do you have an idea of where this will lead? The debate is yours. All views are welcomed in the comment section …
20 of the all-time best Twitter bios
Dec 9th
Twitter biographies might be the ultimate creative-writing challenge. You have 160 characters to spin your personal story! Here are 20 great mini-biographies that caught my eye and stole my heart. Enjoy!
@QueenRania
A mum and a wife with a really cool day job…
@Glinner
I apologise in advance.
@oilman
Recommended by 4 out of 5 people that recommend things.
@TheMadHat
Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with, and then the different branches of arithmetic — Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.
@AllisonBatof
Naturally and artificially flavoured
@BittrBetty
Just some chick bitching about her effed up life and stuff…
@maxxhendriks
I was born. When I was 11 I got my first computer. Then I started writing funny tweets. That’s still what I am doing. The end.
@RebeccaWoodcock
I am a sample size of one, not statistically significant, nor representative.
@MadsBloggingMom
Smart ass blogging mom. Its all about me, really.
@KRCraft
An ounce of perception – a pound of obscure.
@janefader
I talk like a baby and I never pay for drinks.
@DianaSilvaSays
I love my husband, my dogs, all things marketing, three-day weekends, high-heels, reading, running, knitting, sushi, wine, long walks on the beach…wait, what?
@RainnWilson
I am an actor and a writer and I co-created SoulPancake and my son, Walter.
@PamelaLund
Spreading smiles like they’re herpes
@CKRapp
My life was changed by a train.
@Tweeetstreet
Nothing more than a man who cared enough to try
@EzraButler
I’m the illegitimate love-child of Strategy and Creativity. Now neither parent admits to having me…
@brant
It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.
@cshirky
Bald. Unreliable. Easily distracte
@snotforprofit
The only person on Twitter who doesn’t claim to be a social media guru.
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Previous funny Twitter bio editions:
20 of the world’s wittiest Twitter bios
20 of the all-time most clever Twitter bios
Social media success story: Marketing a medical practice
Dec 8th
Here is one of the toughest marketing challenges I can imagine — engage customers with a medical practice, which of course is surrounded by patient privacy issues. To make things even more difficult, the practice specializes in cosmetic surgery — not a subject people usually want to pronounce in a public sort of way. Add in a recession and some intense competition, and you have yourself one massive marketing mountain to climb.
Unless you possess the business savvy of Lisa Reath. Lisa is the marketing manager of her husband’s medical practice (and a graduate of my social media marketing class) and she’s developed one of the most interesting and successful social media marketing programs I have seen – under some tough circumstances.
Lisa had been trying to promote the business through traditional media but was excited by the possibilities of the social web. ”We made our share of mistakes at first,” she said, “but things started to click when we learned that our marketing should focus on being authentically helpful instead of the traditional sales-orientation. We’re doing this by providing targeted patient education in a fun way using new media. Our goal is to establish a relationship with patients so that when they come into our office, they feel like they already know us.”
The medical practice deploys a variety of social media methods:
Facebook
“Given the privacy expectations with plastic surgery, we have had surprising success with Facebook,” Lisa said. “It’s largely because of a quiz game we play every week with our fans. We came up with the “Truth-O-Meter” to establish ourselves as an authority and sort through all the misconceptions surrounding plastic surgery.”
Every Tuesday morning Dr. Reath posts a question on the Facebook page. A winner is randomly chosen from the correct answers and announced by a short YouTube video every Wednesday. Between 30 and 60 people answer each week, including many potential new patients. Prizes include giftcards, skin care products and contributions to charity in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
And a nice side effect of Truth-O-Meter Tuesday is that the practice has a growing collection of relevant videos on YouTube!
Facebook is now the fourth leading contributor of traffic to the clinic’s website.
Blogging
Dr. Reath keeps patients current by blogging on hot topics in plastic surgery. Recent blog posts include:
New “Bridalplasty” Show: Bad TV. Even Worse Medicine.
The List: Every Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in Knoxville
New Trend: Patients Having “Work” to Find Work
eBook
“I think our most successful marketing effort is the new 33-page interactive eBook written by our staff,” she said. “It is designed to be read online or on an iPad, downloaded free, easily forwarded and linked to.
“It was written in response to the increase in the number of patients coming to our office with problems after having surgery with doctors who are not Board-certified plastic surgeons. Our idea was to offer patients free information about breast augmentation that is helpful but not easily found online. Chapters are informative but also entertaining (otherwise no one will want to read it and forward it to their friends!).
“Since we designed the eBook to be a helpful resource, we went out of our way to try not to directly sell our practice.”
The results
There are measurable gains from the social media exposure:
- The social media efforts have dramatically increased traffic to the medical practice website and resulted in new customers. Many people who participate in the contest request additional information and typically when they come in to collect a prize they become a customer for skin care products.
- Within the first month of publishing the eBook, the practice received six new customers solely based on that publication. In addition, patients are forwarding it to friends and relatives who are considering the surgery.
- The constant contact with patients through social media provides an opportunity for the medical practice to stay connected and at the top of mind when it comes time for an elective surgery or procedure.
I’m proud of Lisa and think this is an enegerizing success story in an unlikely place. Agree?
Overcoming blogging’s fear factor
Dec 5th
I talk to a lot of bloggers. In fact I speak to some blogger somewhere almost every day … supporting, encouraging, listening, and helping where I can.
And I think I’ve determined the biggest hurdle that keeps people from ever beginning a blog.
It’s not a lack of ideas.
It’s not time.
It’s not writing ability.
It’s CONFIDENCE.
Fear of failure and criticism seems to be the most overwhelming reason why people don’t blog. Having some trepidation about blogging is reasonable. After all, it’s kind of like public speaking in a way, isn’t it? I think it is a pretty rare person who can put themselves out there in a public way and not have at least a little insecurity.
So what do we do about it? Here are a few ideas that seem to be working …
Re-frame the fear. “Blogging” is a word associated with publishing and being in the spotlight. Let’s use a different word — “essay.” Can you compose a 500-word essay on a topic that interests you once a month? In analog terms, 500 words is one page, double-spaced. That seems pretty easy, doesn’t it? Well, let’s start there. Set a goal to write one 500-word essay every month on a topic related to your passion or profession (or if you’re lucky, both!).
Now, let’s look at writing a second essay every month. This one is based on something that you’ve read — a book, a newspaper article, a blog post. Write this 500-word essay on why you liked the article, what you learned from it, or how it impacted you. Focusing on two essays a month … that seems achievable doesn’t it?
Focus on fun. Now, let’s address the fear factor directly. If you’re thinking about blogging, you probably have some thought that you will enjoy it, right? Well blogging IS fun. It’s an interesting challenge, a wonderful creative outlet, and an opportunity to join an amazing global community of bloggers.
So one way to get over the anxiety is to focus on the benefits to yourself, not the fear of criticism from unknown “others.” Even if nobody reads the thing, many bloggers tell me they keep doing it just because it’s so enjoyable. Focus on this opportunity to learn a fun skill that might open up some new doors.
Seek active support. When I started blogging there was a small group of people who were also just starting out and we encouraged each other along the way — Jayme Soulati, John Bottom, Steve Dodd and Gregg Morris, to name a few. They would leave a comment now and then or tweet a post out just to keep me going. I’ll never forget — one time I was beginning to wonder if anybody was reading the posts I was writing and out of the blue I got this email from Dan Levine:
I appreciate what you’re doing — slowly and surely, thoughtfully and methodically, you’re helping shape the direction of this “new” medium. In a landscape filled with yes-people and a few too many sheep, your posts are making ripples that will eventually lead to new ideas and fresh approaches. I have no doubt. So … thank you.
Let me tell you — that was a great confidence booster at a critical time for me. Blogging can be a lonely job. Remember that on average, only 2% of your readers ever leave a comment. So take the time to build your support group of fellow beginners and encourage them by becoming active on their blogs.
Handling hate — I’ve received about 7,000 comments on {grow}. I take a lot of risks in this forum and would say I have only received two or three comments that were unprofessional pot-shots. That’s 0.04%. Now I get plenty of criticism and dissent because I encourage that. But mean? No.
Expecting negativity is an unfounded fear. Bloggers, and those who read blogs, are generally an extremely nice and supportive bunch of folks. They may push you, they may disagree with you, but that is sign that they care about what you say. It’s recognition that you’ve had an impact and you’re making people think. That can be a point of pride, not a source of fear.
Fear of failure — If you define success as attracting a thousand readers, or achieving professional recognition, or even becoming rich from your blog, well, you might fail. But there are lots of other personal and business benefits of blogging even if you have a small audience or you never get rich. And you’ll never achieve any of them if you don’t try. What’s the worst that can happen if you “fail?” Probably not much.
You are unique and amazing in your own way. There are people who would benefit from hearing your stories and learning from your experiences. Dive in. The water’s fine!
Join the conversation. What fears did you have when you started and how did you overcome them? What advice would you provide beginners?
Welcome to {grow}
You’re in marketing for one reason: Grow.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Mark SchaeferFollow Mark
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