In Sydney last night, the 3rd monthly Social Media Club Sydney (SMCSYD) event was held. Unfortunately I was not able to attend it due to other commitments and I was disappointed. I have been to the previous two and found them extremely useful in relation to both the information presented as well as the people that attended. It is a great initiative and one that I will continue to support.
However last night there seemed to be more than the usual backlash in the social media space about the event. What concerned me the most was the fact that the information that was being presented was hard to follow - both audibly as well as visually. This is a key element that needs to be addressed. I primarily attend social events to learn more about the field and improve my skill set. Others seem to be going for other reasons, or worse, create a negative back channel of comments taking away the hard work of those presenting.
The holier than thou type attitude that is present in marketing unfortunately cannot work in social media. Social media first and foremost is a conversation. Between people, not egos. And I think the suggestions mentioned by the attendees that everyone should have a voice is a great idea. Sure it could turn into a school yard brawl, but that is what we have moderators for isn’t it?
Rather than people moan and pull out red pens whilst the blue one is left at home (corny analogy I know, forgive me…) I think open dialogue could remove a lot of that. The nature of the experts and champions of this new form of media are naturally extroverted, intelligent, witty, and business minded - they wouldn’t be in the game if they weren’t. I just think the mentality when we deal with our own should be one to make it better for everyone involved. Let’s create effective strategies together. Let’s bounce ideas off one another. Let’s share what we have learnt from our various campaigns.
Let’s talk about how we will show the corporate world that social media is the greatest form of marketing since word of mouth.
And friends, that how industry will be expected.
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