The Web Strategies Podcast

Why Do I Need To Know about Twitter?

A friend of mine has asked me to make a presentation for his sales staff. in order to keep my remarks brief, I found myself trying to jot down as few points as possible about how buying habits have changed.  What I came up with was a case to pay attention to twitter.

National consumer behaviors influence local buying habits and always have. The method of delivering marketing messages has undergone a fundamental change on both a national and local level.  In order to keep pace with your customers evolving buying habits let’s do a thumbnail review of how people are influenced to buy.

In the media age the masses were made aware of new products and services from a limited number of central sources. In the 1800′s that was print, mainly newspapers, magazines, and catalogs.

In the 1900′s mass marketing followed entertainment venues from print to broadcast. From radio to television to a slowly fading print media, the same processes of disseminating marketing messages through a limited number of central sources prevailed.

in the 21st century the distribution channel has blurred.  Print has continued to fade into the internet, motion pictures are being delivered as digital files, radio is available online and the music they play on iPod, and television is scattered over hundreds of cable channels and on the Internet.

The blurring of distribution channels has had an effect on the public that is reflected fairly well in the new ad campaign for Microsoft Bing.

Today people are influenced to buy differently. Instead of a small number of central distribution points for entertainment and information there are a large number of individualized sources. These include text messages, emails,  and posts to twitter, also known as tweets.

This message is hammered home again and again if you are listening.  Look at the recent protests in Iran. Hundreds of just plain folks risking their lives to text and send cell phone video images of the truth.

When Michael Jackson died there were hundreds of thousands of messages racing across twitter within minutes. Many people found out about this event from their friends via text and twitter and only then turned on their television sets to watch.   This is true despite the fact that most twenty – somethings are too young to care about the King of Pop. So who is doing all that tweeting? Everyone.

Related Story: U.S. State Department speaks to Twitter over Iran

The Web Strategies Podcast is a program dedicated to the technology and techniques of marketing your business on the internet. I think it’s pretty clear that the technology now must include a video element.

In this first Video version of the Web Strategies Podcast  we are only talking about how this first video was produced. I used a sort of “poor man’s green screen” process to create the video for several reasons. First, and most obviously the video was produced in my home studio. In the video we discuss how problematic it would be to move my entire setup to my business offices.  In all likelihood this particular office will be temporary as my marketing company is starting to gain momentum. (IMS Strategic Internet Marketing)  I can see a time very soon when additional employees will require additional office space.

Sony DCR-VX2100

The second reason for the inexpensive green-screen set up was to demonstrate that this type of video can be produced in-house.  I do an insert of video recorded simultaneously on a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro webcam on top of the video recorded with my Sony DCR-VX2100 Digital Handycam® Camcorder.  While you would definitely see a huge difference on a TV monitor, on a computer screen – even a good one – the difference is surprisingly hard to spot.

I have also included two versions of the video here, and an option to view the HD version on YouTube.  Since YouTube now limits videos to ten minutes this version was edited to conform to YouTube limitations. Most of the last few minutes features the song “Leaning Westward”, new original music I composed to be used as the theme of the program. You may download or listen to the full version on my music site – The Open Source Music Project.

The version below is  technically posted as the media of the podcast is configured for iTunes and is intended to be a continuation for subscribers of my previously produced audio-only podcasts.

As always I welcome your comments and will give my best effort to answering any questions.

Web Strategies Podcast - Video [ 13:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this program number three, we talk to Management consultant and author Lanny Goodman about The relationship between technology and business strategy. Lanny is the founder and CEO of Management Technologies Inc. in Albuquerque NM.

Lanny holds a BA in Fine Arts and an MBA in Financial Management, which gives him grounding in the tools and mechanics of business. His book The End of Management is scheduled for release later this year.

WSP 03 The relationship between technology and business strategy [ 38:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The surge of you tube is not just a phenomenon; it is a fundamental change in how ordinary folks use the internet. Just about everybody I know across all age groups have at least watched a you tube video, a lot have posted video. The other day my stepdaughter posted one of the grandbaby doing sign language. Not only is that particular video truly amazing — the fact that grandmothers and great grandmothers all over the world are experiencing the best side of people — using technology — has put the technology in a whole new light. It is easy, it is fun, and it is not just limited to unsavory traffic.

If you accept this premise then the next logical conclusion is that business will follow suit.

There is an adoption acceptance curve for all technology. Everett M. Rogers in his 1962 book, Diffusion of Innovations, theorized that innovations would spread through society in an S curve, as the early adopters select the technology first, followed by the majority, until a technology or innovation is common. And while there are lots of exceptions, generally that theory holds up today.

• Innovators
• Early Adopters
• Early Majority
• Late Majority
• Laggards

I would like to think I fall into the first bucket. This is not a brag – just letting you have the context here. Video on the internet – more or less – was invented by Real Networks in February 1997. In 1997 I produced for the internet a video clip of Joe Cipriano doing a commercial for the Simpsons on Fox TV. As far as I know – and I truly believe – that was the first use of Video as a promotional vehicle for TV announcers on the internet. Back in 1997, I was using a low bandwidth version optimized for 14.4 modem that was essentially a slide show.

Joe still has video on his web site – but it’s now a much better quality. He also has plenty of video on You Tube. Here is one I edited from the off air recording for him.

Now come full circle and compare that with the home video of our granddaughter doing sign language on you tube for grandmother and great grandmother. The point is – that if Rogers theory on the Diffusion of Innovations has any validly, if you are not using video on the internet for your business you will soon become a minority. It is tough to catch up.

Another Example

Here is an industrial video I produced a little over a year ago for Landmark Communications. They are the company that owns the weather channel and weather dot com – although this video was for a much smaller division of the company, Continental Broadband. It is a product demonstration for geeks. Enjoy.

From time to time Tom Anthony, the host of the Web Strategies Podcast, uses video or discusses technology like You Tube. This is where that video generally lives.