I actually had more material than I could use this week, how about that? I had to trim and five and was able to avoid any mentions of Donald Trump (oops).
No, Facebook is Not the Next Big Platform for Podcasts
I am, most likely, a greater-than-average consumer of podcasts. Part of the reason is I listen to some general-interest shows (Marc Maron’s WTF, a number of NPR shows), as well as industry marketing and tech podcasts, many by people I know. I have never thought that makes me typical, so I am forever skeptical when it comes to people, particularly in the marketing industry, touting something that will put podcasting “over the top.”
My feeling is that thinking is backwards- nobody should be worrying about whether or not podcasting will be a “thing,” but if they are producing content in formats that work for their audiences. The platforms for delivery are but a small part of this.
As for podcasting and radio needing “saving,” I’m not sure that’s a necessary question to consider (which doesn’t prevent smart people from asking the question anyway– and no Blab will not save something that does not need saving, in my opinion- wrong question)- certainly not for marketers. The entities that should worry about podcasting as a viable platform are the entities that depend on good content as their product and for their existence. That’s why NPR in particular continues to experiment (no Facebook is not a great place for full podcasts, but why not try, and why not put shorter snippets to get people to your sites?).
I posted the above-linked Nieman article to Facebook suggesting that podcasting is not in need of “ideas.” I mean that, but it was directed at marketers that ned to worry less about platform and delivery and more about content and outcomes, not professional news and entertainment companies.
This is some Gibberish Right Here:
“The Best Sign Of A Healthy Relationship Is No Sign Of It On Facebook?” I suppose devoting time to offline relationship-building is healthy; I suppose people do air dirty laundry on Facebook- it’s an ocean of oversharing, of course they do. But the presence or absence of relationships on Facebook has nothing to do with the actual relationship; Facebook is an imperfect, incomplete representation of life, as it is with everything else. Some people aren’t on Facebook at all, does that mean they have perfect relationships? (Hint: “NO.”)
h/t Danny Brown, whose claim that “There’s More to Life than Social Media” is sketchy.
Punctuation as “Psychological Warfare.” They’re on to Us!
It’s official, because it’s in a study; ending texts with a period means you’re a jerk.
Or it means you are someone who uses punctuation properly. It is interesting how the role of punctuation changes with the perception it gives in new media, however. There will, of course, still be no place in any form of written communication for unneeded Oxford commas.
Careers Networking Works on Social Media (and Elsewhere)
In the early days of social media, there were lots of stories of people getting jobs via Twitter and other social media (LinkedIn gets passed over in these statements as it is more directly about careers). Many of those early stories were in the early adopter communities of tech and marketing. But how about football? When an NFL player gets a roster spot by keeping in touch with an old coach via Twitter, it’s a good reminder to maintain your networks, no matter what field you are in.
Well Played, Reese’s
Reese’s, maker of the Peanut Butter Cups, has come under fire from people with nothing better to do because the Christmas Tree version of their tree is not dendrologically correct. Reese’s is having none of it. Another example of a brand on twitter that knows how to walk the fine line between clever and stupid.
h/t Amanda Quraishi, who is my go-to expert on Christmas.