Strategically speaking, it’s a load of bollocks

One of the things I like about blogs is their plain speaking (techo ones excluded).

I find that reading normal language is a great escape from the buzz word circus that afflicts the communications industry.

It’s difficult to resist screaming when I hear how “strategic thinking” and “empowering” people to achieve “best practice” will create the “synergy” necessary to make us more “results-oriented”, so we can all “sing from the same song sheet”  “24/7” and “raise the bar” sufficiently.

If that hasn’t made you throw up, take a look at the Ridiculous Business Jargon Dictionary.

Ian

Melbourne’s genuine community consultation

 

Wikis seem to be the current communication darling in Australia.

The fact that Wikis allow people to digitally collaborate on projects has not been lost on political parties or pressure groups such as the environmental lobby.

However one particularly praiseworthy use is a Wiki established by the city of Melbourne to genuinely consult with the public about the future.  

The plan or vision for Melbourne  has been placed on the Wiki for people to comment or edit as they wish. 

This is an outstanding example of a public body embracing the concept of social media – releasing some control and forming a partnership with the community to jointly work for the good of all.  It will be interesting to watch how it goes.

 

TV, radio and newspapers all rolled into YouTube

The traditional view of news delivery is changing extremely quickly.

You Tube is the latest to join the citizen journalism push by introducing an on line news channel. 

The newcomer joins the likes of Yahoo, Reuters, CNN and the BBC in opening news areas for citizen usage.

Ian

On line advertising in UK set to surpass TV

An interesting study has predicted that the United Kingdom will probably be the first major advertising market where total on line spending in 2009 will exceed TV advertising spending.

See more

Ian

Councils: take a look at Fixmystreet

Australian public sector organisations weighing up the pros and cons of including social media in their communication, should check out an interesting UK experience.

A web site called Fixmystreet has led to local councils and residents working together to solve problems like graffiti, road hazards, broken water pipes, vandalised public facilities etc.

The idea is brilliant: residents who see problems in their community go on line and record the problem.  Fix mystreet works out which local council should be made aware — and informs that authority.  The council fixes the problem and posts details and a photograph of the repair for all to see the council’s efficiency.

It is a win-win.  The residents are rewarded for caring about their community; the problems are fixed quickly; and the council’s image is boosted by showing how quickly and effectively it reacts.  It is a whole new way for councils to interact with their community – courtesy of social media.

Ian

Blogs picking up vital advertising

The media changes are continuing, with evidence of a rapid drift of Australian on line display advertising  from the big media players to networks of blogs and specialist websites.

It was interesting to see this week’s announcement that Yahoo7 will work with independent  group, Digital Niche, to sell advertising on blogs and fan sites serving key industries.

As part of the deal, the niche publishers will also gain access to Yahoo7’s services such as e-mail and search.

The big Australian media outfits, in recent months, have increasingly been jockeying to sell advertising on blogs and sites that serve industries such as travel, technology, financial services and automotive.

How will quality journalism be funded?

ABC-TV’s Media Watch show just ran an interesting report on the recent ‘Future of Journalism’ conference in Sydney.

For journalists, it painted a gloomy picture:  quality journalism will struggle to survive in the future as traditional media declines and advertising revenue dries up. The problem is that, as mainstream traditional media increasingly moves on line, the quality content is being ditched because there is less advertising to offset the cost of reporting.

But, if ‘dumbed down’ tabloid sites are not to be the future of traditional media outlets, how then will quality journalism be funded?

See this interesting report from one of the speakers at the conference, the UK’s Roy Greenslade.

I tend to think that on line news sites will open up to more and more community generated content as the whole nature of information delivery changes. The ABC is a good example of this. Put simply, journalists will then have to compete for a share of the mix, but their expertise will give them a good edge.

 

Ian

The public sector is slow to ‘get’ communication change

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the Australian public sector to recognise that communications is changing.

Switching from the tried-and-tested role of media relations to the new reality of a creating a “community” or space for people interested in discussing, learning about, and airing opinions, is a big ask for bureaucracy.

By nature, bureaucrats need order – and are averse to risk. I don’t mean to be critical. That’s just the way government has always operated. 

The problem for our public sector is that time waits for no one.  With them or without them, the core of communications is changing.  World-wide, people no longer look solely to the traditional media for information. Instead, they want to be part of it all, rather than the passive audiences of the past.

Whether it is reading, watching and listening to blogs throughout the day; blogging themselves; podcasting; submitting information and digital photos to news websites or blogs; or social networking, they want to be engaged – not informed in the old PR sense.

I’m afraid this is particularly hard for the public sector and its communicators to grasp. I mean, it’s relatively easy to present ‘key messages’ in information delivered to the traditional media. The good ole media release has been the backbone of the industry for goodness knows how long. But, the question now occupying the minds of public sector communicators is how to achieve that in ‘conversations’ directly with the public?  

I don’t mean to sell our government communicators short.  Even with the bureaucratic restrictions under which they work, there are many who recognise that change is inevitable and are actively wrestling with the challenge. Take, for example, the good folk at Darebin City Council in Melbourne, who have established a regular e-forum, for people to discuss local and broader issues and provide suggestions. Great stuff!

 

Ian Roberts