Lessons from Qualman

This was a really interesting book, on a number of levels. It made me think about spreading the word as a business, but also the new role consumers play in today's world. Several things stood out though:

1. The playing field is now level
The author points out that social media allows the smallest company to offer goods and services just like large, entrenched companies. Using the product Bacon Salt as an example, Qualman points out that the limited customization available in social media means that small companies can compete with the big boys without having to spend large amounts on marketing. Because the deployment of social media (e.g. Facebook) is fairly standard, a small company will have a similar presence as another company. While this could be a drawback, given you can't differentiate much on these forums, it opens many avenues that may not have been available previously.

2. The death of advertising
This topic was interesting as I have worked in internet advertising previously. Qualman states that the advertising model is fundamentally flawed, that people and technology will find ways to bypass advertising on the internet, just like it has happened on TV through TiVo and DVR. This leads me to wonder what will become of advertising in the future? Will companies simply not bother spending on media advertising and focus exclusively on social media methods? And since we are inherently profit-motivated, what will the revenue model look like for advertisers in the future? My prediction is that the standardization of social media outlets will quickly change as companies ask for the ability to differentiate.

3. Consumers are in charge
I had some experiences this weekend that when I thought about in terms of Socialnomics, made me think that consumers now have the power. I had dinner at two different restaurants this weekend, and each time, there was an issue with the service. The first night the waitress brought me the wrong order, which was fairly quickly resolved. What was interesting was how much attention the manager gave us as a result. The order was taken off the bill, and both the waitress and manager were falling over themselves apologizing. The second experience was similar, this time my wife's order being delayed by a few minutes. Again the order was taken off the bill, and at this restaurant a complimentary glass of wine was sent over. The manager was again extremely apologetic. In the past I wouldn't have given this much thought, restaurants make mistakes but I didn't expect much in the way of make up. But I started wondering if businesses are simply scared now to make mistakes and not rectify them? Has social media turned the tide so that consumers are in control? Are businesses now so scared of Twitter and bad reviews that they will do anything to make it right? This is a good thing of course, but I found it fascinating after reading this book.

4. Am I old?
This post is more of a reflection on what I read in Socialnomics than a note on a particular section. While reading this book it dawned on me that I am in a strange position when it comes to the social media-driven world today. I went to college in the mid-90s just when PCs were starting to become mainstream. I remember how popular I was with my Gateway PC running the first Pentium processor. I was the first in my group of friends to get a cell phone, carrying a massive Motorola flip phone. I was surfing the net for research before many people knew it existed. Nowadays, my career has been in technology. I work in mobile software and always carry the latest phones and gadgets. So I've always been a first-mover when it comes to technology and embraced it from the beginning. But even with this I'm still old-school in many ways. I still enjoy reading a printed newspaper, I still read hard copy magazines, and I don't want a Kindle or Nook because I like reading actual books. So when I read Qualman say "newspapers should no longer be reporting the news", I feel weird and almost angry. I still believe in journalism as a reporting function, not just a communication method. We still need educated, trained people delivering news and providing commentary, and shouldn't rely on Joe Shmoe sending a tweet about some news item. Does this make me old? Am I destined to only hear outdated news because I still go to news sites? On another topic, I'm nervous for what our workforce will look like in 10 years. Qualman has a section titled "The Next Generation Can't Speak." This was scary to read, seeing teenagers today who think nothing of using emoticons in essays or who lack basic in-person social skills. The idea of people not being able to hold face-to-face conversations because all they are used to is Facebook or Twitter should be alarming to us all. Ok, I've proven I'm old, so time for a nap...