COM0014 – Blog Post #7: Personal Reflection November 3, 2023

Digital communications was perhaps the hardest course for me in this social media program. The subject opened my eyes to the many ways of pondering and writing content that was different from what I started the course thinking was the right path. Rather than just a data dump, the course provided formats on how to think about my potential audience, what they would sacrifice time to spend reading, and how they might engage with my messaging. The concept of producing a story funnel to pull people into my content was enlightening.

            The kind of stories I want to tell will have content that gets the audience to think. My challenge will be to spin the content into a story that will bring together facts and opinions that will challenge the reader to think along lines of thought that hopefully are different than what they normally peruse. The content, delivered with humour, will help Boomers, my intended audience, to see life and society differently, driving them out of the thought ruts they have been stuck in. These stories will involve our culture, our generation, our place in society and our changing norms. For example, considering the current Middle East war, my storytelling will not pick sides, but try to propose different ways of thinking about the situation. Societal flux, the environment, politics, retirement, and giving back will be major themes that, with a little outrageousness to add some spice, will interest my cohort into getting involved, get off the couch, and contribute.

            This content, focusing on non-judgemental ideas, is necessary to keep a Boomer’s eyeballs glued to the story, especially in our age of TikTok, and our diminishing attention spans. Just listing a few ideas is not enough to counter the speed of our society today. People, at least the audience I want to capture, need a story, a reason, to spend some of their valuable time on my content. So, since storytelling in important to capture my audience, I will need great content to achieve this. In essence, great digital content comes first, but the weaving of that into a story will determine if I can lure in an audience. 

            Interestingly, the course content that still drives the most personal reflection for me was the concept of the inverted pyramid. A novelist would not give away the “who did it” in the opening paragraph. But an opening that pulls the reader into the story is still needed. This seems to me to be different than a newspaper article, where the “don’t bury the lead” philosophy dominates.  This ying and yang of building a story is an ongoing question for me, with perhaps the analytics metric “time spend on page” deciding the better path forward. What do you think? Should a blog tell the conclusion up front, or is the essence of telling a story really the development? Let me know in the comments below, and I will post the results.

COM0014 – Blog Post #6: Do People know your Story ? October 21, 2023

Why did I start my business, the blog, you ask ? Thanks for asking, as the answer may be different than you might have expected. If you look out at the social media landscape today, it probably looks like bloggers are all in it for the money, to get rich. Looking at the many influencers out there, and especially the political ones, it must look like rage sells. Thankfully, that’s not me.

            I do want people to read my blogs, and admit that some level of readership will derive some financial gain, but there are so many bloggers and podcasts available today, if money is my motivation, I will die poor. Instead, I want to tell Boomers a story that you enjoy, that makes you think, that entertains you to the extent that you wind up pondering the message in a new light.

            Now, mention of a message can scare Boomers away, and being a Boomer myself, I understand that we have been advertised to forever, had the heart strings pulled in all directions, and sometimes just want to relax with a stimulating read that stretches your thinking. Hopefully, it also puts a smile on your face.

            To return to your query, my motivations are many. I like to read, enjoy the pain of writing, work to keep the concrete out of my brain as I age, and am interested in the world today, especially how it might evolve going forward. This all coalesces into wanting to push Boomers to get off the couch, and get involved in your neighbourhood, or follow your interests, like volunteering, or consider helping a family member with a hand up.  Be part of the solution, not a benchwarmer in your life. It’s one of the best ways I know to grow your own happiness. Please let me know what you might consider as a starting place for this journey, and share your direction in the comments below.

Reference

1) http://thestorytelleragency.com/goodreads/how-to-find-your-story-a-checklist-of-questions

COM0014 – Blog Post #5: Personal Brand October 14, 2023

As a person who worked in the business world for forty years, I have been poked and prodded, tested and analyzed, thru much iteration of social theories on development. In essence, most of us are a collection of traits and characteristics, somewhere on the matrix of human traits. Also, as we age, these characteristics can evolve from real life experiences and gained knowledge.

                Personally, some of the qualities that set me apart from my competitors are my curiosity, my sense of humour, and a knack of seeing how unrelated facts or ideas really tell a story.  

                Lately, what has stood out is my running a small business, even though I am retired. I also continue my education in subjects ( like social media ) that interest me. Both items are looked upon as hard to do. My response is that I am trying to keep the concrete out of my brain, to keep my mental acuity as sharp as it can me. No CoQ10 for me ! For some friends, this seems like the opposite of retirement, something they work long to achieve. Alas, it seems navel glazing is a growing Boomer past-time. Lastly, with a wife of 46 years and a loving family, I would be remiss if I did not mention that I am proud of being a moral and kind person that has achieved that ongoing accomplishment.

                Determining my best trait is colleague dependent, as I try to deal with people individually. As in the matrix example mentioned above, each of my traits is valued differently by different people. Generally, my curiosity would seem to be my best trait, with my humor being a close second. For example, taking a social media program because of my interest in understanding how it works, potentially to rekindle my blog writing, is valued by my friends. They think I am crazy to be going back to school at my age, but do appreciate the tidbits of gained knowledge I share with them. It keeps me interesting. That, and my ability to find humor in any situation should cover my best traits.

COM0014 – Blog Post #4: B2C Case October 9, 2023

As a B2C case study, I perceive that X, formerly know as Twitter, is an excellent real time look at the formation of a new product, totally using social media to reach its prospective buyers and users. Elon Musk purchased Twitter with the intent of tearing it down, and re-constituting it as a bigger, multi-content, multi app, and global reach media tool. Talk about a vision !

            Elon, during the purchase and tear down phase, had to endure all the slings and arrows from buyers and users who either did not share his vision, or were afraid of being associated with a losing app that added risk to any future advertising endeavours. The main concern was the loss of control over “allowed” content. 

            Strictly from a B2C view, the jury is still out as to whether Elon will make X’s makeover  a winning strategy. Or did he just spend a lot of money on a failed vanity product launch ?

            In my view, X’s use of social media has been almost perfect. First, X is completely all social media, as the quality of interactions widens to encompass the full spectrum of opinions, compared to the mostly liberal views expressed on the channel. This opening of the range of views allowed actually lets X focus on eliminating all the bots and fake accounts. Earning the blue checkmark tries to cull fake opinions, but overall only increases the level of emotion and empathy expressed. 

            I enjoy the range of opinions now available. The point is whatever your personal political or cultural persuasion, you can now see different thoughts expressed concurrently, ideas or facts you would have not otherwise seen on your chosen algorithm produced media. While this will be an ongoing battle, quality of discourse is the winner. Now it’s early, so seeing the quantity return, along with the advertising dollars, as well as the influencers needed to spark viewership, will have to wait. To date, seeing Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce implode on X, don’t you agree the app is headed in the right direction ? Let me know in the comments below if you think I am mistaken, even if you are not a Taylor Swift fan.

COM0014 – Blog Post #3: Target Audiences October 2, 2023

In the beginning, I had a blog. As a Boomer, I was struggling as to my post retirement plans, so I decided to share my issue with like minded folks who also were searching for meaning, passion, or just a few time wasters before their meaning of life kicked in. Over the 75 blogs I published, I attracted no interest. As I have learned, my social media skills were non-existent. My re-Blog activity will need an upgrade.

            To start, my targeted audience needs to have certain characteristics. First, they need to be readers. A weekly blog published each Friday allows for weekend reading. This eliminates the Tik-Tok crowd.  Trying to stay focused for the 10 minutes it takes to peruse a 1,000 word opinion piece would be impossible for most of the younger generations. While there may be a picture or table of facts, there is no video, which automatically kills any remaining kids from visiting my site.

            My pursued audience will also need to be interested in the same topics I am. Politics, economics, and cultural changes will be front and centre. Probably from all the available cable news channels, most of my generation share these interests. Agreeing with diversity, probably middle class from an economic perspective, and enjoying a little humor should also describe most of my readers. This is a huge target audience.

            The trick will be to interest them. I will use Facebook and X to advertise my content. Facebook is also used by an older cohort, so that will maximize the width of the potential audience. X will be used as its the new app, attracting lots of publicity, and did pull in many Tweet-ites !

            To attract them, I need to read daily to understand what is trending, Google Trends will help here. Being stale, unless using old data proves a point, would be an interest killer. A potential role model would be a New York Times columnist, a writer allowed free reign to juxtapose different thoughts and opinions so as to garner clicks. Hopefully that attention, a difficult objective to achieve in our billions of eyeballs media universe, will expose readers to my brand of  facts and fun as I paint a vision, a funnel to bring people into my storytelling.

            Using WordPress, I will have some available analytics. Google also provides analytics, so I can validate my readership with my content. Also, hash-tags should provide a roadmap of where my audience is, and what is forming their opinions. My goal is to entice, berate, or otherwise motivate my fellow Boomers to stop navel glazing, and find something to do that had meaning for them. My worry is that I am building a blog for me, that will not find a target audience that will enjoy the content. Is it wrong to start with your own interests first, then see where the comments take me ? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below, and I will respond to your advice. 

COM0014 – Blog Post #2: Storytelling and Communication Styles, September 25, 2023

The “information fire-hose” we all get exposed to daily can cause readers to look for their preferred author or content, and miss the story. There is so much data masquerading as knowledge that you need the skill of finding your beginning. That these facts and opinions are gelling into Storytelling that is generating emotion very effectively was an eye opener for me. Compelling stories that are improving their effectiveness only promotes the importance of painting a vision of you or your product that you want public. The attention funnel you want to build to pull in interest and engagement must compete in the marketplace today, an increasingly crowded arena. Any growth will be daunting.
            The methods of how to encourage interaction with your audience brought into focus for me an appropriate set of questions I can now use to capture my random thoughts, so I can review them for clarity and purpose. Previously, interactions and how to increase them was just a set of ideas, constantly changing. This structure will be very helpful to me going forward.

While the communication styles will continue to evolve with society and technology over time, matching the content to the appropriate reader’s level is paramount. It is also worth considering that your content should have something for every kind of reader. Using the inverted pyramid approach may allow the author to draw everyone into the start of the content, then help keep some by matching their continued interest with your additional information. After all, even one click pays today.            

This inverted approach is different than the one I have been using, which starts with introducing a question, building a set of fact or opinions, then closing with a provocative conclusion, hopefully driving some engagements. Considering that many readers could actually skim my opening question, have no interest in the discussion, and leave without even exploring the content is interesting. Have I been building my blogs backwards? Do I need to redo my content stream to reflect reading levels? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below, and I will publish the consensus. 

COM0014 – Blog Post #1: What I Did on My Vacation September 17, 2023

Cold and wet! Not the words you want or expect to hear when someone is asked about their summer vacation. All year we heard about global warming, lots of hot weather periods on our continent, with dry conditions really exacerbating our normal fire season. Unfortunately, my first vacation visit to the lake cottage for the usual first week in July was met with bugs, cold and clouds every day. The only things happy with the weather were the bugs.

            We opened the cottage in early May, as the snow in the Gatineau Hills had receded earlier than normal. There were no bugs yet as we exited the car wondering, as always, if the shack we called a cottage would still be upright and intact again this year. Being over 75 years old, and with re-build plans in the works, each year of use was a bonus.  Snow and storms can wreck any building, but we were pleasantly relieved to realize we had another year enjoying the beautiful spring fed mountain lake. The large screened-in porch guaranteed few bugs inside, and a dry place to socialize.

            The first week on July promised a meeting of my three brothers and me. One brother, who has Parkinson’s, could only stay for a few days, so we hurried up our catching up.  It was heartening to see him get down to the lake for swims, something we had all been doing since childhood, then depressing to see him have to go home early, the disease robbing him quickly of his strength, and slowly of his life.  

            Later in July, I did do a week alone, trying to sleep with thoughts of bear attacks in my dreams. There has not been a bear sighting in decades, but that fact is easily pushed aside by a vivid imagination. It’s a little disconcerting having nowhere to go except maybe the car, if a bear does makes an appearance. 

            The highlight of the summer was the arrival of my sister and her family, from California. Why they want to travel red-eye to visit a bug infested shack in northern Quebec remains a mystery, but one we are all glad they do. The 10 days flew by. My sister is a chef by trade, and conjured up an amazing menu of dishes, basically turning whatever Costco provided into gourmet dining.

            Labor Day weekend is traditionally the end of summer, when the docks come out, and thinks get put away. To my surprise, it was the best heat of the summer, so we delayed the work until Monday, and partied all weekend. As I finally drove away down the lane, facing a busy September with family weddings and a new course, I knew that my cottage summer was over. While the weather had not co-operated, I had enjoyed all the family and friends get-togethers, and was already thinking of a sun vacation this winter. To that end, I would appreciate any assist you would give, letting me know your favorite sun destinations. I am always looking for new places to visit, and would appreciate any ideas you might put in the comments below.

In Today’s Culture, are you “WOKE”, or are you “FAULTY” ?

My two millennial daughters enjoy calling me, a white retired Boomer, an old  white dinosaur, every time I express an opinion that is not “woke”. Increasingly I find that I do not have a cogent come-back, and the more I read about woke culture, the more I agree with their characterization of me.  My ideals, while positive in many respects, need to be updated to match where society is evolving to, or I will find myself socially ignored, or worst, not being invited to Sunday family dinners.

Source: Staci’s blog

The core of the argument is that we are not born racist, unequal, sexually defined, insensitive, or religious. Nature, while realizing that a small percentage of births do have medical issues that can impact a child’s development, normally births us as a clean slate. It is the Nurture component that leads to the perceived evils of our society, like racial hatred, LTBGQ concerns, class distinctions, and the like.  This “faulty” nurturing leads us to many of the societal issues that plague us today. Woke culture, as I define it, is a younger generational attempt to fix, or re-program these faults out of us, to make our society a better place. 

It is an inspirational goal, and has not been easy to implement. Politically, many parents react negatively to school kids being taught things like racial differences do not exist, that being gay is a choice, that we are all the same. It goes against their own ideal and teachings, or against their family, or against their religious beliefs.  Also, funding programs that reward a minority that has been perceived to be victimized is not popular with a large swatch of the population. Additionally, invoking negative phrases like, cancel culture, critical race theory, or compliance society is not helping. 

Frankly, while I agree with the goals of the woke culture movement, I disagree with some of its tactics. Changing how our young are taught so as to try and stop racial stereotyping is an admiral goal, but if all you do is piss off the people you are trying to change, then you will fail in your attempt. I say keep the goal but, like any social media program, determine why it’s failing, and try another tactic. Figuring out what approach might work is beyond the scope of this blog, but realizing that this current plan is not working must be examined.

 So, the next time you are see or hear someone lament a progressive opinion that challenges the status quo,  take a moment and analyze your reaction ? In the comments below, let me know if you have the same types of reactions as I did, or do you think that woke culture is a bad thing. After all, maybe I just woke up, but you are still faulty ?

Twitter: Do you think that “woke” culture has any merit, and do you pay attention to cancel culture ? #wokeculture #criticalracetheory  #cancelculture. Check out my new blog: https://bit.ly/3yZJNSE

Facebook:  Who are the people driving “woke” culture and what are they hoping to achieve ?  Find out who I think they are why I believe they are failing today. https://bit.ly/3yZJNSE

Why do I only see Commercials for ‘Depends’ and ‘Viagra’ ?

Ah, the good old days. Pour your favorite beverage, sit down in front of the television, and during the commercials, watch the big brands market their products. COKE, FORD, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, and DOVE all tried to sell us their wares with mass marketing campaigns primarily run from TV.

Today, the top brands still use TV, but now spend a big percentage on social media, as can be seen in the chart below:

Source:  Social Media Today

Looking at the numbers, today the average person watches traditional tv content 18% of the time, while user created video content is viewed 16% of the time, up from nothing in just a few short years.

Social media is changing many aspect of our lives. From how we market products, both old and new, to how we communicate ideas, to changes to our educational delivery systems, conversations are replacing the push of mass marketing plans, hoping for enough hits to justify the high cost. With the cost of social media being much lower than most traditional tools, many new products can get traction, as their cost per customer acquisition is affordable for smaller companies. Glasses, mattresses, specialty shirts, special underwear – you know the ones –  and all the new drugs can now be sold individually, and do not have to be sold via the big box stores. This direct customer connection starts their conversations, and energizes their feedback loops, leading to better customer satisfaction, and more sales.

These feedback loops allow for companies to focus their marketing budgets into areas that show high chances of closing a sale. So, a television show with vampires attracts a certain demographic that might be interested in new glasses, but not in an SUV.  You can probably guess who watches all the house renovation shows.

To this end, when I watch tv, I enjoy seeing the types of commercials that are on offer, to see if they come close to interesting me in a response, or am I just seeing a saturation model whereby my eyeballs are shown the same visuals, more and more now with an mascot, to trigger a ” must have” reaction. The saturation model of showing us a full commercial with a story, them quickly migrating to a shorter version(s) so the number of times I am exposed increases, must be effective, or we would not see this technique. At least it gives me time to go to the kitchen and back, all while wondering why a turtle would be used in a pistachio commercial …

 My favorite shows get bombarded with marketing that my generation seems to respond to favorable, as the need exists. This commentary on Boomers in dire need of adult diapers, an erectile dysfunction fix, or diabetes medication is actually depressing.  Boomers know that these are all interrelated ( GEN X spoiler alert ) as a sign of our aging, but who wants to be reminded ? These ads can be scary,  but they must drive sales, or they would not be used.   

So, the next time you are watching television, or even your favorite social media, check out the ads on offer, and see if they interest you, or did the marketers guess wrong with their selection ? In the comments below, let me know if you have the same types of reactions as I did, or if you are watching the wrong shows, based on the advertising content. After all, maybe I really like vampires but just don’t know it yet.

Twitter: Are you watching the content advertisers think you are watching ? #socialmediachoices  #televisionmarketing. Check out my new blog: https://bit.ly/3CvY1f8

Facebook:  Advertisers are trying to drive product conversations by narrowing their content to appropriate audiences. Is this working for you ? Find out why I believe they are succeeding today. https://bit.ly/3CvY1f8

https://keap.com/business-success-blog/marketing/digital-marketing/how-to-market-to-baby-boomers

Could Driving laws fit the Social Media Regulation needs ?

Social media continues to flow into every facet of our lives because everyone sees that the opportunities and positives greatly outweigh the perceived constraints and  negatives. Being able to communicate globally has great value, whether you are an individual or a company reworking your marketing plans. Productivity and cost savings will help push this new media even further into society. Having said that, there are some effects that are not positive, and these privacy concerns, as an example, need to be rationalized and regulated before society loses total control as these technologies keep growing exponentially.  

Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/04/PI_2021.04.07_social-media_0-01.png?w=640

We need to ask the question ” does social media needed to be regulated to protest ourselves or society ? Where should the lines be drawn that show us when it’s appropriate to use social media, and when is it harmful ? What should the penalties be, and how do we assign severity. Should some activities be outright illegal, leaving some to be frowned upon, leaving the rest as acceptable.

A first response might be to equate social media with other, culturally appropriate activities. In this way, we could borrow the social norms from say, driving a car, and “cut and paste” these accepted rules onto social media.  Everyone might need to have a licence to text, after registering and passing a test.

An alternative might be to use our current gun laws as the governance model. A background check might be considered, but that’s about it. Using the gun would have huge consequences, but showing it to people ( concealment laws ? ) or just having one available ( in your car or home ) for self defense, would be legal.

As a retired Boomer, my view of social media remains one of mainly an interested bystander. I do not have to use certain media channels that a job might force me to learn, I can pick the advertising medium that I like, and I choose not to have a media assistant, like Amazon’s Alexa. I use my iPhone, but constantly leave it at home.  I do use social media to scan the news of the world, play bridge online, play the markets, and connect with friends. I am not building a business, care about search engine optimization, am interested in luring someone into a compromised video, want to bully anyone, or spread “fake news”.  So, while I do not use many of the available tools, I am aware of the negative reaches of social media, and still believe that we can and should control  it.

Using gun laws as a regulation template, while perhaps useful, seem to me to be too narrow in scope to handle all the social media uses, never mind the political emotion attached to firearms. To contemplate a safe, proven schema instead, using driving laws fits the bill. Cyber bullying could equate to drunk driving, and the same laws could letch over to that type of media activity. Addicted to gaming or online texting ? Speed limit fines could work here, limiting your screen time. Posting inappropriate videos  sounds like reckless driving with, resulting in the loss of your accounts, or a ban on usage.

Yes, the adoption of regulations are needed, but let’s not reinvent the wheel if we already have a framework we could graft with little editing. Do you agree ? Might you suggest a different schema, or even have some ideas of how to meld our accepted driving laws onto the social media landscape ? Please put your thoughts in the comments section below, and let’s see if we can start a drive to regulate social media.

Twitter: Could Driving laws fit the Social Media Regulation needs ? #socialmediaregulation. Check out my new blog: https://bit.ly/3y9Jqod

Facebook: Social media regulation is needed, but there are many ways to proceed. Find out why I believe our driving laws can be used today. https://bit.ly/3y9Jqod