Social Media Top 5: You Don’t Need Lifestreaming to Succeed, and Long Blog Posts

Tried to keep up with the world, while managing to take a late summer break:

What is This Fascination with Lifestreaming?

Wasn’t it just a week or two ago that everyone was going to return to blogging basics? OK, that was prompted by the concept of owning your own content rather than relying on the cloud services. Lifestreaming makes sense for a lot of things, and a lot of people have praise for the Posterous service, so I’m not going to ding it here.

But–

To abandon blogging for lifestreaming? The AdAge article linked above seems to call lifestreaming a way to cut clutter. I would think the opposite. To me, a lifestream is, by definition, noise. Does a business need to lifestream?

“Lifestreaming,” though it has actually been around as a social media concept for years, strikes me as the latest shiny object. I don’t see companies running to it, simply because those that might are already doing it, in a way, via channels like Facebook and Twitter (I am, I know that much).  To add a link; Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson wrestle with the topic in this “For Immediate Release” outtake.

“You Don’t Need Social Media to Succeed”… (in the Short Term)

This post makes an argument that Apple’s stubborn refusal to participate in social media coupled with its performance in the financial markets is proof that a company does not need social media.

That’s great- if you have cool, elegant products and are on a ridiculous winning streak, not to mention capturing a near-monopolistic share in some of your markets (like MP3 players). That yields short term profits and strong stock performance, things social media may not move appreciably near-term.

However, what if that same company produced a product that tanked? Let’s call it, say, the Newton II. Can the company survive a backlash if it breaks its winning streak? Have they built up a reserve off goodwill to bank on? Oh right, when Newton I came out, Apple eventually brought back Steve Jobs to save the company. I think it’s safe to say the next time he leaves the company, he leaves for good.

Isn’t a company that is actively hostile to the public begging for- eventually- a comeuppance? I’m not saying this will happen to Apple, but given the choice, I think engagement looks like the better long-term strategy.

(While I’m talking about Apple, can I just mention that I am much smarter than iTunes Genius- and a lot more interesting?)

Do Long Blog Posts Scare Away Readers?

Yes.

I was thinking of having that question and answer be the sole content of a blog post, but it deserves an, ahem, longer– slightly longer– answer than that. But I don’t want to be long-winded, either. Some blog posts could be long, there are no rules. But my rule (of thumb) is not to make readers work too hard. I want them to make it to the end of the post, where the comment section is.

Kim Kardashian “Reality” Show About PR.

Pass.

I think Shel Holtz said it well in his post. Why not have little “reality” web clips of real PR agencies in action? Would people want to watch? Could we make something that would be interesting to people outside our own professional circle?

Why no posts in the past week?

It’s OK to take a break– especially when it involves taking your son to a Flaming Lips Concert: