Melcrum Publishing has launched its entry into the social networking sphere. The Communicators’ Network now joins Ragan Communication’s MyRagan as the two social networking sites for communicators that offer free access to colleagues across the globe to networking, discussion forums, blogging, resources and more.

While the two sites will invite comparisons, I’m going to wait a bit to see how The Communicators’ Network is received in terms of member signups and participation. I’ve participated in MyRagan for some time now, and separately have offered some suggestions to the people behind Melcrum’s product. I’ll have little trouble comparing and contrasting the two sites. Yes, there are some contrasts; these are not mirror images of each other from a cookie-cutter approach to site design.

Some great discussion already has surfaced within the communications blogosphere regarding how the emergence of these social networking sites may impact professional associations such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Now that the game is on, that picture should become clearer. 

If you want to try podcasting, but aren’t ready to invest in a digital recorder, you should know about free Internet-based software–and services that might be available to you through your job–that would allow you to record discussions and conversations with nothing other than your dialing finger.

I cover the topic in my latest edition of the CommaKazi Speek Podcast, available for downloading and immediate listening here.

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This is the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the United States. It is a time to remember and reflect on the sacrifices that the U.S. Military has made for the benefit of the nation, and many would add, the world.

In May 2007, the nation and world are dividing over the value and meaning of the current war in which our nation’s soldiers serve: the Iraq War. As I write this, we are closing in on a total of 3,500 U.S. soldiers killed in the Iraq War. Of course, many more have been wounded.

I have to limit my comments to those of an American citizen. I don’t have any more “skin in the game” than that: I did not lose any close family or friends in the attack on the World Trade Center, none of my family or friends have been killed in Iraq, and I am not Iraqi in nationality.

Some people I know have served there, and I’m grateful to God that they were not hurt physically, and have returned to the U.S.

The U.S., along with other nations who have sent troops there, have taken an increasing amount of heat. That is understandable; the evidence that led us to invade Iraq and overthrow the Hussein rule has been discredited. The recovery of the fledgling independent Iraq has been mired by escalating brutality and infighting.

In a war, two opposing views will always emerge: one that says fight until we win; one that says no one wins in war, and let’s stop the madness. These views can coincide within the same person, where a soldier decides to deploy because of a sense of duty and mission, yet sees the seemingly impossible situation and wonders when it will get better. It coincides within me, as I continue to support the decision that was based on faulty evidence, but struck a major blow against terrorism–while seeing that the cost is much greater than anyone would want.

So here are two photos that I want to share. Both are from a summer parade in my hometown. The first shows the applause of grateful Americans, showered on representatives of our nation’s military, who proudly carry the flag. The second shows the flag flapping over a group of regular people–who are members of my church. They were raising support for a project to raise supplies and food for Americans left homeless and destitute by Hurricane Katrina. The project resulted in a semi-trailer packed full of supplies that was sent to Mississippi.

The first flag pictured represents our nation’s dedication to freedom, honor and sacrifice.

The second flag represents the caring heart of this nation, able to spread blessings to others in large part due to the sacrifices of our soldiers in wars current and past.

You are welcomed to send your comments, but I don’t want to engage in a debate about the Iraq War, President Bush, or American global politics. Save that for another day. This day is reserved for the sacrifice of soldiers–living and dead.

Ahh, it’s just like the holidays around the social networking world these days. Excitement about the “next new thing” (Ragan Communications’ MyRagan.com), anticipation about the “next, next new thing” (Melcrum’s Communicators’ Network), and a spat that leaves everyone hurt, disappointed and wondering where the love went.

I’ve read posts from the two people at the center of this spat, and really don’t care to spend much more time on the matter–unless one of them starts bitch-slapping the other; then, get me a front-row seat! In keeping with the holiday theme of this post, I’ll suggest that they meet under the mistletoe, kiss, and make up.

In the meantime, the more important lesson to be learned from this spat and the launch of these potentially ground-breaking sites (at least for the communications profession) is being missed. That lesson is: Use emotional energy wisely; it is not unlimited, and often is not renewable. I was reminded of that recently when I heard a radio discussion involving “Christmas cards in May.”

Who bothers with Christmas cards this many months after the holiday? Surprisingly, some people do, and the reason why might be useful for the people who run MyRagan and The Communicators’ Network. Actually, a radio show host and her recent guest were talking about the bother of unopened Christmas cards still sitting on countertops in their homes. The radio show host made a very astute observation about why she hadn’t dealt with those unopened cards in her home.

She said, “I realized that I didn’t want to open those cards because I wasn’t ready to spend the emotional energy” that would be drained when the radio show host would read those cards, think about those people, and have to deal with issues and memories that those cards would uncover. It was a necessary part of her coping mechanism to limit the expenditure of emotional energy.

That is happening to everyone who is engaged in MyRagan and other social networking sites. The excitement about the possibilities and benefits of opening the “card” leads to a rush of unexpected issues and memories that cry for attention. One personal recollection: I remember having to stand up in my second grade classroom at St. Timothy Elementary School in Chicago, because I had just been introduced as one of the “new students.” I remember nervously looking around at the faces of these strangers, trying to find someone who was smiling in a friendly way. It took time, but I made friends and eventually felt comfortable in that “community.”

I’ve learned in the years following my experience in second grade that it is easy to make acquaintences, but friends are much fewer–and much more precious. Fast-forward to a few weeks ago when I joined MyRagan. I immediately had four or five members of the Ragan staff send me requests to be their “friend.” That was followed by several additional requests from other MyRagan members to be friends as well. I struggled over each request for “MyRagan friendship”…was it a good fit? Would I have the energy to engage each of these individuals in meaningful dialogue and friendly discourse?

Then I joined a couple of groups and checked out the forums. My emotional energy meter dropped as quickly as the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve (another holiday reference). Long lists of emails in the Message Center, asking for help, support, guidance. I soon became numb, seeing strings of identical message titles, including nine items identically titled, “Re: Advice on convincing execs to manage internal comms,” three items identically titled,”Re: Anyone notice communications is misspell…” and a seemingly never-ending string of items identically titled, “Re: Heard you Killed Em!” (from the Uncle Fester and His Peeps Group).

This is what is happening in some social networking sites: People are overwhelming the message boards with emails and gathering as many “friends” as possible, while bypassing the step of determining whether what they have to offer, or say, or ask, is germane and of interest to the person(s) who receive their invites, emails, or comments. Then you add spats like I’ve mentioned earlier, and people really question whether time spent reading and thinking and worrying about these things is worth it, emotionally.

Draining the emotional energy of members unnecessarily may lead to members deciding to avoid the networking site all together, or to limit contacts with it–just like the person who is facing those unopened Christmas cards. I mean, if the bitch-slapping doesn’t happen, don’t you just want to say, “Bah, humbug”?
tom+keefe MyRagan Melcrum social+networking emotional+energy

As a professional communicator and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, I’m growing increasingly frustrated by a lack of communication from IABC leadership on two subjects.

The first subject is the IABC’s own international conference, set to open in just about a month (June 24-27, 2007 in New Orleans, LA, USA). I’d think that the association would have been promoting the conference for some time now, but with just weeks to go before the event starts, we’ve heard barely a word.

The last mention of the conference on IABC’s official blog, the IABC Cafe, was one I wrote related to a planned crisis communications preconference workshop. That post was on April 18. It was followed by two weeks of silence from the rest of the Cafe bloggers, until 2006-07 Chair Glenda Holmes, ABC, wrote a brief post on May 4 on an unrelated topic. No one has posted on the Cafe since then about…well, about anything.

No update either on In Session, the “official blog of the IABC International Conference.”   IABC staffer Chris Grossgart told us in a May 4 post to expect weekly podcasts, insider information and more from two well-known podcasters and a team of bloggers. Chris did state that the blogging wouldn’t begin until the start of the conference. My question is: Why wait? Don’t we want to generate interest in the conference in the weeks leading up to the opening sessions?

The second subject that has remained undiscussed online by IABC is the emergence of  opportunities and challenges created by social networking sites and ad hoc event planning. Professional organizations including the IABC historically have provided their members with a package of services and benefits that have added value to memberships. Join and receive networking opportunities with other members, proprietary research and opinion relevent to the member’s profession, and the opportunity to attend events developed and managed by the member organization.

As proven by MyRagan, the social networking site for communicators that recently was launched by Ragan Communications, Inc., people are willing to look elsewhere for the products and services that used to be tied to professional associations. When you toss in the fact that these social networking sites don’t charge for membership and basic services, you beg the question that has remained unaddressed by IABC and other associations: What is the business case for professional associations in this new world?

I can think of some answers, but like I said, it’s time for IABC and other associations to join the conversation.

A wise person said that if you want to know where your heart is, look at your calendar and your checkbook. We tend to invest our time and money into the things that we care about.

Well, today is Mother’s Day in the United States, and I’m only writing a brief post today. My wife and kids will welcome other members of my family here later today, and we will take time to honor the love and hard work of mothers that we’ve sometimes taken for granted.

Thank you, Kim, for being such a terrific mom to Kevin and Caitlyn. Thank you, mom, for being such a great influence in my life. Happy Mother’s Day, along with an electronic hug, to every mother out there.

CommaKazi Speek Podcast Show 8
Interview Date: May 2, 2007
A follow-up interview with crisis communications consultant Gerard Braud, taking a closer look at crisis communications planning two weeks after the Virginia Tech massacre.

No, we haven’t started summer reruns yet…this is a 12-minute follow-up conversation with a crisis communications expert who has helped many organizations prepare for the worst–and has seen firsthand how the lack of crisis planning can be as devastating as the crisis itself.

Braud shares some important ideas–including why text messaging isn’t the “answer” in a crisis like the Virginia Tech shootings. He also provides a glimpse into the presentation he will make this June in New Orleans at the International Conference of the International Association of Business Communicators.

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Not Your Parents’ Church Communications

CommaKazi Speek Podcast Show 7
May 1, 2007
An interview with Kem Meyer, communications director at Granger Community Church, Granger, Indiana, USA

Not-for-profit organizations often struggle to get their messages out to their publics. Volunteer help can be difficult to count on. How does Granger Church manage to be edgy in the often staid world of organized religion? Listen to this 20-minute interview to get some real insights into what is driving the success of this church as it reaches its community through a different kind of mind-set.

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