Forgive me, for I have not blogged ....

Seems to me that blogging is a habit and it's one that I have got out of. It's 5 months since my last blog and that's not good.

Is it bad, though?

Blogging serves 2 key purposes for me: first, it helps me to get my thoughts in order and when I get my thoughts in order, it makes it more likely that I will be able to do something constructive with them. Secondly, and secondarily, it generates relevant content for SEO which helps to raise my profile.

So I think it's a good habit and one that I will try harder to keep up!

First 10 people get a free pizza

How can Twitter helps a small business?

Here's an for an idea I copied from an AdAge article.

1 - put a sign up saying "Follow us on Twitter and get special offers - Twitter.com/senrabmot"

2 - 20 mins before closing time Tweet "First 10 people to come to the shop and say "senrabmot" get a free pizza."

3 - get ready for the rush!

And I was thinking that Twitter marketing was complicated!

The end of the age of free - NOT!

There is no doubt that newspapers are struggling in the face of the dual challenge of the rescession and the Internet (see blogs below!). And it is certain that the reduction in ad revenue is crippling them and that they will have to change their business model if they are to survive.

Rupert Murdoch says that he is going to do just that. He is "considering charging for [content on] more of his internet sites". This would of course create a new revenue stream, but only if users are prepared to pay.

The challenge facing the newspaper industry (and many others) is that the Internet give everyone access to content from a myriad of sources. News is ubiqitous. And the core news is the same wherever you get it from.

Murdoch will only persuade people to pay if he can (a) differentiate his content from other sources and (b) deliver sufficient value.

But perhaps he is missing the point. Perhaps the change is bigger than that and it needs a bigger solution. Perhaps it is the very nature of the news product that is changing.

These days the big stories don't break first in the papers, or even on TV. They break on Twitter! Any top story is spread through a multitude of websites, including social networks and video and picture sites. Editorial is provided by your favourite blogger and everything is accessed through your mobile phone.

So where do newspapers really ad value in an oneline world?

I think Murdoch has got some serious thinking to do!

(Recommended article: The end of the age of Free.)

Lessons from Microsoft

Microsoft is having a hard time, but how much of it is down to the recession?

While the decline in PC sales is undoubtedly helped by the recession, is that the full story. Or is it that Microsoft's business model has become out-dated?

The Internet has caused 2 key changes that are impacting MS:

1 - Wikinomics would suggest the Internet has ushered in an era of mass collaboration which means that big business is no longer the most powerful force in R & D. The most obvious area in is the development of open-source software as a real alternative to expensive licences. Losing this advantage means that MS can no longer dominate as a monopoly supplier. (Related article.)

2 - Cloud computing is challenging the PC purchasing model where software developments drive the need for more powerful PCs.

Microsoft is certainly keenly aware of the challenge that it faces. It is developing it's own Cloud solutions, as well as diversifying into other Internet business. But at it's heart it is still built on a proprietary solution.

It will be fascinating to see whether it can defend this position, whether it can re-invent itself or whether it will ultimately wither.

Dominos - The power of social media in action

Two Dominos employess thought they'd have a bit of a laugh at the companies expense ...



They created a storm which Dominos needed to quell.

The response ...



By taking it head on and in the same channel, Dominos may have turned a PR disaster in to a success. They'll get plenty of air-time and their MD giving a clear message about the importance of hygene in their shops.

Did they manage to quell the storm effectively, or even turn it into a positive. I guess the question is ...

Are you more or less likely to go to Dominos now? (Personally I wouldn't eat there anyway!)

Getting social

The problem with social networks is that there are so many of them. Not only do you have to work out what each one does, you have to know who is there.

This means that if you want to communicate effectively with all of you target audience, you are likely to need to communicate on multiple platforms. Possibly with different messages (either in style of content) going out on different platforms.

The first step in managing this is to work out the best platforms for you, which must also be the ones that are best for your target audience. 

The second is to work out the best way to manage your content. Either running multiple platforms independently, or controlling your content centrally.