More on-line Sharing

While reading the paper this morning, I discovered yet another example of an organization making their information available on the internet for no charge.

This one is not a programming code, or an opportunity to develop new products; rather it provides information for academia.

According to the news piece, The British Library is making more than a quarter of it's 1000 volume collection of handwritten Greek texts available on-line, free of charge. In the past, one could view the volumes for free but only after making the trip to the British Library's reading rooms.

Connectivity

Yesterday, while listening to the local Oldies station in my car, I heard the 1976 Hit by CW McCall "Convoy". For those who do not have a clear memory of 1976, there was an awful lot happening in the world at that time. It was the nation's bi-centennial; a time that should have been filled with national pride. Yet people were apathetic, still recovering from the scandal of Watergate and the subsequent pardon of Richard Nixon.
But it was also a time when the general population gained the ability to "reach out" to others beyond standard telephony. It was the time of the CB (Citizen's Band) radio. So 44 years ago we saw the inchoate form of some of the first cell phones--which had to be installed in your car just like the CB.

But what I remember most about the CB was the idea that I could get on the air and just start talking to a stranger. At 13, this fascinated me. Think about how much has changed in the last 4 1/2 decades...first, we had a CB radiio in our car. In 1981 we had cable installed in our home. After I left home for college (electric typewiter in hand) I remember my parents getting a car phone. It was in this big black bag in very large and cumbersome to use. In retrospect I wonder what made them think they needed one. Few people had one at that time so they were really only good for emergencies because minutes were so very expensive back then. But just like the CB, the car phone of circa 1985 was another attempt to reach out beyond the walls of our previous world and connections.

Then I remember getting in my first computer in 1993. With a phone line I could connect to Prodigy and AOL--the two primary web portals at the time. But again, you could only communicate with others who had the same technology. You couldn't send an email to a Prodigy user for example from the AOL portal, and vice versa. But I remember spending time in chat rooms--mesmirized by the on-going communication happening between strangers in chat-rooms on any variety of subjects. Again, low market penetration notwithstanding, it was just one more way of reaching outside our traditional walls of communication.

In 1999 I got my first cell phone. It was bulky and cumbesome (but I never had a problem finding it in my purse!) and the minutes were ungodly expensive not to mention roaming fees. But finally, a method of instant communication became available. In a short time, everyone had a cell phone and today 11 years later, I do not know anyone who does not have a cell phone. More than 80% of households have a computer and spend time on the  internet on a daily basis. I recently read that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is Adults 65+.

Today, through convergence, we are instantly accessible and are able to instantly express our own views in a public forum regardless of who we are or our station in life.

As I consider this evolution of communication devices, it speaks to me of the basic human need to not be alone; to not feel alone and insignificant in this massive world of ours. As human beings we need to reach out and to be part of a group, or many groups, but to be connected to something outside ourselves. Its almost an existential question. I am if I am connected.

I believe this is what drives social media today. In a few short years we have reached critical mass in terms of the number of people using social media to connect with others. The technology increases every single day but ultimately it all comes down to one thing. I exist to be connected.

Accelerated Learning and the Traditional Thirty Second Commercial

While I have been studying emerging technologies in learning, I have also been studying the concept of Accelerated Learning. The more I synthize the two studies in my mind, the more I realize that everything we try to do as advertisers is all about AL and I just wonder if anyone has ever noticed it.

Many strategies exist within the traditional advertising model that range from simple direct response advertisements to :30 episodes of an extended storyline. But they all have something in common whether they were produced with famous actors and directors or some local production company or tv station. All the effective ones do anyway.
And when I say effective, I don't mean ads that win national CLIOs or ADDYs that benefit a graphic designer's book more than it does the client. When I say effective I mean that the ads made the register ring for our clients.
The best indication of a successful ad campaign is an increase in sales or market share, not an award displayed in the lobby of the advertising agency that created the spot.
I see myself beginning to digress...so to get back on track...what do successful advertising campaigns have to do with Accelerated Learning...besides everything I mean?
A successcul advertisement does four things. First, it interrupts the viewer--creating an attention level that did not previously exist. Second, it engages the audience, providing the reason that it was worth the shift in attention. Third, it educates the audience--who, what, where is the product or service and why it is unique in relation to it's competitors. Finally it provides some type of call to action. A low-risk offer perhaps, or a limited time availablity.
In AL, there are also four factors that impact success. First, is Somatic Learning where we learn by doing. In advertising circles, we call these kinesthetic learners. They are people who learn by feeling, touching and physically experience. The second is Auditory Learners; these are individuals who best learn through talking, dialogue and hearing. In our television advertising sales model, we stress that by one study indicates that 35% of people are auditory learners.
The third is Visual Learners; clearly these individuals learn with their eyes, They are visual people who best learn by seeing and observing. Ands of course Auditory and Visual are the senses of television. So in our sales model, we stress that people learn about products  best through television because it engages the two primary portals for learning.
Finally there are the Intellectuals. These are the individuals who learn best through reflection and problem-solviing. It is to these individuals that a low-risk or a call to action may actually be most effective. Invite the consumer to experience the product for examle.

I don't think the thirty-second commercial is dead as we know it (as I referred to in an earlier post). In fact if we can manage to integrate the four facets that define success for a successful commercial with the four facets that make up AL, the thirty-second commercial can indeed live on as the most efficient way of reaching large demographic groups at one time as has long been one of the greatest benefits of broadcast televsion advertising.

I think this video, which focuses on AL is actually just an advertisement in disguise. Watch it, and see if you can find the four facets of a good commercial. Does it also have all four facets of AL?
You know, I'm just sayin'.


*Please note that the information above regarding Accelerated Learning can be found on pages 42-44 of The Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave Meier, published by McGraw Hill in 2000.

Learning Tools for Fun and Profit!

Today I learned a great tool (among many) for training sales people in the use of our syndicated research programs. Using Jing screen capture and video capture, I can create short videos in the use some of these tools without requiring each person to be in front of a computer screen.
This tool is one I can see myself using frequently as I develop different training programs within my organization.

Also thought I would talk to our general manager about using podcasts in place of weekly e-mail newsletters. Since we are in the business of selling tv, he often asks why we don't make better use of tv (or video) in our sales presentations. This would create a greater audience for his weekly message to our clients and likely provide greater perceived value that the email newsletter which may, by some, be viewed as spam.

Its an interesting idea and one that can help our station increase our interactivity both with our audience and with our clients.

Until next time.

The New Economic Model for Telephony

As everyone seems to know these days, you no longer require a land-line telephone in your home to communicate.
Long gone are the days of $300 long-distance bills, but soon to disappear are those clunky things we call land-lines. Think of the impact this is having and will continue to have on the business model for traditional phone companies like Qwest or AT&T. The revenue stream for these businesses will no longer come from land-line subscriptions and long-distance charges. Instead these companies are branching out to meet the needs of a totally converged society.

Convergence refers to the idea of bundled communication services reaching your home. Ten years ago, my boss gave a speech to a local media group in Kansas City concerning convergence. His prediction was that someday very soon, all the communication--be it two-way with phones or one-way with television products, would all come to your home through one box.

Today that is true. In my home, I bundle my cable, internet and phone services with one company and it is delivered to my home through one box. His question to the media folks at the time was "what kind of impact will this have on your jobs in the next 5 years?" and "Do you think you will have a job in 5 years?"

There was a certain profundity in his predictions. Not just because they have come true but because the change that has enveloped society as a result.

The ability to have free phone conversations on your computer is another step in the evolution of telephony. Where once you were tied to your land-line, now with a headset and a laptop, you can communicate with anyone, anywhere. Now that is change!

Until next time.

The Social Media Revolution

Today I read of two separate situations that made me reflect on the massive change under way in the way that we communicate, share ideas, and speak out as individuals in ways that once were not even dreamed of.

First this morning, I read in the newspaper about a  small Pennsylvania college has banned the use of social media on campus for one week. It is apparently a test to see just how hard it might be to go without facebook, twitter, AIM and texting. For me I am not so sure it would be all that difficult, I have a twitter account, but I don't really have anything to twitter about. I use texting but only to a limited degree. But then I am from a different generation than the college students of today. It will be very interesting to see how this experiment turns out.

The second thing I came across was about a blog post from a young swedish girl about her mother losing her health insurance. Sweden has a safety net for those who lose their jobs due to poor health, but some government bureaucrat decided not to believe the woman was that ill. Despite have posted only a few bolgs up to that point, with very few readers I might add, this post went viral.

Web 2.0 has created a podium for those who once had no voice. If one is disgruntled or even disgusted with some social policy, one need only post it in a blog. Readers will find it. Evidenced by the fact that my own humble blog has several readers some of whom are actually coming from a few different countries, I find it highly plausible that were I to publish anything controversial or of real note for the world, it may go viral as well.

Social media may seem like a fad for some, but as this video that social media is ubiquitous This is especially important for those of us in the advertising and marketing trade. We like to think that consumers are motivated to spend based on the ads we create, but that influence is waning and being replaced by peer influence. A failure on the part of marketers to understand and exploint this phenomenon will likely seriously hamper their ability to be successful in a world of increasing immediacy.

Is this really different? You Betcha! (sorry couldn't help the Palin jab).

Until next time.

The Open Source Revolution

The ever growing list of open source platforms that are being made available on nearly a daily basis--or perhaps an hourly one for all I know--is changing everything, not just about the way we communicate, but it the way we think.

In past years, if there was something I needed to research, I would go to the library and with the help of card files and those pamphlets that used to provide article information found in journals (what were those called again?) to learn about my topic. It was an awful and at times mind-numbing process. Not to mention that the information found was nearly always dated.

Today, if there is something I need to know, I go to Google. It doesn't much matter what I am looking for, I can nearly always find what I am looking for in the Google universe. From back-tracing phone numbers, to finding a reference for a long out-of-print book or article, Google never lets me down.

Recently I have learned of so many other capabilities within Google that I would never even have imagined. One of the most interesting to me is Google Reader, because with this tool I can have research find me vs. the other way around. Now that is something I can wrap my head around! As my learning curve gets steeper rather than flatter as I get older, one thing becomes crystal clear. Get on board, because the train has left the station!

My Antennae Are Up

In the past 7-8 days, I have somehow become more aware of different examples of peer-collaboration, prosumerism and other models disussed in both Wikinomics and in my class on Emerging Technologies.

It's not unlike what happens when you purchase a new car. You suddenly become aware of all the other Corrollas or Ford F-110 pickups that are out there. You had never noticed them before, but suddenly here they all are.

Its called top of mind awareness among those of us in the advertising industry.

But seriously folks, here are some of the things that caught my eye.

On August 29th, an article in the Metro section of the Des Moines Register, that was actually syndicated through the San Jose Mercury News.
The subject of the story is how Google "stays in touch with the world's curiosity". Highlighted in the story was Ben Gomes who's department is responsible for what you see when you perform a google search query. Those auto-suggestions you see as you type in a search are all the result what Google now calls User Interface.

A week ago, on August 30th, an article from the Associated Press appeared in the Des Moines Register that suggested that the Oxford English Dictionary, which weighs 130 lbs.) may go eventually stop publishing hard cover editions. The idea that people will pay an on-line subscription fee for it's use however may be a poor strategy. I can look up the meaning of any word on google or find any similar word at thesauris.com for free. Wikipedia put Encylcopedia Britannica out of business, dictionary.com can do the same for the Oxford English Dictionary.

Other items of interest include mention research by the Pew Research Group. It notes that just two years ago, Americans rated the television just below automobiles and land-line phones as a necessity in their lives. According to Pew, 64% of Americans rated the Television as a necessity where 42% feel the same way this year. "Only 29% of Americans 18-29 consider the TV set a necessity".

Finally I say an advertisement for a local grocer promoting a contest in which customers invent their own healthy snacks and submit the recipes with video on-line for a chance to win up to $5000 in free groceries. Prosumerism at the grocery level...I like it!

The New Alexandrians

The sharing of knowledge. Is that not what learning is really all about? We know a study cannot be considered research until it is at least shared within one's peer group. We share our knowledge, experiences, and world-view within certain peer groups whether they be of an academic nature or a commercial one. Yet we remain somewhat close to the vest when it comes to the applications we construct from that shared knowledge.

Don't we?

I believe our society is under the influence of a massive cultural shift. Western culture has traditionally lauded personal achievement and individualism. Capitalism is based on these factors. Our existing society is largely based on these factors; the peer-sharing achievements of IBM and P&G nothwithstanding. Ours is essentially a system of meritocracy in which those who produce the greatest amount of IP or perhaps the greatest number of applications to their IP receive the greatest rewards.
Its no different in an academic setting. As much as we are taught to collaborate and work as a team, individuals may still be prone to a certain level of egoism that if expressed might seriously deteriorate the mission of the team.

But this tendency is shifting in small degrees. First, the N generation or Z generation as some have called them--those born since 1995--may just change everything.

This generation has never known a time when they could not instantly communicate with the world whether through the internet or their own cell phones. Those born 10-12 years earlier would communicate with short beeper messages, an inchoate form of texting you might say. But these kids, those of the tech generation have grown up under a different set of rules than we baby-boomers!

First they are taught that everyone wins! When they play in T-ball tournaments has small children, both teams get trophies. I don't know if it is a growing trend of parents trying to prevent hurt feelings among their children, or something else entirely. But really, losing at T-ball may be one of those things that teaches a child coping skills.

Second, they are told they are special and unique by everyone close to them. They are allowed a whole new level of permissiveness than we were as children. They are taught to believe that their every word is an effusion of brilliance.

Finally, they have been taught that many things can be had for free, if one knows how to go about it. Napster first opened this door of free sharing of music files. There are many who believe the IP of musicians and TV and Movie producers, and even authors should be freely available to those who want it.

Personally I take the somewhat unpopular view that owners of IP, creative IP in particular, have a right to earn a living from their creation.

But I digress. My point is that while these cultural boundaries of individualism and egoism may continue to exist for a time to come, it will be this new generation that truly embraces collaboration.

Let's hope they can do it with collectivity and not collectivism.

Peer Sharing at its best....

Up until now, I have thought of peer-sharing and open source platforms as either social or business applications such as facebook for the former and Linux and Linked In for the latter.

However, upon discovery of the ease of creating an RSS feed in Google Reader which allows me to not only follow my fellow bloggers in our class, but also to follow news sites and other blogs that I have long considered following but never found the time or inclination.

This is heady stuff. A web-site that feeds me the information that I want, when I want it. And I thought time-shifted TV viewing was going to change things! With both an RSS and a DVR anyone can choose the time and place for their news and entertainment consumption. Its important to think about these things because they have and will continue to change the way advertisers reach their potential targets.

I remember attending a CAB conference in New York in 1999 when one of the panelists stated emphatically that "the thirty second commercial as we know it today is dead!!! Well that was 11 years ago and his daunting prediction has not yet come to pass...at least not for the masses. His point was well-made however, in that as advertisers we need to be thinking about different ways of communicating with our potential targets.

Something to think about!