Mashup of Traditional and Social Just Keeps Evolving
"The word is about, there's something evolving
Whatever may come, the world keeps revolving
They say the next big thing is here
That the revolution's near
But to me it seems quite clear
That it's all just a little bit
of history repeating"
Yes, the revolution is here. Not sure if its really history repeating itself, but if you are a student or practictioner of journalism or PR then you know what you do is constantly changing, even if the fundamentals of communications remain the same.
Several stories/developments this week that, when looked at them on the whole, provide further evidence of just how fast journalism and social media are coming together and where people are congregating to get information. Here are the stories:
- Forbes reported that the Wall Street Journal is launching WSJ Social on Facebook. According to Forbes: "It filters Journal content through the so-called social graph to yield a news product that lives entirely within the walls of Facebook." The story goes on to quote Alisa Bowe, general manager of WSJ Digital Network, "The fundamental idea of it is super simple. It’s about making [WSJ content] available where people are.”
- From Ad Age Digital, comes "PR's New Best Friend: Social-Media-Savvy Journos", which talks about the network effect value of stories written by jounalists who have substantial Twitter followings.
- From Pointer.org, reporting on a recent study published by Nielsen, which shows how Americans spend their time on the Internet. The report says that Americans spend 22.5 percent of their Internet time on social networks and blogs, and just 2.6 percent on current events & global news. And finally,
- CIO released its annual report on what influences CIO's and their purchase decisions. The report found that content sites on the Internet are in a virtual dead heat with traditional technology publications as their primary sources of information to aid in their decisions. Surprisingly, business press publications fall further down the list with wikis and other social platforms still working their way up.
So what does this tell us? That, while there may still be differences between different demographics on their transition to online and social media, the revolution is here and we're seeing it play out again and again. Just a little history repeating itself. So since I started this post with a line from a song, let me end with another from Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions:
"People get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
People get ready for the train to Jordan
It's picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all among those loved the most."
