Chip Griffin: Pardon the Disruption

Are the Reports of Social Media's Death Greatly Exaggerated?

Steve Rubel seems to be spending the last week of the year writing obituaries as part of what he hopes will become self-fulfilling prophecies. First, he killed the page view.  And now it is the term "social media" that he intends to send to the grave.

I've already opined on the page view, now let me tackle social media.

The core of Steve's argument seems to be that social media as we know it today lives on, but the term has outlived its usefulness.  In his post and in the comments, he argues that with Robert Scoble on the Edwards campaign plane and other related advances for social media authors, it is time to consider it all part of the greater media universe without segregating social media to a different part of the bus.

Note that Steve is not killing off social media itself (as I believe some are interpreting his comments), but rather the term.  Social media, in the form of blogs, podcasts, online video, and the like are clearly hear to stay.  The mainstream media has increasingly adopted these tools themselves (newspapers across America are adopting blogs and podcasts, and even Saturday Night Live launched original-ish content on YouTube recently).

Honestly, I think far too much thought goes into labels such as these.  Now I know that they have significance in how people think, and as a longtime writer I understand the power of language. 

That said, I happen to be more open to the term "online media" to incorporate any activity conducted on the Internet by any outlet -- whether it is a lone blogger or a major daily newspaper.  I do believe that sort of segregation makes sense because today we already commonly use terms like "print media" and "broadcast media."  Somehow, we have to distinguish that which is said on the web, just as we do with things generated by a printing press and sent over the airwaves.

Net result is that I end up agreeing in part and disagreeing in part with Steve.  Let's abolish the specific "social media" term and incorporate it into the broader "online media" designation. 

Google Blogsearch Tops Technorati ... Or Does It?

Hitwise reports that for the first time Google Blogsearch has generated more pages views in a week than Technorati.  So Technorati is now the second place blog search web site, right? 

Maybe, maybe not.  Mike Arrington over at TechCrunch points out that the comScore numbers disagree.  Unfortunately, the comScore numbers appear to be highly erratic and demand some sort of explanation from that web traffic monitoring firm.  Until they explain the wild swings in Technorati's numbers, one has to imagine it will just provide more fuel to the company's detractors.

Frankly, hearing that Google is now coming out on top in blog search isn't a great surprise.  In many respects, they were probably already the top search traffic driver to blogs, just through their regular results which numerous folks have pointed out tends to favor blogs pretty heavily.  Given the large mass of traffic that Google generates and the huge brand ID that it has, it would be no surprise that more people are turning to them for blog-specific search. 

One has to assume that Google could really slam the door on any debate simply by making blog search accessible from their home page, rather than through the "more" menu.

Of course, the real question is not so much what the traffic numbers are but what the greater business meaning is.  Mark Evans asks the insightful question, "What's Technorati's M&A future?"  I have felt for a while -- and think I wrote it somewhere but can't find it this morning -- that Technorati should leverage its position to make itself more distinctive.  Competing head-on with Google isn't the way to go.  So my view is they shouldn't worry about who gets more page views -- though it's hard for them to ignore the blog swarm on this topic today -- and instead focus on what will make them unique going forward. 

Blog monitoring and analysis is becoming increasingly sophisticated and Technorati has some role to play in that arena, but it may or may not be as a "straight" blog search engine.  My own company, CustomScoop, has provided enterprise blog monitoring services for the past several years, so I'm not really encouraging David Sifry to come be a competitor in that space, but realistically it's one he's probably already looking at. 

Our own efforts have recently gone beyond simple blog monitoring to include higher-level analysis in the form of BuzzPerception reports that detail tone and trends in the blogosphere as it relates to individual clients.  I would guess that's probably not the best fit with Technorati's mindset since it relies in part on human analysis and not purely technology.  But who knows?

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in 2007.

Blog Mob Justice is Wrong

If you take one look over at TechMeme today, you'll see that there's yet another ruckus in the blogosphere, this time over whether or not it is appropriate for a company to give away sample products to bloggers.  The rhetoric of the Blog Mob, predictably, has launched itself to near hysterical proportions with accusations of "bribery," cries of "scandal," and lamentations about a PR agency's "ethics."  Still others choose to ridicule those bloggers who received the gifts since none appear to have exhibited moral shock and outrage and returned or destroyed the gifts.

It's all hogwash.  Companies have been handing out free samples for ages.  Obviously in this case, they are more expensive free samples, but hey, that's what the companies involved are selling. 

A considerable portion of the argument seems to hinge on the notion of much of the Blog Mob that bloggers are journalists.  That's absurd.  While we all may have problems with the mainstream media, they're a whole different animal.  The same standards that apply to traditional journalists do not and should not apply to bloggers. 

I wonder, for instance, how many in today's Blog Mob reached out to the companies involved to solicit a response before posting a vicious attack?  Or the PR agency?  Can any of the Blog Mob substantiate their claims as to WHY the free samples were handed out?  Do they have an internal memo or email that describes the intent or are they just guessing? 

The answer to all of these questions is likely no.  And that's fine.  Blogs are a conversation, they aren't journalism.  The standards are different.

Now, that said, the bloggers involved SHOULD disclose the free sample if they choose to write about it.  It's not a journalism thing, it's simply the right thing to do.  But to allege that accepting the free sample -- or giving it -- is a bribe or ethically wrong is ridiculous.

Is it unethical for a perfume company to distribute free samples in magazines?  What about the sample soap that comes in the Sunday newspaper insert?  Or the free boxes of detergent or other products that companies may mail to consumers?  Or the free food samples provided at grocery stores? Is it unethical for a web site to give away a few months of service for free? 

All of these activities are designed to build the customer base and generate positive buzz for a company.  And I doubt the Blog Mob would object to them. But for some reason it's all different when bloggers are involved.

It's ironic that many in the Blog Mob are strident in their calls for companies to engage more in the blogosphere, but their aggressive attacks on legitimate outreach efforts no doubt scare off many companies from participating.  By all means provide feedback on the methods companies are using to engage the blogopshere, but let's dial back the rhetoric and make it constructive criticism rather than vitriolic, personal attacks. 

Today is only the latest example of Blog Mob justice gone astray.  A civil conversation will do more to improve the discourse in the blogosphere and enhance the level of engagement between companies and consumers.

The Sony Reader Rocks

OK, most readers know I love my gadgets.  And my wife will surely tell you that I have way too many of them.  But I can't help it.  I like testing the latest and greatest.  I especially enjoy it when I find one that revolutionizes how I live my life or do my job.  An example is the SlingBox which makes it so much more pleasurable for me when I'm on the road (which is something like 45+ weeks out of the year).

When the Sony Reader came out this fall, I knew I had to try it.  Actually, I put my name on the list before it was even available and bought it as soon as I could.  Most reviews that I have seen have been pretty mixed, but I must say that I'm very enthusiastic.

For those who are not familiar with the Sony Reader, it is an e-book reader.  It's about the size of a thin trade paperback with a screen that attempts to imitate real paper.  I like to compare it to an Etch-a-Sketch because it requires power only to realign the crystals on the screen so the battery life is tremendous.  In addition, it is not backlit which helps with eyestrain issues familiar to laptop users and also makes it very readable in sunlight or other bright situations.  Ironically, most reviews I have seen criticize it for not using a backlight, but that's the whole idea.

I have now read about a half dozen books on it and am so hooked I am beginning to make reading decisions based on what I can find available in the Sony CONNECT store (where you realistically have to buy your books to use the device).  To date, that's been the weakest link, although it does seem to be improving.  Certainly the selection in that store doesn't rival Amazon.com or even the local mom & pop shop, but I have found plenty of books I want to read.  I have found a good mixture of fiction and non-fiction, but I would still like to see the selection improve.  And the store interface leaves quite a lot to be desired.  It is slow and clunky with frequent bugs.

The other major criticism others have levied is that it is slow to turn pages.  And in isolation it certainly is.  It takes about a full second for the page to change and it is quite obvious, not the fast page turn that web browsers are used to, for instance.  But when you compare it to turning pages in a regular book, it seems about the same to me.  And even if the screen changed instantaneously, you still need to refocus your eyes at the top of the screen, so I'm not convinced the time lag is that significant.

In short, this is a great device for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road.  Tossing this lightweight device in my briefcase, I can have up to 80 books at the ready without breaking my back.  Just try that with paperbound versions.  And, oh yeah, if I get the urge to read a specific book in the middle of the night, I can have it on my Sony Reader in just minutes.  No need to run to the store or have Amazon ship it overnight. 

Bottom line: I enthusiastically recommend the Sony Reader.

The Changing Face of This Blog

As I noted almost exactly two months ago, I recently became CEO of CustomScoop (more here).  Since that time, this blog has been largely neglected as a I poured much of my energy into strategic planning for 2007 and beyond. 

But now I have come up for air and hope to be able to devote more energy to this space in the future.  The emphasis will change a bit because of my new role.  While I continue to be an angel investor, this now consumes less of my time than it did previously.  This blog will reflect that as a greater emphasis is placed on the power of the Internet to empower organizations to more effectively monitor and manage their brand perceptions.

I suspect this will seem like a subtle change to most readers since there's always been a hearty dose of that sort of material anyway.  And I will continue to share my thoughts on gadgets since I can't get enough of them!

CustomScoop PR Blog Jots

Some of you may have noticed that I stopped posting the PR Blog Jots in this space.  That's because CustomScoop has launched this as its own blog, available at www.prblogjots.com.  It continues to be a work in progress, but I know that I find it to be a very useful summary of the day's blog posts in the PR space and I learn quite a bit from reading it.

Are Page Views Still Valid in a Web 2.0 World?

Steve Rubel argues forcefully that the page view is (mostly) dead in a post titled "Comscore Clings to a Page View World."  The guts of Steve's case are thus:

Comscore needs to wake up and realize that we're in a Long Tail world where top 10 lists matter less. Marketers want to know about the influence circles within the niches that matter to them - and those niches are often tiny. The time is now for comScore to open up to the little guy.

As several of his readers point out, however, Steve doesn't really have an alternative.  He just doesn't like page views.  Both points of view are fair.  I certainly have things I don't like that I don't yet have the answer for, but it does put a chink in the argument.

Steve does have a good point in noting the power of niches.  This is something that I have long believed in and think will have increasing importance going forward.  But it isn't really new.  In the pre-Internet era, there are numerous examples.  Specialty manufacturers, for instance, have long known that the power of coverage from trade publications usually exceeds the real benefits of coverage in more widely circulated, but less targeted, mainstream publications.

But that doesn't mean that raw numbers aren't valuable.  It is valuable to know that 1500 people read an industry newsletter versus the millions who read USA Today.  Only the company being covered by a newspaper, newsletter, blog, or the like can tell you what the real value is to their own business.  Circulation or page views or other similar statistics nevertheless help to judge the comparative potential impact.

As part of his critique of comScore, Steve also touts Quantcast, an interesting new service that invites individual content producers to share statistical information with them to enhance the web traffic information they gather through third party means.  It's an interesting approach, but I can't agree with Steve that they will "eat comScore's lunch" -- it's just too soon to tell how effective Quantcast will be.

There is obviously much room for debate on the best metrics going forward.  Some legitimately point out that page views fail to accurately account for RSS readers and other devices.  But there have always been challenges with page views (caching, bots, etc.) and it is important to remember that RSS usage is still extremely low when considering overall web audience numbers.  And while we bloggers would like to think we're the norm and that sites like ours are typical, neither is true for most of us.

Metrics are certainly an area that I give frequent consideration to in my role as CEO of CustomScoop, and I am far from alone.  One of the commenters on Steve's original post points to an effort he's organizing to try to come up with a community-developed metric.  I have yet to really dive into his pitch, and some of what I saw gave me pause, but it's good to see people giving this issue some deeper thought.

UPDATE: Fred Wilson offers some thoughtful commentary on the page view debate as well.  Since he's on the board of comScore it carries some added weight.