Coming full circle

I'm very excited that Grace Boyle a former Champlain Alum (graduated May '08) was able to come into my Internet Marketing class today. Grace (her bio is still on the Champlain Website) was an outstanding student who was very focused in what she wanted to accomplish.  She was a "go-getter" who didn't wait for opportunities to come to her, she aggressively went after internships and projects with an eye on the end goal: experience and getting a job.

She brought that passion into our classroom today talking about blogging and how it actually helped her to get noticed where she is working now, Lijit.com out of Boulder, CO. Her personal blog, Small Hands, Big Ideas is a wealth of information that highlights her experiences, things she has learned and trends she is interested in.

Her points today in class were great. She told all my students to blog, that they should blog about anything they care about and that they should consider an editorial calendar (now that is a good idea!).

What I hope my students took away from Grace today was that they have a huge opportunity today to build their digital footprint, to be ready for when they graduate and to be engaged with the many different communication tools that are available to them.  Also, there is hope.  They too, will graduate soon and they too, will get jobs and maybe one day come back to my class to tell my future students about ways in which they can get noticed.

Grace can be found on twitter: @gracekboyle.  If you aren't following her, you should be.  I learn a great deal from her, and that my friends is what makes my job the COOLEST in the world!

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Great things going on at Champlain College in the Marketing Program

I just had to post these.  I've asked marketing majors here at Champlain College to post their thoughts on what they are learning in the marketing curriculum, what makes Champlain College a great place to get an education and what they have gained through their experiences here.  Former students as well as current Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores and First year students are responding and providing not only a wealth of praise (I'm biased, and have to admit I'm PSYCHED!) but also a great deal of information for current majors as well as students considering a college education.  Some great advice follows.

Lindsay
As a Senior Marketing Major I have really enjoyed how the program allows you to personalize the major. I am in the management track, but I wanted to get into event marketing/planning and I was able to get waved into two hospitality event marketing/management classes as electives. Another aspect that has been extremely beneficial is working with actual clients and companies. Just one example would be while I was abroad in Ireland, I took the Social and Non Profit marketing class and was able to work with Barnardos, a child advocacy organization, in creating a new fresh marketing campaign. Staff is always really helpful and even if you don’t care for some you will love others! 

Dan 
As a an Alum from the Class of 2009, I am very thankful for the Champlain College Marketing Program. I was among a handful of students from the Class of 2009 who started and ended as a Marketing Major. Over my 4 years at Champlain, I watched the program grow as students began switching majors to pursue marketing.... The professors teach from their industry experience, rather than just studying to become a professor. They not only helped me establish connections but taught me how to put myself out there and establish connections on my own. Over the years I had internships with Kelliher Samets Volk, who I later worked for in the Public Relations department and Stowe Mountain Resort, in which I helped coordinate, plan and promote events during the winter season. I also had several course-related opportunities to help some Vermont companies with their marketing efforts, namely Sugarbush Resort and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. The marketing program at Champlain helped me become well rounded and well versed in all aspects or Marketing and business practices. As a result, I was offered a Sales Position in Burlington at 800response the day before Graduation. I took this position and continued to expand upon my knowledge acquired at Champlain. I was hired along with 4 other recent graduates, 3 of which were also from Champlain. After several months, I decided it was time for a big change, so I moved to Boulder, Colorado where I currently work for Filtrbox, a company that specializes in real-time social media monitoring, allowing companies to listen and engage in the conversations occurring around their brand. At Filtrbox, I am expanding upon the knowledge of social networking and social media engagement that I also learned in the Champlain Marketing program. I am extremely grateful for my background from the Champlain, especially from the Marketing program within the Business Division. I highly recommend the program and would always be more than happy to share my experiences and encourage others to take advantage of all that Champlain Marketing has to offer. Please feel more than welcome to contact me with any questions about Champlain College and it's remarkable Marketing program.

Tricia 
As a junior marketing major at Champlain I have already had an internship, and have worked with over 5 businesses (Midlife-Unlimited, Vemma, RehabGym, WRCC, PIEmatrix) getting hands-on experience. I'm only 20 years old and feel very comfortable talking and interacting with professionals in the field. The professional marketing professors know what they are talking about and bring their experience to the classroom.
 
Nick 
As a recent graduate of Champlain College's marketing program, many of the benefits of attending Champlain have come to light. Champlain focuses on preparing you for the "real world." I know this seems like a typical response, but in fact it has given me a leg up on other recent graduates. The teacher to student ratio ...allows for a great learning atmosphere while focusing on real world applications. Over my four years, I have worked on projects for a variety of local business such as Stowe Area Association, VSECU, and Able Paint and Glass to name a few. These projects are great learning experiences and allow for networking possibilities. I also have to give Champlain a hand for their internship program. This was key in learning/fine tuning my skills while establishing a strong resume. Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented, you will be rewarded later on in your career. I cannot possibly write all the things that I have learned at Champlain, so feel free to contact me! 

Angelica 
I had great hands on experience in my Internet-Based Marking class. I worked with three classmates to develop a marketing campaign for Kids Fly Safe, a business that develops safety harnesses for children when flying. We developed a break-down of Internet tools the business should consider and others they should disregard. We also reviewed the website and made recommendations, and presented a report to the management of Kids Fly Safe.
 
John 
In my first semester as a First Year student, I have already seen the incredible benefits and support from Champlain's Marketing program. I started a blog because of inspiration from a marketing professor and it has since become my passion. In addition to receiving much help and advice from countless sources, my "business" has even been incorporated into several class projects for myself and even other students. What larger schools would neglect to even notice, Champlain has seen this as a real-life application to learning about business and marketing and moving beyond the classroom in its life lessons.
 
Kathleen
As a senior in the Marketing Program I've really come to appreciate all the opportunities Champlain has offered me through the years. There is always a real life aspect to the projects we work on, which has helped me to build connections in the community. I have worked with great organizations and businesses through classes and have lots of hands on experience here. All this plus the amazing teachers in the program leaves me feeling confident in my skills and knowledge and given me a passion to go out into the work force and succeed!
 
Kristan
The Marketing program at Champlain College is great. You have a lot of hands on projects and work a lot with local business. Right now in Internet Based Marketing my group and I are working with The Lang House for the semester and helping them with their marketing. The marketing program is very hands on and the teachers are always willing to help and are very friendly.

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Teaching the Facebook Generation - BusinessWeek

Teaching the Facebook Generation

Young people may seem like social media mavens, and employers may expect them to be, but students need to learn how to exploit digital tools

By Dr. Elaine Young

Our goal as college professors is to open students’ minds to new experiences so they can grow intellectually while they mature through the traditional four-year process. But we are also challenged to give students the immediate skills they will need once they graduate so that they can begin their professional careers and move away from the fry-o-later to the cubicle and beyond.

Over the past decade, there has been a sea change in the marketplace demands for graduates. Whereas broad skills used to be sufficient, now our students must demonstrate a set of concrete skills that not long ago were required only of those in highly technical majors. Nowhere has this change created a greater shift than in fields such as marketing and public relations, which traditionally have been viewed as nontechnical but are now demanding a technological competency that is astounding.

When I began teaching nearly 10 years ago, marketing and PR majors were expected to be stellar communicators, know the Four P's (Product, Promotion, Price, Place), have a good head on their shoulders, and have passion. Employers gobbled them up and trained them on specifics of the job.

Our traditional curriculum emphasized marketing, advertising, sales, research, and consumer behavior for the marketing major. For the PR major, writing, media relations, and campaign management were enough.

A Lot to Know

Today, marketing students also need to know basic HTML, design software such as the Adobe Suite, how to run a Google adwords campaign, how to optimize a Web site for search engines, how to analyze Web analytics data, develop a keyword strategy, and manage e-mail marketing campaigns. A basic knowledge of how social media including sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Twitter can be used to leverage a marketing message isn't optional—it's a requirement.

Students also must be familiar with online gaming and trends in mobile communication technologies. PR students must now write news releases that are search-engine friendly, pitch bloggers, "listen" to a continual flood of consumer-generated content on multiple social sites from YouTube to Facebook to Twitter, generate social media news releases, and engage with blogs, Facebook fans and multiple other sites. As this is happening, these two professions, one in business and one that is often located in communication schools, are becoming more and more integrated and reliant on the other. One cannot talk about social media without considering both the marketing and PR implications.

Business school curricula mostly do not prepare students for this new digital world. Institutions recognize this, and many are catching up by offering courses and curricula in Internet marketing, digital media and new-media marketing. But the vast majority are not integrating these skills throughout. It's much easier to create a standalone course than it is to take the Introduction to Marketing class and change it so that it integrates analytics into the research or finance portion, or search engine optimization (SEO) into the writing/communication section.

The reality is that many businesses are struggling to wrap their arms around these developments as well. They actually are looking to new graduates to help them manage their digital strategies for them, with the assumption that because they are young they are familiar with the social media world. But our students cannot know how to leverage these tools professionally unless we teach them how. They must learn the difference in writing a news release, a blog post, a Twitter update, or generating content for a Facebook fan page. They have to know which metrics should be tracked on a Web site.

A Leg Up for Students

Why is all this important? Because the businesses that don't know how to respond to and use social media are filling knowledge gaps in staff by hiring students with these skills fresh from college. In the lean organizations of 2009, students will not simply learn on the job; they will be asked to implement these tools strategically because no one else knows how.

If we can bring social media into existing curricula, our students will learn not only how but why they should be used within an overall communication strategy. Our mission hasn't changed, but we must bring these tools into the classroom and show our students how they are used in business today and will be used tomorrow.

The challenge for faculty in all business functions—and all disciplines across higher education for that matter—is staying on top of these changes and knowing what to teach in the classroom. More than ever, we must be life-long learners to stay fresh and understand these tools. From professional networking in learning communities with colleagues across the country, to seminars and conferences and building relationships with local businesses that have expertise in these areas, we have many resources at our disposal.

Professors need to lead students by example by knowing the mechanics of social media and showing our students how to use them strategically for the good of their employers.

Dr. Elaine Young is an associate professor of marketing at Champlain College.

via businessweek.com

I was asked to write an "opinion" piece for Business Week last month that focused on what I saw as some of the challenges in preparing Business students for the workplace. As I thought about it and reflected on the changes in the demands of the workplace over the past few years it was clear to me that I needed to emphasize several major points. First, that so-called "digital natives" may like to play with tech tools (many don't by the way), but when it comes to applying them to a business context they have no idea what to do and secondly, we as teachers need to use these tools so we can provide that context.

Businesses need use to do this -- an IT student may be able to program but a business student has to understand the rationale, what the strategy is and how to apply the tools to make solid business and marketing decisions.

Great commentary from people responding to the post -- while several are a bit pitch like, the posts from students and other faculty are very interesting.

FYI: I'm testing posterous with this post to see what happens when I post "everywhere".

Posted via web from Elaine's Posterous

Are we really as connected as we think we are?

As I lay in bed (for like day three) I have come to the conclusion that while I may think I'm uber-connected, I am really not.  Yes, I have multiple e-mail accounts and I have Facebook and I have Twitter, and a blog and I even have a cell phone and a land line and none of that matters at all...

When...

The people you need to connect with don't use them.

Here I am in isolation (thanks piggy), and trying to engage but the people I need to engage with use email.  And they don't respond very quickly. So while I sit here in bed, with really nothing to do, ready to do something, I cannot because I do not have the information I need that was shared with others in Face to Face meetings over the past few days.

So much for being connected.

Posted via email from Elaine's Posterous

Video from Gary Vaynerchuk for My "What Tracks are you Making" Presentation

My Digital Media Secret Sauce...or How Do I Keep Up?

Recently there has been a plethora (yep a bunch) of blog posts highlighting the "Top [insert no. here] People to Follow" on Twitter. Here's a few of them:

@PRsarahevans "Top 50 Tweeples to Follow"
@InkFoundry "20 Social Media Marketing Leaders on Twitter"
@iancapstick "20 Leading Women in Social Media" (this one is a response list to the InkFoundry list which had only TWO women in the list).
@jasonhiner "Techies: The Top 10 People You should Follow on Twitter"

And then, of course there are several lists by @kenthuffman:

Top Marketing Professors to Follow on Twitter (I'm currently #8 'cause I don't have 2,000 followers yet)
Top Marketing Authors on Twitter

In my Internet Marketing class in addition to the required reading for the course I include both blogs and twitter id's on a "must read for current events" list. All students in the class must have an RSS feed reader set up by tomorrow (Friday) and have subscribed to a certain list of blogs/twitter accounts. Many of my recommendations below are on the list for students.

So, not to be outdone by the above lists and warning of some overlap, here is Elaine's Recommended List of People to READ (both blogs AND tweets) for Students:

This list is based on overall VALUE to me as an educator. Where do I learn the most and who keeps me up to date the most so I can pass that information on to my students. So folks, these people make up my Digital Marketing Secret Sauce (for all the people out there wondering how I keep up on it all):

Oh, and this is in no particular order just a mashup of greatness if you will.

Beth Harte via Twitter and #pr20chat: She works at Marketing Profs, is an adjunct faculty and an all around smart, strategic thinker. Must follow for anyone in communication.

Marketing Profs (Ann Handley) via Twitter: All around good info - knows her stuff, great RT of others. Value, Value, Value!

Conversation Agent (Valeria Maltoni) via Blog AND Twitter: Excellent point of view about all things MarComm. Makes you think, makes me think.

Brian Solis via Blog and Twitter: Talk about critical thinker! Looks at PR and what makes it tick, rips it apart, builds it back up. Visuals describe it all.

Avinash Kaushik via Blog and Twitter: Web Analytics Evangelist at Google. If you are NOT following him you miss out on the keys to Data Driven Decision-Making.

Danny Brown via Blog and Twitter: The nicest Marketing person on the web hands down -- great point of view, relevant info and all about social media for good with his 12for12k Challenge.

Sarah Evans via Twitter and #journchat: Twitter stream of value and fun, great retweets, good links and runs Journchat. Always thinking about intersection of journalism, blogging and online communication tools.

Danny Sullivan via Twitter. Edits Search Engine Land. Been following Danny via his search work since before I was teaching. Solid gold info on all things Search. Must. Follow.

Andrew Keen via Blog and Twitter: The anti-social media person on my list (although he uses social media). Makes you think about all the social media hype and frenzy and questions the value. Cult of the Amatuer is a must read.

dana boyd via Blog: Academic. Researcher. All over online communication tools and environments. 'nuff said. Really.

Diedre Breckenridge via Blog and Twitter and the new #prstudchat: PR2.0 Strategist, writes books, connects PR/Marketing and Communication. Excellent info grounded in experience.

Rohit Bhargava via Blog and Facebook and Twitter: You want personality? Author of Personality Not Included (a required text in my MKT111 class), his book is great and his blog RAWKS. Really. Great insight, important point of view and experience beyond all reason.

Ambercadabra (Amber Nasland) via Twitter and Blog: She's with Radian6 (Community Manager) and her Tweets...well....they be good. Really, really, good. And then there's those e-Books. Just might end up as required readings in some classes of mine.

SkyDiver (Peter Shankman) via Twitter and Blog: Brains behind HARO (Help a Report Out) and all around interesting PR person. Lot's of energy and one of the few people I have Poken'd (now that's another story). Fun tweets and important social media perspective.

Barbara Nixon via Twitter: Aside from the occasional NASCAR tweet (grin), Barbara, a PR Prof from Georgia Southern University, provides great info on teaching PR, using different tools in the classroom and current issues.

Robert Scoble via FriendFeed. Yes, the world follows him and so do I. I friend feed because of him and I learn about all sorts of nifty things from his Tweets and FF. Follow, Listen, Learn.

and now...a special shout out to #BTV:

Joe Mescher via Twitter: The Social Media Commando is a prolific vlogger and provides great tips. Works at Dealer.com.

Nicole Ravlin via Twitter: Local PR Maven with emphasis on FOOD. Great clients, great energy, good info and retweets. Works at People Making Good, great PR firm in BTV and one of the founders of the Social Media Breakfast.

Ryan Mercer via Twitter: Part of our local news media at the BFP -- Photo Journalist. Pushing the edge. Always trying new things.

Rich Nadworny via Twitter: Owns local shop Digalicious, big part of the BTV social media scene and one of the founders of the Social Media Breakfast.

So there you have it. Another list.

Free as a book choice in my Fall 09 Internet Marketing class

I heard about Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson while I was at SxSWi last spring. I'm a Chris Anderson fan and reference the Long Tail concept often in my classes, so I was intrigued as I heard Chris talk about his theory about pricing and how a service or product that is free might very well drive stronger profits for items that are connected to that service or product. His point that the three pillars of technology: storage, processing speed and connectivity speed are so abundant and so cheap that products and services that rely on those could change their whole pricing approach seems more than plausible to me.

Disclaimer -- I'm a Marketer NOT an Economist.

I decided that Free would fit in nicely into my supplemental book list for my Internet Marketing class.

Scheduling being what it is, I made that decision BEFORE I READ THE BOOK. The bookstore wants the Fall book list by the end of the spring semester so I went on faith.

It was the right decision.

First let me point out one of the highlights of my Internet Marketing class. All students are REQUIRED to read one book for the course: DigiMarketing: The Essential Guide to New Media and Digital Marketing (please don't judge the book by the website which suffers from GSNFI or gratuitous stupid non-relevant flash idiocy). This is the one book that actually works well for a course that is almost impossible to use a traditional text book for. Besides the content challenge of the course itself, many different majors take the course. It is required for Marketing and PR majors. Business majors who are interested in Marketing take it. I get some graphic design students (which I got more of these), an occasional web development student (more of them should take it too!) and International Business majors. Because of the disparate nature of the majors I came up with the idea to also have the students read a second book -- they would have a choice from a list of five that I provided -- all chosen based on their potential relevancy to the major so that students could gain a field perspective and context for why the Internet Marketing tools and techniques we are working with are important in their chosen field.

Free fits in well for Business and International Business majors. The economic emphasis along with the examples that Anderson provides and the breakdown of "how can ? be free" visuals really hits a home run...and Anderson does a great job of connecting all of this to the main topic of my course -- the Internet as a full-blown communication tool.

Overall I found the book an interesting read and one that brings forth a theory that I would like to see more explore. Great research for economists in higher education!

I am, however, disappointed in the approach both Anderson and his publisher took when it came to vetting sources and more importantly citing his sources. As the Virginia Quarterly Review pointed out in a June 23, 2009 post, Anderson did not appropriately cite his sources of historical information -- he used a lot of Wikipedia entries but didn't identify them as such nor cite the authors of the entries. While he did respond in a post and explain what occurred it is clearly an issue that I face in my classes all the time -- how do you accurately cite your sources? What are the different levels of plagiarism? How do you appropriately utilize community generated content information such as Wikipedia in research and information gathering? It's a challenge that will become even more difficult and one that has shown up here. Because of this I did think about pulling the book, however I have decided not to because the focus for me in the book is the theory that Anderson brings forth and his ideas around the impact of free pricing on products and services.

As even the author of the VQR blog post, Waldo Jaquith, wrote in response to comments:

While we’re on the topic of plagiarism in the form of ideas, I must note that I did not find any evidence that Chris Anderson’s thesis contained any plagiarized ideas. That’s an important point. All ideas that form of the core the book are credited, and his own thesis that he builds upon that showed no signs of being anybody’s but his own.

Hopefully other book authors and publishers will think about this issue, which can have a decidedly negative impact on the book, and not loose site of good editing practice in the rush to publish.

On a side note, Anderson made corrections to all the DIGITAL copies -- because he can. The hard copy editions won't have those corrections. Now isn't that an interesting dilemma that the digital age has brought us.

All my students have to write brief summary and analysis papers on the supplemental book they selected. I will look forward to reading their takes on Free.

Putting Burlington (BTV) on the (Social Media) Map

This morning I attended the second Burlington Vermont Social Media Breakfast (twitter hashtag #btvsmb) at the Sheraton Hotel. For info on the background of this event and a quick overview, read Rich Nadworny's account at his blog. The speakers for this one where Sarah Evans known as @prsarahevans on Twitter and Jason Kintzler of PitchEngine who is known as @pitchengine on Twitter.

I enjoyed both of their presentations -- Sarah's on general PR and social media, and Jason's on Pitch Engine and the evolution of the Press Release -- because they provided a strong case for why the social media space continues to grow and evolve and why it is NOT a fad.

My main take-aways from today's presentations and breakfast have a little to do with what the presenter's actually presented, but more to do with my impressions of our BTV community when it comes to this thing called Social Media.

> PR and Marketing and Advertising have to work together now in ways they never have before. Ok, so this didn't really come from the audience -- but is a key take away. No longer can it be advertising in one corner, PR in another and Marketing somewhere else. They must work together to craft an integrated communication strategy. Things are moving too fast and your brand is too important to segment these skill sets any longer. @pitchengine talked a bit about Advertising vs. PR as did @prsarahevans and it is clear that PR pros have to consider Adwords and SEO in their pitching strategy and Marketing/Advertising must consider not just the outgoing messages but the incoming messages as well.

> It's NOT ABOUT THE TOOLS! I believe both @prsarahevans and @pitchengine highlighted this fact and I couldn't agree more. The tools keep changing and evolving. It's how the PR pro uses the available tools to leverage their message and connect with their brand influencers that is key. That's the strategy. And each tool should be used differently.

> Burlington, VT is Rock'n the Social Media. Well...kind of.... What I saw today was a group of individuals in the room who are all over the map when it comes to social media -- some are swimming in the deep end and others are standing on the side wondering if they even want to dip a toe in the water. But, what the #btvsmb has done is provided an affordable way for all of these individuals to come together to meet and hear from thought-leaders in the field about how social media is evoloving and how a brand/business can benefit from the use of social media. Did this morning move anyone closer to getting their toes wet? I think it did. The ongoing conversation including the Wednesday evening #iBTV Twitter chat might help too. (Thanks @joemescher for jumping on that!)

> There's a vacuum at the top. So here we are in this room with these two innovators in the social media space and questions focused on moving people in the organization (in other words, the boss/ceo) to be willing to give social media a try. And this, my friends is the challenge. While there were a mix of individuals in the room, many got the fact that they had to at least know what is happening in the space. BUT when they go back to their 9to5 will the boss LISTEN to them? I get this question when I do presentations too -- how do you get the administration to LISTEN and allow you to try the social media, and I certainly experience it in my roll as a prof at Champlain -- and my answer is simple. Keep at it. Be patient. Provide information. But, CEO's if you value your brand and your company perhaps instead of sending your staff to these events you should come too.

Next week EpikOne is hosting another Seminar for Success that will include speakers from Google, Gannett Digital and Core Industries. Part of the event will be at Champlain College and the last day in downtown Burlington. It's another opportunity for our local businesses to learn about strategies and tactics -- and if I know the Epik crew it will be well worth it.

So in two weeks time we have @prsarahevans, @pitchengine, @avinashkaushik, @schutzsmith and Matt Jones all here in Burlington, VT.

How cool is that?

Here we go again....

In case you haven't noticed, I'm on blog hiatus. What that means is that I'm on summer break and I'm really taking a break.

However...I was moved to post an observation based on an article from THE TIMES entitled, "Twitter is for old people, work experience whiz-kid tells bankers". In short, a young man (around 15) has told his internship site (a bank) how "Teens Use Tech".

According to this young man, games consoles are for communicating with friends, computers are for listening to music and Twitter is for old people.

Hmmm...

In particular what I found interesting was this quote from the article, "His supervisors thought the report “one of the clearest and most thought-provoking insights we have seen” and published it. "

Um...back the truck up people.

While this young man may have one particular experience with technology communication tools -- his lifestyle does not mean that ALL TEENS have the same experience. It took him one day to write his "report" and he reached out to his circle of friends to do it. So here we have a group of business people who are now talking about how teens communicate based on this one individuals experience.

Getting caught up in things like "Twitter is for old people" and "All teens use Facebook" and "they don't listen to radio". Love this comment from the young man, "“Most teens would say the same things,” he said. “We talk about this kind of thing at school quite a lot. Though the way we talk about it you probably wouldn’t understand it.” "

So Wall Streeters and Business-types take a minute and before you decide that this young man's experience is TEEN GOSPEL, and you begin to make business decisions based on it, what facts do we know?

Facebook Use: A recent study on Facebook demographics from iStrategy Labs highlights the shifting user base of Facebook: more growth in FB use among 35 - 55+ than in younger users. Teens may be using FB, but so are a whole lot more -- and it is interesting to note that more females than males use FB.

Twitter Use: According to QuantCast, Twitter users skew female, with highest use amont 18 -39 (although there is use among 12 - 17).

Radio Use: Taking a look at arbitron ratings (only available through Sp07) we find that the group least likely to listen to radio are young men ages 12 - 17. That's been the case according to this listing since FA 98. The same goes for females in that age range. Overall radio listenership is declining.

Newspaper Use: According to the Newspaper Association of America, in a readership report with 2008 numbers, they don't even show teens as part of their research. The 18 - 24 age range reads the least and individuals within the 35-44 age bracket are the largest reading demographic.

What I see here is that what this young man has "revealed" is not a secret nor is it a surprise. The data from numerous sources show the overall trends with these different communication choices. So much depends on factors that include gender, background, socio-economic status, parental influences and education.

I hope that most business people keep that in mind when they read articles like this. My own daughter uses Twitter and she's 12. Does that mean that all tween girls use Twitter? Nope. It just means that a young girl whose Mom uses Twitter, uses Twitter as well.

Qualitative data that focuses in on individual experience is very helpful to gain insight into other data and facts, but when one person's experience is taken to be the "truth" and therefore applied to EVERYBODY...that is a big mistake.

Now...back to vacation.

See you in August!

Tried and Truism: When you hear that EVERYONE is doing it...

I had the pleasure of being part of the Leadership in a Connected Age conference yesterday here at Champlain College. Great information shared by speakers Steven Shepard and Elliott Masie. I learned a great deal as always and had some great take aways. If you want to see a "tweet-by-tweet" of the conference, search for #cxage at http://search.twitter.com.

What the speakers got me thinking about even more, however, is the power of perception. We often here that "perception is the reality" and in Marketing we often work to create a perception of success, want, need, etc. around a product or service.

When it comes to the use of social media tools and new communication technologies, however, the "perception is the reality" mantra is not only untrue, it is downright misleading. Some "truisms" I heard and felt yesterday from speakers as well as from attendees included: 1) Gen Y is all about teams, collaboration and technology. 2) If you aren't using social media tools you are behind. 3) Giving/empowering individuals to create content will elect a president. (therefore it will always be a success) 4) Social Media will save the world.

Ok, so that last one is a bit over the top (grin).

The reality with these points is that there is a thread of truth in all of them. But at the same time, there is much about them that may lead you down a primrose path.

Yesterday at #cxage I presented a workshop on Social Media Tools to expand your community, business and mind. And as with all of my workshops, sessions, etc, I started with a disclaimer. Believe it or not, NOT EVERYONE is using Twitter. Not EVERYONE is using social media.

Where did we get the idea that EVERYONE is using these tools? When did we get the idea that the old rules no longer apply to new tools?

As a professor it is my job to teach the foundation of marketing to my students. I weave in so-called "old school" stuff like, target market and competitive analysis and goal setting with all the possible tools in which the message can be delivered. We talk about RADIO, TV, PRINT and WEB. We talk about engaging with you customer via MAIL, PHONE, EMAIL, FORUMS, BLOGS, MICRO-BLOGS. In short we talk about how to utilize best-practices to reach and engage with your audience.

The tools themselves, while providing a host of opportunities, are less important than the message and the goals that are set.

Let's look at each "truism" from above in the context of REAL reality.

Gen Y is all about Teams, Collaboration and Technology

Um. No. This is not the case. While individuals who are younger (remember I teach them) do work in many group settings, not ALL want to be collaborative. Not ALL want to work in a group and certainly not ALL are good with technology. Time and time again, I see students who are a whiz with their cellphone and an iPod freeze up when it is time to use a content management system, or work with blog software and explore Second Life. We get ourselves into trouble if we base decisions in the workplace on the sense that Gen Y knows ALL of these things. Blanket statements like this mean we forget about individuals, their experiences, their strengths and their challenges. We set an unfair expectation on a "group" of people. It is just another way to stereotype a group of people. Rather, consider that often times there is strength in a group and safety in a group, especially when someone is learning. This issue is the same as we look at ANY age group.

If you aren't using Social Media Tools you are behind the times.

Um...no. Not at all. Yes, the media landscape is changing -- daily, actually. Yes, internet-based messaging and collaboration tools are cropping up all over that provide exciting and interesting opportunities. Yes, traditional advertising is expensive and it is hard to measure ROI. At the same time, one should never "jump" into a tool just because "EVERYONE" is doing it. If your target market is using social media tools then you should be there. If it works for your brand then you should be there. Does this mean you shouldn't pay attention and listen to the streams of information that are flowing out there? Nope. You may not need to use the platform to market your product or service yet, but you do need to be aware and listen. From a strategic perspective this is no different than monitoring the news media to see what letters to the editor are being placed, or what article has been written about your business. This "old school" process is the same -- there are just more places you need to listen.

A new study from HubSpot shows that not everyone who is on Twitter is even using Twitter that much. Well, how could this be since EVERYONE is on Twitter? Common sense. Twitter hasn't been around very long. People who are on Twitter right now are learning how to use it in a host of different ways but in reality, are making it up as they go. There are no rules, no best practices -- there are examples of businesses that have used it and gotten positive results and there are examples of those who have used it and failed miserably. By the way, according to Twellow there are 1,399 people on Twitter in Vermont. According to the 2008 Census, there are approx. 621,000 people in the state of Vermont. So it's clear that not EVERY Vermonter is on Twitter.

So, listen. Be aware of what is going on, but do not feel pressured to jump in just because "EVERYONE" is there.

Giving/empowering individuals to create content will elect a president. I'm sorry. I just can't buy this one. I have great respect for Mr. Masie, but while 69,498,215 people voted for Obama, 59,948,240 voted for McCain. Both candidates used a host of social media tools and let individuals create content, comment, and meet up. Remember that Ron Paul utilized social media most effectively and raised $6 million in one day! If the argument is that the YOUTH voted for Obama because he engaged them/empowered them with Social Media I would have to disagree. There were just too many OTHER factors. Take a look at this great breakdown from CivicYouth.org, the website of CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) which conducts research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25 and you'll get a sense for the complexity. Note not one mention of social media as a driver. Is it true that ALL the campaigns utilized new social media tools like never before? Yes. Do I believe that we will see more use of online communication and engagement tools in future elections? Yes I do. I just don't believe they are the reason why someone will be elected.

Finally -- Social Media will Save the World.

Yeah, I believe this one (smile). Seriously, I believe that what has changed is that individuals now have access to a myriad of tools in which to engage around issues they care about. The potential to use these tools to make positive change in the world is amazing -- but, let's all remember that these are just tools and much like any tool can be used for pretty much any purpose. Andrew Keen would argue that giving this much power to the people dooms us all to a world of frivolous, insipid content that is meaningless because, well, most of us are just amateurs (See Keen's book, The Cult of the Amateur) and we need some type of editing.

The real change with social media is the access to tools that empower the individual to reach a wide audience like never before. I agree that organizations have to adapt to this actual reality and learn how to manage information better since they can no longer control it all.

Just remember not to fall into the age old trap that "Everyone" is doing it. It's a bad reason for just about everything.