april 2008

This post is from from my other blog here

skeletonhands

Sean Howard has written up a manifesto of one -- I am not for sale. A couple of others have joined in over at CrapHammer, so I thought I would too. Here are the words from my first ever post (especially for those who are new to these parts) -- and if you feel like contributing, find or make an image for your blog and let us all know.

The Servant of ChaosWe begin with a rant. A rumble. A shout. There is more in the mind, more on the fingertips, more spilling from the edges of our quivering lips than can fill the words of a thousand weblogs. The diaries of the insane, the newly reposessed, the righteous, the deluded, and yes, even I.The daily diatribe of the left, the right, the religious and informed brooks no argument.But we will give them one.You and I.We will give them one.There are more to the words of consumers than the corporations expect.We huddle in groups, in chat rooms.We explode on the keyboards of a million call centres.Our imagination is unheard of. Our thoughts cancel out the process.We are your hearts and your minds.We are everywhere, all places, all over the shop.In your blood, at your workplace.Serving you tea.Writing you emails.Escape? We don't really want to, for this is who we are.One.More.A new opportunity opens every day.It opens with the page.The pen.Another rant.In control? Hell no!We are in slavery to the chaos of our lives.This is the manifesto of one.S.

This post is from from my other blog here

benegizer

After being away for a week I must admit that it is difficult to get back into the habit of writing-thinking. It seems that even a small break away from the discipline of blogging can disrupt our creative and intellectual processes.

So I thought I would send up my own blog bat signal to remind myself that there are brands and social media challenges that are yet to be conquered. Now all I need is my cape -- and the next installment of "The Future of Your Brand" will be delivered before you can say "wham".

This post is from from my other blog here

AussieErin This week I am taking in the views.I am sure there will be the occasional update ... but without wireless (what kind of hotel is this?), I am bound to the hotel room and not the poolside.Ordering cocktails as I type.

This post is from from my other blog here

Cam Beck

Joe Jaffe was unable to attend Blogger Social ... but in the spirit of fund raising, his name tag was auctioned off.

It seems that "Joseph Jaffe" has had several sightings at Ad:Tech in San Francisco where the marketing bloggers were out in force thanks to Tim McHale at the Madison Ave Journal. You can check out their coverage all over the web -- and by following the adtech twitter stream.

This post is from from my other blog here

Vahe Habeshian

This post is from from my other blog here

"Hello this is Belgium calling".

And so began my first actual piece of socialising for Blogger Social. It was my good friend, Luc Debaisieux of Mindblob fame. We had organised to stay at the same hotel here in New York and Luc had promised to call when he got in -- and while we have corresponded via email and read each other's blogs, we had not yet met in person. The time had come.

I hurried downstairs to meet him in the uber-cool lobby of the Paramount Hotel. I scanned the floor to see if he was here and then turned to the lift as he emerged. This was exciting!

We spent a great couple of hours chatting and having a drink -- eventhough it was well past his bedtime (it was already midnight Belgium time when we met up). Scott Monty talks about meeting up with bloggers (and other online friends), referring to the meeting as a "preunion" -- and this makes a lot of sense. It was like we were old friends (perhaps from High School) who had not seen each other in years. And because, as Luc would say, we were already on the same "wavelength", there was no barrier to conversation. No awkwardness.

It was, indeed, like a mindmeld. This is shaping up to be a fantastic couple of days!

This post is from from my other blog here

Part 3.

If you read blogs, whether they be technology, marketing, education or even business focused, you will be repeatedly hit with the message that the world is changing. Or worse ... that the world has changed, and it is we, the business folks -- the marketers, accountants, analysts, managers and teachers who are needing to catch up. For those working in agencies, the call is also shrill -- with writers variously predicting the death of agencies or demanding a refocus. And while this is one of my favourite topics, the larger picture is about the future of brands and the way that we, as category-resistant consumers are embracing, shunning and extolling them.

But while the consumer landscape has undergone a profound change, it is easy to see why business is slow to move -- for no matter how advanced we are in our "home life", evidence of a leakage from home to profession is minute. Take for example, the humble wiki. How many of you heard of a wiki? How many of you have you have used one? How many have set one up? Who has read something on Wikipedia?

Now I am guessing that many of my blog's readers would raise their hand at at least one of the previous questions. But now ask yourself, does this apply at work? Extend the same question to blogs. Does your company have a blog? Are you involved in it? If not, why not? What are the barriers preventing you?

The skunk blog

There was a time where I did not think that every company or brand needed a blog. I saw blogs as yet another communications channel to be chosen or rejected based on an understanding of your audience and your objectives. But as the pace of digital innovation accelerates, and as it is matched, step for step, by our interest in technology, the measures by which we understand "audience" are shifting. With longer working hours and a blurring of the boundaries between "work" and "life", we are always on the lookout for approaches, tools and technologies (not to mention friends, networks and colleagues) that will help us filter, assess and analyse information regardless of its source. We are in effect "Continuously Connected". This has a profound implication for brands and consumer experience ... and in many ways it is making our experience SMALLER, not larger.

If we think about (and measure) the impact and reach of a brand based on the touchpoints that we have with it, then the digital brand is going to be leaps and bounds ahead of the non-digital brand. And while this takes brand valuation down a "transactional" path, there is some benefit ...