Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 220

LinkedIn Is Still Underrated

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It's not a long segment - about 5 to 10 minutes every week - about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, if you're interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I'm really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

Advertising online continues to get creepier and creepier. We've talked about brands and online retailers stalking consumers for months across multiple websites with behavioral targeting. Well, here in Canada, it looks like Bell Canada is going to get their consumers' opt-in consent to do this. Will this put Bell at a disadvantage, or is this just the beginning for consumers to regain some semblance of power over their online usage?
LinkedIn made a major acquisition in Lynda.com. It cost them close to $1.5 billion to buy one of the Internet's most respected online education platforms. Many people wrongly think that LinkedIn is a one-trick pony. It's not. It has quietly been making acquisitions over the years that include Pulse (which is a major part of how they now deliver some of the best business content out there) and SlideShare, which is a runaway success as a social network for sharing presentations. Still, acquiring Lynda for $1.5 is a jaw-dropper. 
App of the week: Product Hunt (you have to be careful how you pronounce this one on the radio).

Listen here...

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Marketers And Millennials

Episode #457 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Joseph Jaffe  Joseph Jaffe is widely regarded as one of the top marketing bloggers (Jaffe Juice) and podcasters (both Jaffe Juice in audio and Jaffe Juice TV in video). He is the author of four excellent books (Life After The 30-Second Spot, Join The Conversation, Flip The Funnel and Z.E.R.O.) and his latest business venture is, Evol8tion. A long-time friend (and one of the main inspirations behind the Six Pixels of Separation blog and podcast), we've decided to hold semi-regular conversations, debates and back-and-forths that will dive a little deeper into the digital marketing and advertising landscape. This is our 31st conversation (or, as I like to affectionately call it, Across The Sound 31.20). Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast #457.

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Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #251

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:

The Definitive Oral History of 1980s Digital Icon Max Headroom - The Verge . "When I first stumbled across this show late one night, I was captivated. It was weird, and subversive, and bit all the hands that might feed it. So far ahead of its time, and probably behind so many modern inventions and iniquities." (Alistair for Hugh).
Cyber Trends: 5 Subcultures Created on the Internet - High Snobiety . "Robert A. Heinlein said specialization is for insects. Well, it turns out that the Internet is pretty good at making us climb into little filter bubbles and over-specializing, leading to some really wacky genres: Witch House, Health Goth, Seapunk. Bonus points for the title 'Highsnobiety.'" (Alistair for Mitch).
Government Surveillance - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . "Is John Oliver the best? Close to it anyway. Here he is on Government Surveillance, with an amazing Edward Snowden interview." (Hugh for Alistair).
Louis C.K.'s Crabby, Epic Love Letter to NYC: "Everyone's Dealing with the Same S-- ... Elbow to Elbow" - The Hollywood Reporter . "Is Louis C.K. the best? Close to it anyway. Here he is on NYC, LA, struggling and success." (Hugh for Mitch). 
Angela Ahrendts has told Apple employees 'a significant change in mindset' is coming to the way the company launches products - Business Insider . "I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, we're moving to an e-commerce-first world. I've felt it for a long while, and it feels like the real world is either catching up... or Apple will force it upon us. On the other, we used to line up for tickets to a concert, and now Apple has become that kind of spectacle. To me, the line-ups were less about customer service and selling products, and much more about creating a tail-gate-like experience. Lining up for Apple stuff is 'a thing.' Trying to change that may strip the brand of its shine. I hope I am wrong." (Mitch for Alistair).
The Importance of Staring out the Window - The Book of Life . "I do this all of the time. I don't even know why I do it. I spend a lot of time staring out of windows. At my house. At the office. On planes. Especially on planes. I'm not really marvelling at anything. I'm not even really thinking about much. Just staring. Drifting. Day dreaming? Sure. The time does fly. Maybe it's good that I do this. I always thought I was just procrastinating ;)" (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

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Find Your Bravery

Who we are is not the same as what we post.

This is the primary lesson that social media mirrors back to the world. When people ask me to explain the popularity of Facebook, I often shoot back that Facebook feeds the highest level of our most basic human need: self-actualization. It allow us to present ourselves in the way in which we would like others to see us. We're all so deeply engaged in that activity. With that, we also know that by trying to please others/everyone we wind up pleasing no one. Especially ourselves. What makes this even more strange, is that the people that we all admire and respect are the ones that made their own way. They didn't focus too much on what others might think, or they have the courage and bravery to put something out into the world that demonstrated who they really were and what they were really thinking. We see this in music and poetry. We see this in a brilliant ad or a disruptive startup.

How can you gear up to be your best?

Most people think of Brene Brown as the amazingly popular TED speaker. She's an author (if you have not read Daring Greatly, you really should). This past week, Brene announced the her newest book, Rising Strong (which will be out in late August). Reading about the book (and getting excited about its publication date), I was reminded of this stunning presentation she gave to the creative industry at Scott Belsky's 99U event from last year. It's called, Why Your Critics Aren't The Ones Who Count, and it's a 22 minute presentation that we all should schedule ourselves to watch every couple of months. It's a strong reminder to show up, do the work... and know why you're doing it.

Watch this...

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Is The Publish Button Evil?

The ability to publish content was once one of the most valuable forces in the world.

"The pen is mightier than the sword." There is no doubt that you are familiar with this quote. Do you believe it? Facebook is an interesting place. For the most part, I see people posting questions. Lots of questions. Sometimes, these questions are super smart... and the answers that follow just move me to think differently (totally rejuvenated by Facebook since the addition of private groups,and some smart folks). Then, there are a lot of silly questions. These questions are being asked to just get attention or to kill some time. As you scroll through the newsfeed, it's sometimes sad to see how desperate brands (and individuals) can be for some semblance of attention. There's a lesson in this: we all want attention. We all want people to like us. You can imagine that you're more evolved than this, but you're not (and I include myself in this list). In fact, Facebook proves that we're not. Time and time again.

But, there is something more to this idea.

If you don't study media (or if media is not a part of your profession), it's hard to understand how profound this ability to publish a thought truly is. This is less about how the invention of the printing press changed the world. This is less about how the Internet has changed the world. This is much more about respecting the ability to publish, communicate and connect. It's about class. It's about respect.

Why you should respect the publish button.

Everyone has a publish button now. In fact, everyone has many, many, many publish buttons now. We publish on Facebook, blogs, Twitter, Pinterest, Periscope, whatever. I see something, I publish it. I write something, I publish it. The publish button (like advertising) shifted (really quickly) from being something scarce, curated and special to being as omni-present as a light switch. We don't see content as something special. We're starting to treat it like air. Imagine if publishers (individuals and brands) took a step back from this. Imagine - for a second - that everything wasn't seen as a piece of content to publish and generate an impression off of. Imagine if there was a respect for that publish button.

When you publish, do you see it as something to respect or something to flood the market with? 

I'm scared of the publish button. The publish button, to me, is like a blank page/screen. I'm trying to create something on it that interests you... that will engage you. I don't want to waste your time. I don't want to interrupt your experience, just because I can. The people who create the real "stuff" respect the publish button. They fear it. They don't want to waste it. They toil, tinker and sweat the details. They are doing things in the service of the content that they are creating. Not everyone thinks like this, but quality (not quantity) comes with that kind of care and cost. When you don't care, you do whatever it takes to get attention. Because we have these many publishing buttons, we're seeing this gluttony play out in real time. Brands that used to respect the process, are just carpet bombing the world with content. What's my take? That their great content is being lost. Because they're amping up and pumping so hard, the stuff that could stick, resonate and connect is getting lost because consumers are (rightfully) thinking to themselves: "well, even if I miss this one thing, there will be more..." and publishers are less worried about the distribution and promotion of the good stuff, as they focus on the next thing to pump out.

What happened to, "always leave them wanting more"?

This respect for the publishing button is something that smart brands are starting to consider. The old, quality over quantity debate rages on. Quality wins... you have to hope. The challenge for most brands is that publishers are pushing them to do much more. Of course, there are financial reasons for this, but here's the thing that we know about content that resonates: it must be innovative and creative. The one thing that constantly stifles this backbone of innovation and creativity is the idea of what brands think (or are told) that they are supposed to do. I spent more time than I care to think about in the music industry. Bands that had any form of success were constantly being told (by record labels and their managers) to stay within the lanes of what brought them success. A pop band is a pop band. A folk artist is a folk artist. Bands believe their own success too and think that they have to record "Who they are" instead of "what they're feeling," because they don't want to lose their fans. Content is a form of artistry (it really is). So, if a brand is being told that in order to be successful you have to double down on content, be everywhere and begin the pounding of the publish button to stay in line, they are - without a doubt - potentially losing their true brand way. The north star of success.

Is it just me?

Do you value, respect and love the individuals and brands that are simply pounding it out there? For my dollar, I'm retreating. I'm looking for the individuals... and the brands... that still fear (and respect) the publish button. The ones that aren't publishing against an always-on, real time marketing world, but the ones that are rising above and trying - all of the time - to raise themselves up higher, not because they're doing more, but because they're doing it better and getting the incremental results that validate this strategy.

Hit that publish button, but do it because you have something to say, instead of doing it because everyone else is. 

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Your Content Is Kidding No One

How is your content marketing strategy coming along?

There's a thorn in my side. It's a content thorn. It's ruining everything. It's not that there's too much content. It's not that there's so much content in need of advertising, that the entire industry has shifted from a scarcity model to one of abundance. It's not that there's too many companies not playing in the content space. The thorn... the rubbing one, is this: most content is not content... it's advertising. 

Advertising is not content.

Here's the clue: if you have to pay to have it placed, it's not content. It's an ad. There may be content *in* the ad, but it's still an ad. Two weeks ago, at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, I found myself deep in the weeds about the measurement and metrics surrounding a good content marketing strategy, only to realize that the brands arguing that metrics like "engagement" and "likes" are not enough, were the ones that weren't really doing any content at all. Their "content" was just a less-than-direct call to action on a channel like Facebook or Twitter. They were ads with more stuff in them. Ads that are cloudy or subtly trying to be content wind up being neither. They wind up not being valuable content, and they wind up being an ineffective ad.

Don't kid yourself, engagement is (still) everything when it comes to content. 

There is this new conversation that marketers are having about content and its efficacy. They want to know how well their content is converting in relation to their advertising when it comes to making the sale. This means that the value of primary content metrics of engagement on platforms like Facebook is seen as something less relevant to the business at hand. Because of this somewhat myopic strategy, they're trapped trying to compare apples to aircrafts (we're not even talking about oranges here). Content's primary job - when done well - is:

Engagement. In a world where content is anywhere and everywhere, is your story one worth connecting with, spending time with? Is it something enjoyable to read, see, hear and feel? Does it add any real value to my day/life, or is it simply imposing itself on the consumer?
Sharing. If I cared enough about the content, would I be willing to share it with the people I know, like and trust the most in my life? This is a huge step. It sends a signal to an audience that someone engaged with it, and feels like the content will both add value to the people that they know, and make them look/feel good in the process. That is high praise. 
Conversation. We can argue whether social media conversations really exist, but great content does get the world talking. The water-cooler effect is still in effect. The best of the best content gets consumed, shared and talked about. Conversation about content is the highest form of flattery.

But, are they buying?!?!?!


Content and social media are a different kind of marketing. Content and social media are not a different kind of advertising. If all your brand wants to do is pimp coupons and pushy sales, there's a market for that, but content provides a different brand narrative that has to be approached with an entirely new perspective, and set of marketing beliefs. Brands struggle to get consumers to pay attention. We know this. Content exposes consumers to a brand with a very different prism. When done well, the time spent with the content crushes the time spent with an ad. When done well, the sharing of content has a much longer (and more profound) experience once it starts getting shared and passed around. When done well, the conversation around content that resonates creates an entirely new type of media that can be supported with advertising, extended on and pushed into many different channels that advertising can rarely reach.
 
So, what's the rub?


If we start confusing our weak content as being non-functional when compared to advertising, we begin to fall into the same trap that held brands back nearly a decade ago, when boardrooms were littered with the argument that switching television advertising budgets to digital - without proof that digital can perform as well - places businesses on a terrible trajectory of catch-up that still stings in the present day. So, where does a brand start? First, don't confuse your content for advertising. Second, take a strong, serious look at the "content" that your brand is creating. Is it really just an ad? Is it really doing what content is supposed to do? Still confused?
 
Here's an exercise:


Without thinking too hard about it, write down the last 2-5 pieces of content that really resonated with you. It could be an article that you read in a newspaper, something your heard on NPR, a blog post someone at work shared with you or even a video on YouTube. Now, go ahead and grab the last 2-5 pieces of content marketing that your company put out into the marketplace (even ones that you paid to post). What looks like content? What feels like an ad?
 
Ads that are cloudy or subtly trying to be content wind up being neither. Create real content.

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Digital Darwinism

Episode #456 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Brands are in a very difficult predicament. It's not something that is easy to write, but it's true. Competition is fierce and it's getting more complicated, because the types of channels and messages that a brand can create has become boundless (thanks, digital marketing). With this digitization of everything, consumers continue to become more connected, empowered and educated. One might think that this means brands have new and improved opportunities to make connections. According to a McKinsey and Company article published this past February titled, Brand success in an era of Digital Darwinism, this is not the case. The research suggests that brands are losing their impact in a world of "digitally jaded consumers." What's working? Good old fashioned word of mouth. Tom Asacker often sends me links to articles like this one. Just a link. They're usually worthy of a conversation, so this is it. Asacker is a branding expert (although, he prefers to think of his work as the business of belief). He is a well-respected author (The Business of Belief, Sandbox Wisdom, A Clear Eye For Branding and many more) and a friend. Enjoy the conversation...  

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast #456.

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Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #250

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:

Never trust a corporation to do a library's job - The Message . "Andy Baio takes Google to task for having lost its mojo when it comes to organizing the world's information -- even the information that isn't lucrative. Writing about archive.org's recent push to make ancient video games playable, he says, 'this software emulation project feels, to me, like the kind of thing Google would have tried in 2003. Big, bold, technically challenging, and for the greater good.'" (Alistair for Hugh).
How Product Hunt Helped Me Grow A List Of 12,989,483,288+ Valuable Subscribers And Generate 220k+ In Sales In Less Than 20 Minutes Without Having To Write A Single Line Of Code And Also Taught Me These 5+ Startup Lessons From My Mistakes About Being A Product Manager in 2016 on Meerkat - Matt Sydeworks . "With a title like that, who needs a description? Sadly, this sounds too much like actual blogs. #sarcasm." (Alistair for Mitch).
R.I.P. California (1850-2016): What We'll Lose And Learn From The World's First Major Water Collapse - Feel Guide . "What happens when California's water supply collapses? (in 2016!?)." (Hugh for Alistair).
Australian comedian perfectly sums up why other countries think US gun laws are crazy - Vox . "US gun debate, as seen through the eyes of the rest of the world." (Hugh for Mitch).
The Folly of the Unicorns - Pacific Standard . "What is a company really worth? Are valuations completely out of control? Is this a bubble? If this past year is any indication, we are always going to be asking these questions, and the answers don't really matter. Companies getting money on valuation is super-similar to bands that get signed to a major record label (back when that actually meant something). I don't think companies are getting valuations based on anything other than hardcore gambling. The people/corporations handing out the money had a few wins in the past and they're sprinkling this money everywhere in the hopes to have a few more. It's a strange system, but it is the system we have been using for a long time. Go and hug a unicorn, will you?" (Mitch for Alistair).
The Economist's Tom Standage on digital strategy and the limits of a model based on advertising - Nieman Lab . "Our media landscape would be looking very different if editors and publishers had come to the realizations in this article about a decade ago. The fundamental challenge to media and publishing models is that advertising is no longer based on a scarcity model. It is abundant... and now, the robots are starting to take over. Knowing what your product is, optimizing it and figuring out a real revenue stream (one, where advertising compliments it) will be the nature of a successful media organization going forward. This is a great read." (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

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amazon

andy baio

archive org

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iambik

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librivox

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Into The Future

Episode #455 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

I have always been skeptical of individuals who proclaim themselves to be futurists. I often joke that I am a presentist. How far into the future can these people see? How far do they really look? Are they ever right? Recently, I was presenting at a private corporate event outside of San Diego, and Gerd Leonhard (the well-known futurist), was speaking after me. With a pending flight home, I could do little more than small talk with Gerd, but agreed to have a discussion about how he helps companies prepare for the inevitable. He is the co-author of The Future of Music, and the author of The End of Control, Music 2.0, Friction is Fiction, and The Future of Content. Gerd if the CEO of The Futures Agency. Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Mirum Podcast #455.

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Periscope Up

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It's not a long segment - about 5 to 10 minutes every week - about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, if you're interested in hearing more of me blathering away. I'm really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

The new, hot, buzz talk is all about live video streaming via Twitter. At first, Meerkat was all the rage (getting a lot of heat and attention post SXSW), now Twitter just launched Periscope (which they recently acquired in January for $100 million). Periscope allows you to broadcast whatever you're doing live, through video, with a couple of taps. Unlike Meerkat, Periscope can save streams so that you can replay them later. It turns out to be Periscope's killer feature -- and the main reason that it's likely to become my live-streaming platform of choice. Whoever wins, make no mistake about: live streaming video via Twitter (and social media) is "what's next."
Apple is making another run at TV. Rumours ran rampant last week that Apple was trying to create some kind of subscription Internet TV service that included all of the big players (and not just HBO Go, which was announced when they talked up the Apple Watch the other week). Now, it looks like a new Apple TV is going to be announced in June at their World Wide Developers Conference. By the sound of the rumours, this isn't just a simple update to what the current Apple TV box is, but a substantive redo. The idea is to create a new living room experience. Do you think Apple will deliver? 
App of the week: Nuzzle.

Listen here...

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