Tom Nixon (he of Nixon McInness) has been working up a diagram to act as a model for social media strategy. It's going to be a creative commons project and Tom has already reached out to myself (at Brando-Digital.com - site going live any moment now!) and others to sense-check his initial proposals. The outcome of this initial tinkering is seen below.
What I've seen so far has been a remarkably detailed and deep reaching description of the Power of the Network and one I have very few quibbles with.
It has started life on the Nixon-McInness blog but, as we discussed off camera (you'll see a video below) we feel it's going to be wise to widgetise - and make the ideas and concept as portable as possible.
I'm already thinking about how we could create a truly interactive version of the diagram Tom has started us all off with. Something the team at Brando-Digital.com (my lot) could contribute, I'm thinking.
And I wonder if Dave Armano might consider throwing his considerable talents into the co-creation mix on this one? And with purpose core in the model, we're going to need Mark Earls, too. How about it fellas?
Tom and I met on Tuesday to talk about the project. And I shot this quick video of him elaborating on it.
Hugh reminds us that the Why of a business (its purpose) can't simply be expressed in messages. It has to be expressed in actions.
As he puts it beautifully:
"Social Gestures beget Social Objects".
Quite.
It's something I talk about a lot as we organise around the Purpose (our why) that drives Brando-Digital (the story so far in five slides, below). What stuff do we do that is more than skin deep? How will we live our purpose?
Perhaps there's a call to action in all this for those who believe in the power of the network and the dominance of communities (and I know I ain't the only one...).
Maybe, if you aren't already, consider taking your love of the social offline?
Do something for your community in the real world. Pledge away (by posting a comment) below. If five people post a pledge, I'll join in and share what I'll be doing and have been doing.
I'd rather do it that way because then I'll know the community of loosely connected nodes that make up this blog DO care. And it makes me sound a bit less like ' I-do-a-lotta-work-for-charidee', mate.'
One thing I know all of us who join in will share is a sense of community.
Really quick slidedeck my lot at Brando-Digital are sharing to help clients, colleagues, friends and bosses understand this social media thing. You're welcome to share, comment and disagree as always!
Many of you will by now know I work for Brando-Digital. And when our site goes live (in a few short days now) you'll find more defining, and refining, the following there.
But in the meantime, I'd be really greatful if you'd take a look at this slidedeck (just five slides in total - and just three key ones), and let me know what you think.
What I've tried to do in this deck is really simplify what we're about. Collectively we've been working on our service offering (we're a full service social media outfit with everything from simple online PR to board-level strategic advice on offer and pretty much all stations in between; viral, blogger outreach, engagement strategies etc).
That's the strategic 'What' side covered.
We've also got the tactical stuff nailed (the How).
But the way we've arrived at both is by discovering our 'Why' first. Most businesses either forget or never bother working out for themselves why they are in business - other than 'to make money'. A shame, because it's more important than strategy. It's what defines your strategy.
What gets you out of bed in the morning, what do you want to do to change the world, what's wrong and needs fixing? These are the kind of questions that can tease out your 'Why'.
It's what gives a business its purpose.
Mark Earls always likes to dig this out of people and organisations and I follow his lead in this. In fact what I'm working towards is a combination of Mark's Herd thinking and my own communities of purpose. A double-purpose whammy!
I hope the result is compelling. I believe in it.
Our purpose is to bring people together around things they care about - in communities of purpose. We want to do that because communities of purpose create great value for everyone involved. They find each other, talk to each other and act together to create change that matters to them.
And because we believe that's important, we think that makes us better at delivering our tactics and creating our strategy - because all of it grows from our Why, to our Purpose. There is a reason we do everything we do - and it goes beyond money.
So, maybe now go take another look at that slidedeck? Tell me what you think?
Over the coming weeks, through our Brando-Digital website, you'll come to discover the rest of the team, their take on all this (the above is entirely my own interpretation, not an official nailed down, it shall-be-for-all-time mission statement or similar) and our approach to opening silos and sharing - to engaging the power of the network in the way we work and in who we are.
Almost a year ago I wrote a post that called on those who would 'do viral' to remember who actually 'does' viral: The humans doing the interacting with one another.
And to that end attempts at 'viral' work which enables co-creation gives you both engagement and relevance.
One example I remember well from a previous life was an excellent and funny video - expensively made with high production values too. It was on topic. The seeding strategy was sound.
But it was essentially broadcast, broadcast which USED the user as the distribution channel.
So the message couldn't be adapted by the receiver. There was no room for their input. No adaption = low adoption. And if I don't adopt, I'm not going to pass it on; as simply illustrated as I can, here.
The quality was high. But the relevance was low. And relevance, as I so often say, beats quality every single time.
Allowing people to put a little of themselves into 'your' viral makes it 'their' viral.
And as Alan Moore - and by osmosis I, am so fond of saying: "That which we create, we embrace."
It allows us to work with the user rather than targeting them, based on the understanding that the User Is The Destination Now.
It makes it their message, not yours.
So I was delighted to walk into my new job this morning to be met with this new piece of work from Brando-Digital (yep, that's where I'm working now).
(By the way, we're so new the company site is nothing but a holding page right now. If you'd like to know more about us, drop me an email at david AT brando-world.com )
Despite the he-would-say-that-wouldn't-he inevitable in this; I think it's pretty cool. It allows the adaption of the message which will encourage that adoption.
It's promoting a new phone, the Sony-Ericsson W595 - so the youtube element is not only relevant (you can upload direct to youtube from the W595) it's also a helpful viral aside.
Technically, some may be interested to know the creation of this effort has involved mashing-up apisfrom youtube, googlemaps AND facebook.
And importantly, it uses not only the silo'd social networks (in this case facebook) but also email - the most ubiquitous of all the social connectors.
Yeah, yeah, yeah but it's also a bit of fun people can have together at Halloween. We've given people, as Mark Earls would say, something they can do together - we've made the human interaction element the important element.
Have fun with it. Pass it on if you think its cool and think someone else will do to. Here's mine, below.
BTW I'm not 43 - yet! But I am odd.
The rate of change is so rapid it's difficult for one person to keep up to speed. Let's pool our thoughts, share our reactions and, who knows, even reach some shared conclusions worth arriving at?
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