I agree with the premise.
If it's to tell people to break the rules, hey, go for it. Rules, what rules? We don't need no stinking rules.
Rather than speculate however, I asked Griffin via twitter what he wanted us to walk away with after reading his post.
He updated his story with the following statement, “I hope what people take from my comments is that we should encourage even baby steps and small words in the social media space and not get caught up as much as many of us do with being quick to criticize lack of adherence to all of our ideals.”
Baby steps are all steps in the right direction.
I can tell you that I have said some of the things in the very rulebook that he suggests throwing out. I have also backed up those statements with everything that I have learned in both the successes and failures that I have experienced to date. It's theory debunked or reinforced by practice. Nothing more, nothing less.
But, don't use the principles as a playbook. Use them to create your own guidebook.
Without further adu, let's address Griffin's points, one by one:
It has less to do with whether or not RSS is mainstream, as it's already is starting to impact not just how people read information, but also how they sync data across multiple platforms - even if they don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
Giving people options to subscribe to an RSS feed is no more technologically advanced than entering an email address to subscribe to a newsletter. Companies like bloglines and netvibes are helping people jump into the world of feed readers. But people are also getting introduced to general readers through new incarnations of popular Web browsers as well.
It's not just for geeks.
2. It Isn’t a Blog Without Comments.
Reading blogs via RSS versus reading posts through a browser is a different experience for now. Soon, however, the RSS feed will include everything.
The post is only the beginning of the dialog. Let it extend in comments or across the blogosphere, but at least provide trackbacks so that you can listen and respond accordingly as well as promote the responses of those who were compelled to write based on your words.
Trumpets please....
Crappy press releases should be killed off however.
There's a difference between and spin, hyperbole and message filled documents that try to stuff so much garbage into one story that you have no clue what you're reading.
I've dedicated an entire series recently, which I still plan to continue, as to why there's value across all of the release formats - when done correctly.
The is an extension to the press release strategy and can benefit the entire PR process through social channels not yet reachable by traditional release distribution methods.
Trust me when I say, you to see its unique and new value. Discussing it otherwise is pointless.
5. It’s All About Conversation Not Messages.
We're all leaders and innovators in what we do and therefore are introducing revolutionary and groundbreaking techniques to shift the paradigm with our disruptive, bleeding-edge, shiny new, and the industry's first, social media toolbox.
Conversations are rooted in so many things other than intended messages that companies wish to instill. We tend to forget that this is about people.
There's a difference however in trying to guide a conversation and trying to control it.
As long as you back up from the traditional "messaging process" and think about why what you represent matters to the people you're trying to reach, specific to the market you're engaging, then you'll find that messages "can" be OK.
Because they're really, at that point, no longer messages, but benefits.
6. The Customer Controls the Relationship.
Cluetrain aside, the customer doesn't control the relationship, but the customer does control their perception of what you do and say, and in turn, how they share that perception. And even more interestingly, they control the conversation in the domains and communities where they decide to start conversations.
But let me be clear, customer do not own the relationship with the company. As well, companies do not own the relationships with customers.
Customer relations starts with listening. There's no way around that. It is also reinforced by talking to people across the various communities that create the overall market opportunity. They're just looking for answers, clarification, assistance, or support.
There's a lot to learn by shifting focus from inbound to also outbound. But all of this is simply based on listening, respect, and value as a way of instilling trust.
What's wrong with being sincere and genuine?
Not telling the full story is very different than running a fraudulent campaign. Both run a strong risk of generating anger and revolt within the community.
No one is putting a gun to their head and telling CEOs to blog. If you don't want to do it, then don't. The world's probably better off without it. And if there are consultants out there trying to force their hand at blogging, then they're wrong.
There's nothing wrong with providing a human side as long is it has a positive impact on brand loyalty.
I, along with countless others, will argue that PR, as a whole, never engaged at a deeper level, and that's why there are so many problems plaguing the PR industry. All I'm saying is that we should look outside of PR sometimes to find the best person within who can truly do a job beyond what most can only try to pull off.
8. Audience is a Word of the Past.
This one really has nothing to do with Social Media, but it is still a point of contention.audienceaudiences.
This discussion really took off after NYU's Jay Rosen , "We Are the People Formerly Known as the Audience."
This particular point of reference is merely designed to get you to "think" about the very people you want to reach, because there is no one magic bullet. All we're trying to do here is add one more step to the process of figuring out our benefits specific to groups of people and where they go for their information.
When we start the process by looking one step beyond "audiences," we are able to peel back a more revealing layer to see people directly. It encourages us to strengthen our approach.
9. Lack of Comments Means Lack of Influence.
OK, so that's it.
But, jumping doesn't mean you have to drink the punch, forget about your own beliefs, and cannonball into the pool with other Social Media zealots.
But remember this, there is still a point of caution everyone must take before engaging in Social Media. Rules or not, optimism or defiance, marketers aren't welcome as is. All of these discussions over the last several years have been designed to help you learn about why what you represent matters to the very people you're trying to reach.
Just know what you're talking about, why it matters to each group of people, and be helpful...that's a great place to start.
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