Online communications: what a difference a year can make

var sc_project=3372029; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=37; var sc_security=”918325f4″; Home Books Clients How I work Pricing Research Services Free eBooks Home Articles Courses Nonverbal Products Twitter Case studies Presentations* Info Pack* –> My blog is here About me Search * opens in new browser window Second Life blog (both links open in a new window) –> Current Adelaide time: obj = new Object;obj.clockfile = “5002-blue.swf”;obj.TimeZone = “ACDT”;obj.width = 192;obj.height = 19;obj.Place = “”;obj.DateFormat = “DD-mm”;obj.TimeFormat = “hhmmTT”;obj.wmode = “transparent”;showClock(obj); Contact me: +61 410 642 052 Online communications: what a difference a year can make var sc_project=3372029; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=37; var sc_security=”918325f4″; Home Books Clients How I work Pricing Research Services Free eBooks Home Articles Courses Nonverbal Products Twitter Case studies Presentations* Info Pack* –> My blog is here About me Search * opens in new browser window Second Life blog (both links open in a new window) –> Current Adelaide time: obj = new Object;obj.clockfile = “5002-blue.swf”;obj.TimeZone = “ACDT”;obj.width = 192;obj.height = 19;obj.Place = “”;obj.DateFormat = “DD-mm”;obj.TimeFormat = “hhmmTT”;obj.wmode = “transparent”;showClock(obj); Contact me: +61 410 642 052 Fresh News: Online communications: what a difference a year can make By Lee Hopkins Firstly, might I just take a moment to welcome all of my new readers who have been migrated across from my ‘old’ newsletter into this new ‘conversational’ medium — I can promise you an entertaining few months ahead as you become more aware of what is being called ‘Web2.0′ and its implications for business communication. Please feel free to leave any comments you like on my posts — this is what makes the ‘new’ web so ‘conversational’. Just follow the link from your email back to my blog and leave a comment. What ALSO makes the ‘new’ web so conversational is the cross-linking and cross-thinking that goes on. For example, fellow business communicator Bryan Person has just started blogging, after being a frequent commentor on mine and others’ blogs — welcome, Bryan! One of his first posts on his new blog outlines how a scant twelve months can be so descriptive of the impact of the ‘new’ web and the ‘new web’ tools. Says Bryan, In trying to understand the growth and impact of new media, I like comparing where my own knowledge and typical technology use stands today with where it stood, say, one year ago. Then … One year ago, I didn’t subscribe to podcasts or use RSS feeds in any meaningful way. In very late 2004 or very early 2005 I had read about something called “podcasting” on J.D. Lasica’s New Media Musings site, and I’d also directly downloaded and listened to a couple of episodes of the Boston Sports Massacre. Heck, I’d even written a note about podcasting and RSS feeds in one of my occasional columns for Boston Sports Media Watch. But I didn’t take much interest in learning how to “subscribe” to a podcast, and I didn’t exert much effort in finding good shows to listen to. On the RSS side, I downloaded a free reader and clumsily added a feed or two. But I found the application slow, clunky, and not entirely useful. Flickr? I saw a work colleague using it from time to time, but I once again wasn’t really hooked. MySpace? I’d never heard of it. Blogs? I was figuring these out, at least, and in fact had just launched a sports site/blog to write about some of the action in my daughter’s softball league. Then, at some point around June, the light finally dawned. Now … It’s hard to imagine not being a consumer of and advocate for blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, and social media, in general. My iTunes podcast subscriptions number around 15-20, though I’ve undoubtedly listened to several times that number of different programs over the past 10-11 months. Shows such as the twice-weekly For Immediate Release and the daily Financial Aid Podcast have become appointment listening at my computer or in my iRiver, and many weeks I spend more hours listening to podcasts than the radio (yes, I still listen to the radio). I subscribe to and read nearly 200 RSS feeds on topics including social media, public relations, online communications, business blogging, the Boston media, language learning, and sports. While I still find my RSS reader clunky (perhaps a topic for a future post), I’d be helpless to consume anywhere near as much information from blogs and news websites without it. I post family photos to a Flickr account and have a MySpace account to network and reconnect with old classmates. I belong to a group called the New England Podcasters, whose esteemed members include a marathon podcaster, a comedian, and a New England Patriots Fan of the Year. I read books espousing the benefits of business blogging such as Naked Conversations, which, with some good fortune over the next couple of weeks, will have also given me the ammunition and talking points that lead to a blogging assignment for a recruiting company. New media tools have irreversibly changed my life and professional ambitions over the past year, and I know I’m not alone in expressing these sentiments. Wonder what the next 12 months will hold? Bryan is absolutely right — the last 12 months have been a fun and stimulating ride. As you come to terms with and start to understand this ‘Web2.0′ way of online resourcing, you will find your own paths, your own ‘favourite reads and listens’. For example, go to a podcast directory like Podcast Alley and you’ll be able to find audio treats on material like business communication, such as [ahem] mine or For Immediate Release, the twice-weekly PR/Marcomms industry ‘must listen to’ report, where I also contribute a small report each week. But you can also find plenty of music, book reports, ‘how to’s on everything from macrame to endurance running. You name it, chances are someone somewhere has released at least one podcast on it. If not, why not start your own? Go check out my own list of reasons for podcasting and see for yourself what all the media fuss is about. Then come back in twelve months’ time and tell me how your business communication landscape has changed — or better still, start your own blog and tell everyone! Curious about starting your own blog, or scared to, or both? Check out the most popular post I’ve written on this blog: Why and How To Blog, which also shows you how to start your own reading list of great blogs. After a while, you will find yourself having to cull the number of blogs you read — there are only so many hours in the day, after all. When you do cull your list, you will probably have a fear that you might miss something ‘valuable’, that you might not be able to keep up with all that is happening. This is an understandable state of mind, and the ever-fantastic Kathy Sierra (she should be one of the first blogs you read every day!) has some timely advice on the subject: You can’t keep up. There is no way. And trying to keep up will probably just make you dumber.You can never be current on everything you think you should be. Take heart from Kathy and learn from all of us seasoned bloggers: trying to ‘keep up’ will kill you, or your relationships with your family, friends and work. Balance is all. Now, get out there, check those links above and enjoy! That’s what ‘web2.0′ is all about — learning, growing and having fun doing so! var owHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://” : “http://”);document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + owHost + “onlywire.com/btn/button_3798′ ad=’no’ title=’TITLE’ tags='”business communication” communication nonverbal’ url=’URL’ class=’owbutton’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); Reports I have written: Technorati: Bryan Person, Web2.0 Your Name City, State, Country Email address What are your thoughts and comments ? Measuring the impact and ROI of social media – for Ark Group Making Social Media work for your business – for Ark Group Social Media: The New Business Communication Landscape – for Ark Group How to get started with podcasting in your organisation – for Melcrum Publishing Contributing author to How to use social media to solve critical internal communication issues – for Melcrum Publishing Contributing author to How to use social media to engage employees – for Melcrum Publishing Contributing author to How to communicate with hard-to-reach employees – for Melcrum Publishing Have you subscribed to my weekly newsletter yet? As a subscriber you get kept up-to-date on when new articles are added. Subscribe now! and receive a free version of my $79 report, Master the Art and Science of Twitter for Business. It’s the first in a series of reports I’m writing on how to master the various key elements of social media. 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Whilst there, why not pick up a complimentary copy of his ‘Master the Art and Science of Twitter for Business’, which explains all about this latest seismic change to the business communication landscape!” This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Finally, if this site or any of the articles have been of any help to you, perhaps you’d like to say ‘thank you’ by throwing a few pennies my way. If so, please click on the button below and donate whatever you feel is appropriate. The payment is handled by PayPal and is extremely secure. Thanks. Subscribe Subscribe to my weekly business communication newsletter and receive a FREE version of my highly-regarded report, ‘Master the Art and Science of Twitter for Business’ (that sells for $79) Find out more… Related material : Twitter A 12-step plan to take you from Twitter newbie to Twitter supremo and grow your business in the process. 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Download your free copy now (pdf) Find out more about it (opens new window) Vodburner is my tool of choice for recording skype video calls, either for later podcasting or simply for my own record. Now that video is becoming more and more important, I can’t imagine online life without it.More about Vodburner… What you say about Lee Hopkins: “One of the best days I’ve spent with a man! ” “As a speaker, Lee and his alter ego in the guise of avatar ‘Lee Laperriere’ played a key role in making our virtual event in Second Life a success. Lee was well-researched, engaging and enthusiastic about the possibilities that virtual collaboration brings and his presentation showed that he had really thought about the needs of our audience” “Wow – what a presentation, it went so well, thank you very much! Fantastic job! ” “Lindy and Lee, you were both brilliant and I’m very thankful and pleased for your efforts, it was excellent. Thank you. ” “One of Australia’s leading public relations practitioners in the so-called new media” “While I only had the pleasure of actually meeting Lee face-to-face several months ago, I have been aware of him in conference programs and through feedback from one of my team members for a while. Lee has an amazing and unique skill for managing the new media to support business outcomes” “Oz’s best social network strategist” “As for Local Royalty, you really are a Superstar among the bloggers and blogosphere!” “Lee Hopkins, one of Australia’s most respected social media experts” “Lee was very entertaining and knowledgeable. He demystified social media for me and he made me feel it IS possible.” “His enthusiasm is infectious – exciting stuff!” “Excellent. A really fascinating insight from an engaging speaker.” “A very difficult topic but it was explained in a fantastically simple way.” “The Walkleys relies on the good will of Australia’s talented communicators to make events like these happen and I can’t thank you enough for taking time out from your heavy schedule to make the convention such a memorable event.” “The workshop was very useful in that it enabled us to directly relate what we learnt in the seminar to our business. Lee was very easy to relate to and he presented all the information in a way that was simple to understand.” “Informative and engaging – gave good overview of new on-line technologies and how they can be applied to businesses. Particularly valued the opportunity to have a separate session to look at the specific needs and potential uses for my own business.” “Great to talk to someone who is expert in their field and passionate.” “The ability to interact one on one with Lee, as well as seeing new technologies and how they can be easily implemented into current business processes [was great]” “Great. Lee was very engaging and presented info in easy to understand language and examples. Use of music, video, PowerPoint etc keep contents fun and educational. Great stuff!” “Great! Even I could understand and appreciate the content. Excellent examples, wonderful presentation. I’m going back to share with my team. Thank you. ” “Lee was a great facilitator and his energy and passion for social media was evident.” “Excellent, enthusiastic presenter who is right into what he is talking about. Walking the talk.Just the right amount of info about the different topics. Not too geeky. Strong emphasis on how the tools can assist effective business communication. Relaxed friendly atmosphere. The workshop opened lots of doors, stimulating. I’m strongly encouraged to try things out. Many thanks.” “Lee was great – knowledgeable, enthusiastic, generous in sharing his expertise. I liked the demonstrations.” “Great Workshop… helped me crystalise my thoughts on social media and now I feel ready to develop the strategy and make use of this great new medium” Would you like me to run a workshop in-house for YOUR company? Contact me to discuss how we can bring your company into this new and exciting communication universe. Twitter LinkedIn FacebookDelicious FlickrLast.fmFriendFeed Assoc. of Virtual Worlds Plurk Plaxo Skype me View many of the presentations I have given over at Slideshare Why does employee communication matter? 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