Social Networking – the Master Disruptor January 17, 2010

I’ve been writing a blog for several years now. Because of the industry I was part of , my previous blog (Web Optimization Blog) tended to focus on subjects related to web design, quality, analytics, etc.  When Maxamine was acquired in February 2008 by Accenture, I took a hiatus, partly because things were so hectic, I didn’t have tome to devote to the blog, and partly because I had tired of this line of inquiry and cogitation.

Now, two years later, my world and the one around me has changed dramatically.  Without a doubt, 2009 delivered a seismic shift – Twitter vaulted into the stratosphere. Any doubt can be about that is quickly disspelled by checking out Google’s timeline view for the search term “twitter”.

So, the obvious question that jumps out is ‘where those entries dating back to the 50s come from’, since Twitter didn’t launch until July 2006. A quick check reveals that they are the result of tags that allow people to post dated entries to Twitter, which is interesting in itself.  Twitter’s reach is not bounded by it’s actual existence – kind of like virtual time-travel…..

What’s Different About This Blog

There are many smart people writing about how to “do” social media, and giving us the daily firehose of information about new products, services, methods, processes, dangers, opportunities. So one more voice in that conversation is not going to make a lot of difference.  With the relaunch of my blog – Out There – I will explore how social networking is changing the fabric of society.

Social networking is upending the world around us on so many fronts – political advocacy, political dissent, branding, marketing, law, sales, media, sports, entertainment, healtchare, personal interactions, networking,and even crisis management.

Social networking is giving each of us an unprecedented ability to impact the people, companies and organizations that have historically impacted us through one-way communications – TV, radio and print media.  With social networking, we can be the master of our own universe.  We can impact and even cause events.  Consider a few examples:

Brand disruption

• North Face Lawsuit Against South Butt Going Viral With Facebook App
• An action that may have backfired since South Butt released a Facebook app and the whole spat has gone viral
• What Domino’s Did Right — and Wrong — in Squelching Hubbub over YouTube Video
• Motrin Learns What Happens When You Upset the Moms

Marketing disruption

• UK – Shops offer discounts and vouchers on Twitter
• Numerous US retailers are using Twitter to engage customers

Crisis disruption

• British Columbia residents turned to Twitter to get the most up-to-the-minute information during its “worst forest fire season in living memory”.
• How Twitter and Facebook Users Are Responding to the Haiti Crisis -  “In less than 48 hours, the American Red Cross had received more than $35m in donations – including $8m directly from texts.”

Conclusion

The balance of power has been upended.  Organizations that have historically pushed one-way communications and worked diligently to control the message now find themselves in the position of having to listen in real time and participate in conversations – “sitting it out” is not an option.  Along with this shift are all sorts of unintended consequences.

I look forward to exploring the the things that are happening out there….where social networking is disrupting everything.

Your thoughts, ideas, agreements, and arguments are welcome – what examples do you have of social networking disruption?  Tweet me @debbiepascoe with #outthere sitings.