DISQUS

Probably the best way to learn these skills is simply to follow people like Ann Handley (@marketingprofs) and Mack Collier (@mackcollier) and (yes, of course) @chrisbrogan for a few weeks on Twitter and just observe the flow of conversation, resource-sharing, and gentle promotion. Then go and do likewise (I could cite many others beside those three, of course - these are examples of people who've gained large followings on social media by embodying good "picnic practices")

And, of course, the same applies for Super Bowl ads, sky-writing, billboards, and tattoos on desperate 20-somethings who want to become billboards. Plus, what might be less-than-desirable for a company in 2008 could be the winning ticket in 2010. If "the answer" was pre-packaged, a lot of us would be out of a job requiring the use of brains!

The simple fact is, we make a choice to open up a lot of elements of our lives by being involved in these networks. Let's make conscious choices and not have unrealistic expectations. As long as companies are transparent about what's going on, and we choose to be transparent with your lives, then we maintain some level of social contract sanity in this big community experiment we're conducting.

I'm a consultant and blogger in north Jersey - you can connect up on Twitter at @swoodruff

When FAX first came out, I absolutely loved it. It was a remarkable revelation! Now I absolutely hate having to deal with FAXes and paper. Transition times are exciting, but legacy processes persist for a looooong time...

I believe that you are absolutely correct. The Twitter model/concept is here to stay, but the technology will quickly be a commodity. It's the communication flow that is enabled, and the networks built, where the real value lies.

Nice job, Mr. McD!!!!!

Nicely done, Ken - you've highlighted some folks who haven't appeared on a "Five" before - bravo!

Tools, strategies, departmental ownership, and approaches are all important variables, and the answers will not only vary by situation, but evolve rapidly in most cases when there is adoption. Underneath it all, however, is the 300-lb gorilla question - are corporations ready to decentralize communications and trust/empower people to create and converse?

Happy Birthday, from someone married to a Jan. 1 birthday wife! Sounds like you two have a great foundation for a wonderful life together!

Lead. Build. Trust.

28. Don't forget to weave in humor. Your readers need a laugh now and then.

"...have had great success with clients who understand their audience and have a story to tell them." I've had a narrow tendency to view podcasting from a technical perspective, and felt that it would quickly be obsolete. Hadn't really considered the storytelling angle. Now I need to re-think this...

Everyone wants to talk about ROI, but the fact is, much of what we do in advertising and marketing (and social media) hinges on - oh, that unmeasurable word! - faith. Faith that we can create subtle but real brand recognition by repeated exposure. Faith that a message replayed over and over will eventually hit its mark. Faith that building relationships via social media will lead, in time, to increased sales. Some things can be directly and reliably measured. But some things we just take on faith. Does anyone want to admit it?

My solution - use TweetDeck, and classify your Twitter followers by category and/or location (one just for Louisville, for instance). Have one or two high-priority streams that you look at regularly, then just check the "All Followers" stream on occasion. Big help with signal-to-noise problem!

Well, the good thing is, these platforms allow for full self-selection and opt-in. I'll probably never follow celebrities, but I can choose to follow anyone that interests me, and ignore the rest - and vice-versa. Any legitimate form of self-expression and networking that drives social media adoption is probably a plus, in the long run.

I'm really really sorry that I haven't commented lately...

Part of being the one most likely to survive is being the most "networked," which is your point. The networks we build provide expertise, connections to other resources, and boundless potential opportunity (see: http://is.gd/42ev). It makes no sense to leave all that on the table by ignoring community networking!

Part of being the one most likely to survive is being the most "networked," which is your point. The networks we build provide expertise, connections to other resources, and boundless potential opportunity (see: http://is.gd/42ev). It makes no sense to leave all that on the table by ignoring community networking!

Even prior to all of that (very good points all!) I'd encourage new bloggers to shop around at similar blogs (content-wise), make comments, get to "know" other bloggers, and see what seems to work best. Build a small yet sympathetic audience before you even begin. You want the support and encouragement of other bloggers, and that happens with participation, even prior to soft launch. Be a student first...

Bob's instincts are right, even though his non-conforming actions may be wrong. The company has a right to do things however it wishes, and Bob is bound to do what he's told - even if the instincts of the leadership are (in the larger scheme of things) wrong or misguided (&, of course, maybe they're NOT in this case - we don't know enough). So Bob should just leave - both he and and the present company will be better off.

Two words: death spiral. It may take time, but companies that stupid will always end up on the cutting room floor.

I use Qwitter out of curiosity. Most of the unfollows seem to be folks who were fringe followers - maybe they were hoping I'd auto-follow (I don't - I check out EACH follower to see if I think there is value and a workable signal/noise ratio for me) and then they drop me when it doesn't happen. Sometimes, it's because of something controversial or snarky I've said, but again, these are generally not my devoted subscribers. The sting is minor, but I do use it as an advance warning signal - if there is a trend of unfollows due to a specific tweet or theme, am I being unnecessarily abrasive?

I use Qwitter out of curiosity. Most of the unfollows seem to be folks who were fringe followers - maybe they were hoping I'd auto-follow (I don't - I check out EACH follower to see if I think there is value and a workable signal/noise ratio for me) and then they drop me when it doesn't happen. Sometimes, it's because of something controversial or snarky I've said, but again, these are generally not my devoted subscribers. The sting is minor, but I do use it as an advance warning signal - if there is a trend of unfollows due to a specific tweet or theme, am I being unnecessarily abrasive?

I hope it doesn't backfire on the SPAM front, but just leads to better readership. Keep us posted!