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The Message in the Cryptex: Gavin Clabaugh Answers the Social Media Question

Thank you, Gavin. I have been teaching social media for years now (since long before we were talking about "2.0" stuff) and I focus on meaningful, high impact strategies that leverage the strengths of particular organizations. But that isn't what people want. They want an easy answer to how to use the brand of the season (today it's Facebook or Twitter) to raise money. Anyone who promises easy answers (tips, tricks, hacks, etc) will attract an order of magnitude more interest than those who don't. Frankly, the whole dynamic infuriates me. So, it's with enormous gratitude that I read The Message in the Cryptex by Gavin Clabaugh. With his trademark eloquence, he tackles this very same frustration. And believe it or not, he does have an answer. And it actually is an easy one. But chances are good that most of us still won't like it. Posted: 10/13/09; 4:14:03 PM #

Making Sense of Social Networking and Social Media

I recently recorded a social media seminar for the clients of a colleague whose work I admire. I wish I had had my hands on Adam Louie's excellent introduction to the topic in Making Sense of Social Networking and Social Media. It's got much less hype than usual and he avoids over-dramatic statements like "the end of email". He's got some solid numbers that underscore why it's so important that we do social media inventories of our stakeholders. Did you know that one third of adults in the U.S. have a social network profile somewhere? Posted: 10/13/09; 4:13:53 PM #

The Confidence Game

In The Confidence Game, Burt Webb takes a quick look at the role that confidence (as opposed to fact) plays in people's decisions to follow a leader or support their actions. Having led some people off a few cliffs in my day, I worry a bit about this dynamic. I also worry that this (along with groupthink) explains some funders' willingness to back the same old bad ideas, so long as they are being advocated by someone they like. Some interesting questions are raised here. Posted: 10/13/09; 3:47:36 PM #