community

Is Twitter Killing Blog Comments?

If you’re a blogger, you’ll know how comments make a blog. They can take the original post into a whole new level altogether, with opposing views and discussions opening up some great viewpoints.

Personally, I’ve used the comments on some of my posts (and those on other blogs) as inspiration for new posts here. I’ll add my comment on the original post, and then expand on it with a new or slightly different take. That then opens the discussion up even further, both on the new post and the original (play fair – always link back to your inspiration).

While content may be the instigator, it’s the conversations by the community that often make the content. And maybe it’s just me, but Twitter seems to be taking more of the conversations and making them 140-character bites.

I’ve seen many great posts by some truly remarkable bloggers be tweeted, and the conversation remain on Twitter. Points and questions raised in the post start the conversation rolling, but instead of via the comments section on a blog, they take place on the little blue bird nest. And that’s a shame.

There’s nothing wrong with this, of course – after all, Twitter is the king of instant feedback and interaction. And weekly events like #journchat and #blogchat , and others like them, show just how effective a medium Twitter can be for conversations. And yet…

Imagine how much a conversation could build without the limitations of 140-characters. Imagine how opposing views could be fully fleshed out with unlimited text. Imagine how communities could be forged, and new friendships built, through the reasoning and acceptance that long tail blog comments can offer. Imagine being the catalyst or inspiration for a blog post by your favourite blogger, all from a single comment you left.

Of course, you could say that it’s down to the blogger to make the content as open as possible, to encourage discussion – and this is true. Yet at the same time, maybe we (as readers) need to take part more as well? Maybe we need to encourage bloggers more by being part of their community, as opposed to rubbernecking on Twitter?

There are a myriad of ways for conversations to take place. Sometimes little snapshots like Twitter are ideal, if you’re pressed for time. But isn’t it nice to get away from the noise at times, and relax where you have time and space to say what you really want?

What’s your take?

photo credit: Shirin K. A. Winiger

Why Even Non-Meat Eaters Can Love Beef!

Punk Cow Across the U.S., there’s a little mini-revolution happening that might just help change the way you look at business – cow-pooling.

Based around the same idea of car-pooling (where you share travel and commute duties to save money and help the environment), cow-pooling sees you partnering with other families and buying your beef products direct from the farmer.

But instead of a normal purchase – burgers, steak, etc – you can buy a whole cow. And that’s where the magic begins.

Pooling Resources

If you go to a normal supermarket like Whole Foods, you might pay around $16 per lb. for a strip steak. Go the cow-pooling route, however, and you’re looking at around $3 to $5 per lb. for a side of grass-fed beef – quite the difference.

It’s not just the saving of money where you benefit, either – there’s no industrial feedlots involved in the raising of the beef that you’re buying. Instead, it’s all natural grass-fed, and the result is that your beef is… well, beef-tasting. Add to the fact that you’re making new friends (you find details of local cow-pooling farms online) and buying locally, what’s not to love? But it doesn’t stop there.

Friendly Economy

As well as the social and local aspect of cow-pooling, it’s now becoming clear that it’s benefiting the overall economy as well. The directory of local food producers LocalHarvest.org reports that cow-pooling is expanding, especially since you can negotiate what cuts each person gets.

Over at Bay Area Meat CSA, consumers can join this social network and buy locally-produced meat and have it delivered as and when required – perfect for Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Superbowl and Christmas, to name just a few options.

Freezer sales have increased as well. The Appliance Manufacturers Association reported an increase of 14% in freezer sales in the 12 months between April 2008 and 2009 – more than just a coincidence, no?

Pooling More Than Cows

Cow-pooling’s taken the idea behind car-pooling and made it a profitable and local-centric business success. Think of the ways you could take the idea of cow-pooling and transfer it to your business or local economy.

Say you’re an art fan. You have a local artist that needs a little recognition. You and some friends decide to pool together to buy two or three of the artist’s work. That artist then buys from the local art supply store to work on new projects.

Or you’re wanting to get your kids a swimming pool but can’t afford it. However, you pool with other parents and rent out a piece of land from a local property management company. Your kids can play in the pool, and if you really wanted to go one step further, open it up to other local kids as well. They buy new swimsuits from the local beachwear store…. you can see how this all joins together.

Some communities are doing this already, with full backing from businesses. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all learn from what’s happening with cow-pooling and turn both our businesses and local communities into success stories too?

photo credit: _Shogo_

Why It’s All About Community

flickr contacts - March 28, 2005 {notes} Community is a big thing for me. I talk about it a lot. I show my clients the value of community and social equity.

My 12for12k project is all about bringing the global community together for one overreaching goal. Heck, my blog tagline is “Community; Connection; Conversation”.

So, yes, community is a big thing for me.

Why? Why do I concentrate on community, as opposed to other “magical” words like ROI, returns, end percentages, profit margins and endless other affiliations to the normal business world? After all, for many it’s just a fad; another part of the social media hype.

Simple. Community is everything. Community is you. Here’s why.

This past week, the mother of all storms (for where I live, anyway) hit, and hit with a vengeance. Our patio was a pool, our front porch was just as bad, and our basement was flooding like Niagara Falls. But you know what stood out about the whole experience? Community.

On Twitter, people I haven’t met (yet) had heard about the storm and reached out to check in on my welfare. Both Dave Folkens and Shannon Boudjema tweeted and asked if I was alright. Never met either of them physically, but they heard one of their community members was having issues and reached out.

Then there’s my neighbours. I’ve spoken with them a few times since we moved in, but it’s been more pleasant conversation than anything else. But, as soon as the storm hit and my wife went to them to ask for emergency numbers for our property management team, they were right over. Heck, my next door neighbour Chris forgave his beer mood and jumped over the fence in just his shorts to help me pump the flood water out from my water well.

That’s community. That’s sharing experiences. That’s being there for no other reason than someone needs help.

Now. Imagine you’re a business owner. Or a blogger. Or simply someone that needs help to make something happen. Imagine how a community you’ve built around you (or you’re part of) can help you share something you need to expose to a wider audience.

Imagine a blogger evangelizing about you because you’ve made a connection and there’s trust there. Imagine a customer buying your stuff because you communicate with them. Imagine a shareholder sticking with you as opposed to jumping ship, because they’re part of your dream.

That’s community. That’s building something. That’s change right there.

Still think community is just a dirty word for the latest social media fad?

photo credit: striatic

Why Twitter Mobile Apps Don’t Interest Me

I’m a mobile Luddite. I don’t have an iPhone or Blackberry (although I do like the look of the new Palm Pre) and to be honest I’m not too bothered about having a smart phone at the minute.

Now you might say that for someone that is involved in the online world as I am, not having an iPhone or similar makes me some kind of heathen. And maybe it does.

But here’s the thing.

I’m a people person. I like to know people. I like to connect people. My aim is to meet and introduce as many folks as I can, and help make one big interconnected community that can call on each other when needed.

This could be for advice, knowledge, help, charity or anything else. The more quality people I know and can put in touch with each other, the better.

For me to be an effective people person and an effective connector, I need (and want) to know a person. What makes them tick. What makes them laugh. What upsets them. What motivates them.

Basically, I want to know why that person is who they are. Then I can help put them in touch with like-minded souls.

But to do this, I need to offer my full attention to that person at that given time. And maybe it’s just me, but Twitter mobile apps are a major stumbling block to this aim.

The amount of times I’ve been out with friends or connections and they’ve been tweeting merrily away on their smart phones is scary.

Do we really need to be so technologically connected all the time? This is meant to be downtime. Drinks and a meal with friends. Can’t that super important tweet wait until you get home?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m as big a Twitter user as the next tweeter. But tweeting while in company – isn’t that kind of rude and anti-social media?

But what about conferences and events, you might ask? I have a laptop if I want to live tweet and I have a web-enabled cell phone for my email. So let’s flip that around – aren’t you at conferences and events to learn from people as opposed to hearing the odd snippet of info between live tweeting?

I’m not denying that Twitter mobile apps are useful, to some more than others. But aren’t people more important than the tools? Or am I just being idealistic in a technological world?

photo credit: ekai

The More We Connect, The More We Lose Touch

?You can?t please everyone, so you?ve got to please yourself.? ? Ricky Nelson.

It?s been an interesting last 24 hours. Abusive emails, character attacks on Twitter and questions about my ethics. Just another day in the life of.

Time is an interesting commodity.

On the one hand, we love it when time passes quickly so we can see a new movie, or buy a new product, or see a new date. On the other, we complain there?s never enough time in the day.

Online connections simply increase this problem. As we connect with new people on new networks, our availability factor goes down.

You don?t mean it to; you try avoid it; but it?s a simple fact that as we connect with more, the less we can offer. This may be less time for people you used to converse with more; less time for generic conversations; and less time for things in general.

Sure, you can use tools to help you manage your time better. Yet at the end of the day, the tools are only as good as the person using them, so perhaps I need to brush up on my time management skills.

Yet the attacks/criticisms that came my way over the last 24 hours would probably have come regardless of time management, by the nature of them. The suggestion of ?having time for some people but not for others? being the main theme.

Again, it comes back to where to try and divert your time. While this isn?t an excuse as such, a lot of my time at the minute is taken up by:

12for12k
Legal clearances for promotional materials for this month?s charity
Conference calls with charity partners
Social change events
Client projects (since all 12for12k efforts are free of charge)

If you add in personal time, offering help where possible to people asking for advice and residency issues in Canada to name just a few, you might see where I can get sidetracked.

As I say, it?s not an excuse but an explanation. I appreciate the connections we have and I?ll try my best to manage them as best I can and help wherever I can. However, there will be times that some people and actions slip through the cracks.

So, here?s a suggestion.

If you?ve sent me something or asked me something and I haven?t responded in a couple of days, send me a nudge. Failing that, email me ? my contact details are on this blog, or my website, or on my Twitter background. I?ll try my damnedest to respond.

And if I haven?t replied straight away, please don?t take it personally.

With regards the ethics question, I certainly don?t always make the best decisions but I always believe that whatever they are, they are for the right and ethical reasons. Of course, it?s anyone?s prerogative to doubt this, but I?m happy to live with my decisions.

How about you? Are you finding yourself with less time for the stuff that needs more time? How are you managing your conversations?

photo credit: Joshua Davis