I'm not sure if this is a sad day or the extension of a brave new world for social media!
This week we have seen Gordon Brown do a complete U Turn on his pre election pledge to: 'always speak to the house before leaking or briefing' the press.
Gordie god bless him thought it right and proper to release the governments (his) position and new policy on UK MP's expenses, direct to Youtube, not even to the UK Press!!! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAspEPVQECE
Whilst we can commend our Govt's move to improve their corporate branding online, by utilising Youtube, almost as the labour party's personal social business networking tool, one has to wonder the effect this could have on the wider Internet?
Users of social media or social business networks do so because they are intrinsically interested in the community and the content that it revolves around, they are engaged with and enthused by, the environment, I can't help but feel that none of these attributes were paramount in the Labour parties motivations for using the channel.
For me this is just the tip of the iceberg, with corporates and politicians alike blundering through social networks, such as: Facebook, Myspace and the like, often treating users as naive, on line novices, rather than the mature, web savvy users that they are.
We see time and again corporates and their media agency's, shoving unmodified TV ads and general Business to Business video and business to consumer video into social media environments with little or no appreciation of the medium which they are attempting to utilise.
If commercial entities truly wish to improve their corporate branding online via various business branding online techniques, then they must begin to learn how to truly engage with their target audience.
They must create messaging that truly engages with their audience, messaging must not only inform and educate, but it must add to the community's 'conversation' and ultimately bring real value to the user.
My fear is: that with more and more people expressing 'social' fatigue, where we are all becoming more and more time poor, then corporate activity of the kind we have seen to date, will ultimately demotivate users, to the point where we just wont be bothered to filter out the noise.
I guess time will tell
This week we have seen Gordon Brown do a complete U Turn on his pre election pledge to: 'always speak to the house before leaking or briefing' the press.
Gordie god bless him thought it right and proper to release the governments (his) position and new policy on UK MP's expenses, direct to Youtube, not even to the UK Press!!! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAspEPVQECE
Whilst we can commend our Govt's move to improve their corporate branding online, by utilising Youtube, almost as the labour party's personal social business networking tool, one has to wonder the effect this could have on the wider Internet?
Users of social media or social business networks do so because they are intrinsically interested in the community and the content that it revolves around, they are engaged with and enthused by, the environment, I can't help but feel that none of these attributes were paramount in the Labour parties motivations for using the channel.
For me this is just the tip of the iceberg, with corporates and politicians alike blundering through social networks, such as: Facebook, Myspace and the like, often treating users as naive, on line novices, rather than the mature, web savvy users that they are.
We see time and again corporates and their media agency's, shoving unmodified TV ads and general Business to Business video and business to consumer video into social media environments with little or no appreciation of the medium which they are attempting to utilise.
If commercial entities truly wish to improve their corporate branding online via various business branding online techniques, then they must begin to learn how to truly engage with their target audience.
They must create messaging that truly engages with their audience, messaging must not only inform and educate, but it must add to the community's 'conversation' and ultimately bring real value to the user.
My fear is: that with more and more people expressing 'social' fatigue, where we are all becoming more and more time poor, then corporate activity of the kind we have seen to date, will ultimately demotivate users, to the point where we just wont be bothered to filter out the noise.
I guess time will tell
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