I just left a comment on David Murray’s blog, “Writing Boots,” where I stated that the company where I work hasn’t so much embraced social media, as it has awkwardly patted its head.
I suspect that my employer has a lot of company. Social media tools like Twitter, podcasting, videos and Facebook are like the youngsters who run around the family party, under the nervous gaze of Uncle Traditional Comms and Aunt Haitu Comms. Traditional and Haitu try to engage in “normal” conversation while these young whipper-snappers dart past them, climb under the tables and chairs, and start dancing right in the middle of a serious discussion.
“Why, oh why can’t somebody tame them?” ask Haitu asks Traditional. “Yes, this certainly isn’t the way WE were at their age,” Traditional mutters.
Just then, one of their cousins comes over, and reintroduces a young niece, Everly Startup, a vivacious and successful consultant and entrepreneur. Everly begins to speak, but is interrupted by a loud shriek of excitement coming from one of the youngsters, who had just tasted the frosting on the guest of honor’s cake.
“You just never know what they’re going to do,” Everly states, then motions for the youngster, who is still licking the frosting from his index finger, to come stand next to her. As Traditional and Haitu move their gaze from Everly, to their cousin, to the youngster next to them who begins to vibrate without moving his feet, the next step doesn’t seem clear.
So Traditional does what old-timers have always done. With a half-smile, half-grimace, he ruffles the hair of the vibrating child below him, while trying desperately to keep up the pretense that he actually paid attention when the child’s name was first announced.
“So this is little…Podcast…no, little Twit…(Haitu’s shoots him a hard look)…no, little YouTube,” Traditional blurts out. When Everly smiles and nods, Traditional doesn’t know what to do next. With an awkward pat on YouTube’s noggin, Traditional grabs Haitu by the elbow and begins to shuffle away while saying, “You’ll just have to tell us again sometime what YouTube is doing these days. He just seems to be getting bigger and bigger, every time we see him.”
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August 12th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I meant to link to David’s blog. Here it is.
http://writingboots.typepad.com/writing_boots/2008/08/big-companies-and-social-media-is-it-time-to-give-up-hope.html
August 14th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Tom, I commented on the same post yesterday. As the most rambunctious and wild of all the youngsters at the family dinner, I contest the native versus immigrant analogy of PR folks to social media. I recognize the difficulties, the worry. What I have a hard time accepting is how, in a hyper-evolutionizing profession in PR, professionals would get nervous over change.
This social media thing really isn’t that tough and, when properly harnessed, offers unlimited potential. Give it a chance uncle traditional, and don’t be afraid to reverse the dynamic and ask us whipper-snappers for a helping hand. Cheers!
August 14th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Maybe Aunt Flickr and Uncle StumbleUpon, originally from Canada, are at this party? (I believe they are the parents of niece Everly Startup.)
Great post, Tom. Great to see you getting creative again.
August 15th, 2008 at 5:32 am
The challenge is knowing which of the bright young things will grow up to be interesting and still have something worth saying, compared to those who will still be pointless or their youthful enthusiasm will be long forgotten.
Also, the oldies need to be careful that they don’t try too hard to appear young and trendy like some sad dad on the dancefloor at a family wedding.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:12 am
Thank you all for commenting. After some long and seeminghly fruitless attempts to engage in conversations with others in my company regarding possible internal uses of social media tools and techniques, the topic seems to be heating up again.
Brandon, I agree that leadership’s nervousness over change can be frustrating. The pace of change is slower here than I could have ever imagined, but every once in a while, a chunk of the glacier actually moves perceptibly.
Judy, doesn’t everything good originate in Canada? I know that was the viewpoint of my relatives who grew up in Quebec.
Heather, I like the analogy. Just like children, we will have to see which tools and techniques actually “make something of themselves.” My parents are still scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong with me.
I, on the other hand, am happily acting like the sad dad on the dancefloor to the chagrin of my kids.