ION Digital

This week I came across two articles that helped clarify an issue I’ve been pondering for many months: why is it hard for so many companies to make the leap into the new world of social media?

The first piece was on the art of digital small talk (social media discussions) in the Wall Street Journal. The second article in MarketWatch was about the futility of selling via social media platforms, by John Dvorak.

These two articles have nothing to do with each other. But together they help me think through The Question from a little different angle. The answer revolves around the mindset in which we approach social media in corporate America; in short, we’re trying to sell and market when social media is about people, not products. (more…)

I knew I would struggle when I started blogging a few years ago. I blame my years of journalism work. Sentences had to be carefully crafted, and words chosen carefully. My first editor at BusinessWeek told me, “Magazine real estate is precious. Use it wisely.”

Now we live in a new world that is no longer shaped by printing presses and information scarcity. Yet everyday I see companies that make these mistakes: they want to launch the perfect blog, create the polished video, craft the right message.

They are suffering from the curse of the corporate perfectionist. (more…)