Modern Communicator

'Blogger Wrath'

Flemming Madsen at Onalytica has written a good post on dealing with attacks on organisational brands.

Well worth a read if you're a company who want to start a conversation with customers!

Storytelling and Knowledge Sharing

A couple of days ago, I was engaged in conversation with a potential client working in the Oil industry. We were talking around how the Digital Media (Video / Audio / Blogs / Podcasts / Conferences) could be used to enhance their Learning and Development processes.

Challenges arising for them included:

1. Making Safety issues a key part of all training and development.
2. Successfully inducting new staff into the organisation.
3. Decreasing the time spent to train new staff to do the work required.
4. Sharing knowledge from senior people (such as Drilling Managers) with new staff to aid the three points above.

About 18 months ago, I went to see a presentation by Steve Denning (former Director of Knowledge Management, World Bank). Steve is at the forefront of thought on Organisational Storytelling.

He made a great quote in one of his articles:

"Analysis might excite the mind, but it hardly offers a route to the heart".

It got me thinking how it might be possible to take traditional offline techniques for sharing knowledge  and use them in the 'online' environment. A conference or event presentation offering up facts and figures is certainly positive where the subject matter is 'matter of fact', but inspiring people is a different matter.

If we speculate a bit on how much knowledge exists within organisations, in the form of experience and stories, then look at how it could be shared, there are many interesting possibilities.

A major issue is delivering asynchronous written material is that the reader doesn't get a chance to interact with the author on any 'personal' level. It's also open to misinterpretation. In 'oral cultures', the listener forms part of the story by interacting with the author. If we took this into a modern context, exciting things can happen.

If the rule that '80% of what we hear at conferences and training events is forgotten within two weeks' runs true, then what's the 20% that people most likely remember? My guess is that it's partly down to speaker charisma, but also down to their recollection of personal experiences.

Therefore, what about building training materials that make maximum use of staff's personal experience? Imagine this scenario. Two senior engineers in a roundtable discussion with new inductees. A moderator is in place to set the context for discussion. The idea being that the senior talk about pertinent experiences and what they learnt along their careers. Then, a recording is made, and circulated around all relevant new starters. Forget the technology or format for a minute, but this kind of discussion could have real value to both parties, and external audiences. Not only does it contextualise the issues, but it also clarifies the lessons.

This recording could be re-purposed in a number of ways:

• Edits could be included in live training sessions (such as audio embedded into powerpoints).
• 'Lessons learnt' hints'n'tips could be extracted for use in other media.
• Issues arising could form part of further conversations, perhaps even incorporated into theoretical problem solving excercises.
• Audio could be enhanced through the addition of imagery to form really contextual presenttions.

It's an exciting idea and one I plan to think about and blog on more in the future. Any thoughts would be welcome!

Which! Blogging tool?

Great reference by Philippe Borremans on Conversationblog. He makes reference to a Blog Software comparison chart, created by the 'Online Journalism Review'.

So, if you're thinking of starting or upgrading a blog, it's well worth checking out! Good job, OJR!

Beginners guide to Blogging

Increasingly, clients are asking Activ-Media questions like, 'What is Blogging'? Given this fact, i've decided to make this post about exactly that. Call it 'Blogging 101'.

What is a blog?

A blog (or weblog) is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed with the newest at the top. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Since its appearance in 1995, blogging has emerged as a popular means of communication, affecting public opinion and mass media around the world. <www.wikipedia.com>

Why blog?

• Inexpensive (free with basic packages) form of inter-active communication.

• Facilitates contact with other likeminded bloggers.

• Opens up a new community of people, with no geographical boundaries.

• Through 'comments', easy interaction with your community in one place.

• Immediate publishing of your content without having to understand computer code.

• Unlike web sites, your content is easily found by search engines without requiring special optimisation effort.

• Provides a space for your community to interact on the issues affecting you.

• Shows the development process on a given subject over time.

• Allows the easy introduction of other media such as images, audio, and even video.

• When done right, an opportunity to influence other bloggers and the mass media!

Tips for Writing good blog posts: (I should adhere to these more myself)

• Make your headlines clear. Avoid abbreviation of words, accidental readers could be put off if they don't know your style or understand the subject well.

• Keep sentences short. Web readers often like to skim.

• Use short paragraphs. Use spacing between each one to make reading easy.

• Keep posts to a maximum of 300 words. If there's lots to say, consider attaching a document to your post for readers to download.

• Posts should be easily scannable. Consider using italics and bold to help break up your posts.

• Where possible, link to other people. You'll often find them linking back to you. All this helps build visitor numbers (if that's your aim).

• If you're looking for wide appeal, avoid the use of jargon (specialist technical wording).

Before you 'publish' the posting, ask yourself whether there's an obvious connection between the headline and main content? Some readers will aggregate headlines first, then choose which to follow through to read!

Bringing it all together. RSS (Really Simple Syndication):

As your blog grows in popularity, you will likely develop relationships with other bloggers. How can they keep up with you, and you with them? The answer is to bring together all the blog 'feeds' into one place. Instead of visiting 10 blogs each time you access the computer, simply look for their 'feed' link which will feature on their blog somewhere. Each time you access your 'reader', all their new headlines will automatically be displayed in one place. Think if it like 'blog email', except you decide what you want delivered.

At Activ-Media, we're finding an increased demand to produce 'Event Blogs'. These are designed to produce a chronological record of what took place, incorporating text summaries, audio interviews, and photography. The last one even attracted interest from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office who approached our British Council client offering further project funding!

Skypecasting: A new paradigm for running events online?

It seems Skype are innovating with what promises to be a means to starting / participating in focused events on any topic you can dream up.

The service facilitates upto 100 participants joining a conversation on a given subject. Theoretically that sounds wonderful, but how on earth could you facilitate anything over five people. Well, it seems they've thought of that as well. Like ageing hippies who 'pass the talking stick', the moderator gets to do the same with a 'virtual microphone'.

Similar to podcasts, you can search a directory, find an event that interests you, and join it at whatever the start time happens to be.

This development looks very exciting. I really like the idea of rapidly convening an event online, with genuinely engaged people. After all, most are unlikely to take part unless it really interests them.

Only one minor downside it would seem. That is, you'll need to download the latest version of Skype to participate in the conversation. (Just found out this isn't actually the case). I wonder if you can record the conversation online too? That way, it'd be possible to create an event podcast, simply using content discussed online. Now, onto try it.

In theory, this could be revolutionary. It's always been straightforward to find participants online for asynchronous communication. Voice, coupled with ease of organisation, opens up a new paradigm for hosting fascinating events!

Focused Flashmobbing Online?

Marketing / Promoting a podcast. A 'How to guide'.

Over the past week, Activ-Media have begun a trial project to produce 'latest news headlines' for the United Nations. Part of the initial research involved looking at methods to market and promote the podcast to build up a subscriber base.

It won't 'go live' for a few weeks, but the research produced might be helpful for those of you involved in producing podcasts for clients or yourself. Much of what follows was borrowed from / inspired by Michael Geoghagen's Podcast Solutions, and the 'For Immediate Release' blog / podcast.

Below are a set of steps that can be followed to help attract listeners to your podcasts:

Step 1:

Get listed in the major podcast directories. The top three are generally recognised as:

• http://www.ipodder.org

This directory is essentially a well categorised topic and subtopic based service. 'Nodes' are managed by editors. Sometimes it's appropriate to list in multiple categories.

• http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcasts.html

Whilst less comprehensive than ipodder, iTunes has been referred to as the '800 pound Gorilla of podcasting'. For new iPod owners, it's probably the first place they come across the notion of podcasting. Due to its 'proprietary' nature, extra care must be taken to ensure the feed delivered to it is itunes compatible.

• http://www.podcastalley.com

Very popular destination for listeners looking for new shows. Sometimes referred to as the 'Town Square' of the podcasting community. 'Top Ten' listings have found themselves in national and international press.

Other directories worth consideration include:

• http://www.podcastpickle.com

• http://www.podcastcentral.com

• http://www.podfeed.net

• http://www.podnova.com

• http://www.podcastbunker.com

Crafting the listing:

MP3 files commonly have 'id3' tags associated with them. This is extra information stored within the file that is displayed on either the listeners portable device or computer media player. Make the most of them. They will give additional information about your podcast.

One possible example of how these tags might be composed is as follows:

Artwork (Displayed on either portable or media player): Often 300 x 300 pixels. Maybe  consider  a purpose designed ' podcast logo?

To the right is an example from the BBC World Service 'Documentary Archive':

Name:

Author:

Short Description:

Longer Description:

Category: Appropriate category will depend on directory.

Sub-Category: As above.

Language:

Step 2:

Networking with other relevant podcasters

Many will have 'been there' and 'done that'. In addition to providing advice on awareness building, they may also attract listeners by drawing attention to the podcast on their own shows.

Steps to doing this may include:

• Researching and listening to what's out there right now.

• Building a list of podcasters that your podcast should be associated with.

• Create a short sample of the content for 're-podcast' on other 'shows'. Ensure this conforms to their technical standards, thus making inclusion simple and reducing the need for re-encoding by them (thus reducing audio quality).

• Alternatively, this content could be a short description spoken by a presenter / VIP / audience member. Perhaps a 20 second piece outlining what the podcast is, who might be interested, and where to subscribe from.

Step 3:

Seeding the podcast on forums and blogs.

Time spent tracking down appropriate blogs / forums is time well spent. Simply seeding the podcast through online media may have a knock on effect to those interested. It might create a 'viral' effect as those interested will pass on details to their contacts too.

In addition, search these groups on a regular basis to see what's been said about the podcast. Even negative 'conversations' can only serve to help improve the service.

Step 4:

Making use of your existing contacts.

Simple steps include:

• Mailing existing site registrees.

• Include an extra story in your 'latest news'. If using RSS, this will get pulled down with other content as well.

• Perhaps run a simple competition amongst existing contacts database? A proportion of winners secure themselves a low cost MP3 player?

• Strike agreement with an open source feed aggregator software producer. Perhaps they'll create a 'special' download, which includes your feed built in?

Step 5:

Entering the mainstream traditional media channels.

• Initially create a concise 'press release' to be issued to relevant publications. (Maybe you'll be aware of who these are). This could be linked to the competition to win MP3 players?

• Over time, feedback from listeners may indicate where the podcast has really engaged or helped them. If a 'specific' story emerges, it could be used to enter into the mainstream media.

Step 6:

Monitoring statistics and feedback.

• Searching blogs through http://www.technorati.com and other related engines.

• Keep a close eye on downloads by monitoring your server stats.

• Perform a Google Search using pre-defined terms you deem appropriate.

• Check in with contacts gleaned during 'Networking with other podcasters'. Perhaps they've had feedback from their listeners.

• Set up an on-line feedback mechanism for listeners to say what they think.

• If working for a client, create a template based report in order to assemble monitoring quickly!

Suggested frequency for monitoring:

Month 1: Daily.

Month 2: Weekly

Month 3+: Monthly

Feel free to ask questions. I'll answer if I can!

Challenges to effective organisational social computing

Great posting and analysis by Euan Semple about the challenges of making social computing work in organisations.

His thoughts on 'It's not about the technology' ring true with me!

This is where I learned my biggest lesson with what we did at the beeb. I realised that this is about a whole new way of looking at our roles as individuals, our relationships with each other and the organisations we create to enable us to get things done collectively. Amazing things happen when you have an environment where people can more easily see what they each know, form associations and work together. It starts to affect who has influence and how they manifest that influence. People who might have been remote geographically or politically but who know lots about a really useful subject suddenly have an impact on the organisation that was previously impossible. Using wikis to discuss, reach agreement and actually carry out work without having to spend time in meetings or traveling or simply not having enough information to make good judgements is enormously effective and compelling.

In my view, organisations will be forced to recognise that much of the new talent will have grown up using social media. It'll be 'de-facto' standard. Simply ignoring it will be extremely perillous!

The First Podcast: Mergers and Acquisitions

In a previous posting, I mentioned the formation of a series of podcasts around the theme of Organisational Communications.

Today we have the first programme.

The first looks at communications challenges arising from Mergers and Acquisitions. I hope you'll find it interesting as joining us for the discussion was experience from the commercial, public sector, and international organisation perspectives.

Present were:

Euan Semple, former Director of Knowledge Management at the BBC, now social media consultant.

David Paul, Managing Director of B2B communication specialists, Imarco Frontline.

David Galipeau, Head of Web Communications, UNAIDS. (Joined us from Geneva using Skype).

and myself, from Activ-Media.

To subscribe: Right click on this link, copy shortcut, and paste into your feed aggregator.

To download:  Broadband version or Dialup version.

To simply listen: Click on either track in the playlist below, depending on your internet connection:

If you have ideas for future programmes and would like to participate, drop a comment on this posting.

Business Communications Technology Masterclass

Over the past week i've been trying to initiate a joint event between New Media Knowledge and the UK branch of International Association of Business Communicators. Many of those working in the tech / comms field know that clients often welcome education on what's possible with digital media. It never ceases to surprise just how impressed some people are when viewing a simple CD ROM product. Just last year, Activ-Media were commissioned to produce a series of video conferences for the British Council's overseas network to raise awareness on various New Media Technologies and how they could be applied.

Broadly speaking, i've proposed to both organisations that we look at putting on event around the following:

- Audio Visual Media

- Mobile

- Social Media

To be successful, we'll be inviting a few suppliers and clients to kick off some discussion on these areas and their current / prospective use in business. Currently i'm thinking about Euan Semple (Social Media), and Helen Keegan (Mobile), with Activ-Media dealing with Audio Visual.

Anyhow, we'll see what happens! Maybe we'll do some form of podcast stemming from the event as well.