Swimming in Social Media - Comment as Blog Post
January 29, 2008
Ike Pigott’s post “One Size Fits None” with regard to Social Media, Companies, and Twitter Packs got me thinking even more about this whole concept. I wrote a comment over there that I would really rather post as an entry over here - so with a few tweaks…
The more I think about Chris Brogan’s analogy of the “starter pack” of Magic gaming cards, the more I understand what he was trying to do with Twitter Packs… and also how it’s really only something that would help someone getting into Twitter for the social aspect, rather than as a business strategy.
I’m going to push the Magic ’starter pack’ analogy a bit if you don’t mind… Because I’m making a certain assumption that anyone reading this either has a passing familiarity with the game (as in ‘knows what it is’) or the ability to look it up and grasp the concept fairly quickly.
In games of strategy, like Magic, you can sit down with a ‘ready made’ deck and play the game reasonably well enough for enjoyment. But if you’re really deciding to get into it, you aren’t going to go that route. You’re going to learn how to build your own deck - learn what cards have what strengths and weaknesses, and what your opposition plays and how they approach the game. Because when you’re committed to it, you are playing to win, not just for the enjoyment of a few hours of entertainment.
So, too, if you are a business committing to Social Media as a marketing and networking strategy, you need to set out to win, not just to amuse yourself for a time. You need to learn the ins and outs of the game - where your strength lies and where your weaknesses are. You need to know what your competitors are doing and how they’re approaching the Social Media waters - and what cards they already hold in their hands.
Social Media as a tool for someone sitting in his/her office late at night seeking interaction from like-minded individuals can be jump-started nicely with those ’starter packs’ Mr. Brogan conceived of.
But for a company or business that is about to jump into the Social Media waters, that’s not a good long-term strategy. You have to start at the shallow end and wade in to get a feel for the sands underneath and to see where the sharks go.
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