We’ve all read somewhere that when we speak, non-verbal communication makes up a large portion of what we’re trying to communicate. One widely criticized study puts nonverbal cues at 12.5 times the power of their verbal counterparts, and other studies demonstrate similar links (although not at the same scale). While the ecological validity might not be there for the former, the results boil down to one thing: what you say isn’t the only important factor in communication.
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On Facebook, there are two types of accounts: Profiles and Pages. Big brands like Coke and Ford have Facebook pages, as do celebrities such as Ellen Degeneres and JK Rowling. Pages allow for branded content, a home base for earned media on the site, and a social/viral way to distribute information to users. You and I, we have profiles where we connect with our friends and share pieces of life as we see fit. But what about those people who are somewhere in between – people with influence and an audience, but might seem pompous to establish a personally branded “page”? That’s where Subscribe comes in. (more after the jump)
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I just finished reading David Ogilvy’s Confessions of an Advertising Man, and truly, Ogilvy will be remembered in the company of giants. There are so many things I took away from it, so many axioms, so much wisdom. This was a man who told things like they were and didn’t apologize. The truths he tells range from interfacing with clients, to advice for young and ambitious agency lads, to selling kitchen appliances, to memories of a parisian chef. The lessons are timeless, and the take away for new media adventurers are invaluable. Did I mention this was written in 1963? My biggest takeaway after the jump.
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At my place of work, a megachurch, we have an awesome media department. Awesome. And I’m not just saying this because I interned with them, they really do rock. They’re understaffed, underpaid, under-appreciated, and under-kudo’d.
I currently work in our Children’s Ministry, the department charged with taking care of little ones and investing in their spiritual, mental, emotional, and holistic development. From birth to fifth grade, we do our damnedest not to screw them up… while providing excellent, effective, and fun environments for their growth (the former isn’t exactly found in our mission statement..).
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In case you hadn’t heard, MSNBC found out I was polling some Children’s Pastors about Kids and Facebook, and before I could put the finishing touches on my blog post, they released this story. It’s for their “Red Tape Debates” and is designed for the sole purpose of inciting fear and anxiety among parents. Shame on you, MSNBC.
As I was saying, Mark Zuckerberg recently stated that he intends to open up Facebook to kids under 13, and that it is a fight they intend to take on. I was polling some Children’s Pastors about Kids and Facebook and posed them with this question: Why not?
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“ Kids who grow up in perfect homes attach themselves to bad company so they don’t feel so alone in their own imperfections.
Thoughts while reading “Safe People” by Cloud and Townsend
It’s funny how some parents are terrified to let their kids walk down the street a few blocks, or go over to a friend’s house, but allow them to roam the information super-highway indiscriminately. As a non-parent, it’s a bit odd for me to write a “parenting” post, but as someone who has had parents go to for advice in this area, I’ve compiled all my interwebs “wisdom” (ramblings) in one spot: this post.
Let’s face it: this and coming generations will be increasingly more “plugged in”. The internet is an AWESOME tool, but it’s also destructive and dangerous. Saying to your kids, “No internet. Period.” does more harm than good, in my opinion. There’s an inherent danger in everything, i.e. there could be an earthquake and the building you’re in collapses, but luckily on the internet, there’s not necessarily danger like that. Almost every danger on the internet is avoidable.
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With all this Rob Bell hoopla, I’ve decided to throw my two cents into the pot. Last semester I had to write a 10 page paper in which I created my own version of Dante’s Inferno. I did a lot of hellish thinking, and these are the conclusions I came to:
- It’s real.
- It’s no fun.
- God isn’t a masochistic sadist that damns people to hell for swearing and watching MTV.
- People choose hell, hell doesn’t choose people, God doesn’t choose people for hell. People choose hell.
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1. Do the Same Thing Over and Over
The flannelgraph was pretty cool in the era static electricity was discovered, but unless you’re doing some cool vintage throwback, keep it as spare fire wood. Constantly reevaluate your programs, your marketing strategies, your org charts, is it the best? If you don’t change what you’re doing to meet a contemporaneous standard, you will end up in someone’s tweet or on YouTube. And not in the same way Justin Bieber was. (And even Justin Bieber got a hair cut.)
2. Have No Consistency
Don’t keep doing the same things that aren’t working expecting to get new results, but on the other hand, don’t change things at a pace that no one can keep up with. When you change something, it takes time to trickle from the top to the bottom. If you lead a team that leads a team, that team that’s being led by the team you lead will need time to soak up what it is your saying, so don’t change it again before they’ve tasted that first vision. And if they end up with a sour taste in their mouth as a result, there’s obviously a communication disconnect somewhere along the way, maybe to them, maybe to you. If you’re flippantly changing things, you won’t spot that.
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