2010 January / We Are Social %blog

Here are all of the posts from January 2010.

MyDavidCameron: an analysis

by Simon Collister in News on 18 January 2010 at 15:56 Google+

Cameron Elvis

With the buzz about the remixed Conservative Party election posters and Clifford Singer’s MyDavidCameron website a few days old I thought I’d reflect on the debate and offer up some analysis about what might be going on here and what it means for political parties ahead of the election.

But before I can do that I need to jump back to September last year when I discussed Manuel Castell’s theory of networked power and suggested how it could be applied to the UK’s political blogosphere.

In a nutshell, Castells argues that power in networks is fundamentally about the ability to establish and control particular networks.

This can be achieved by one of two ways:

the ability to constitute network(s), and to program/reprogram the network(s) in terms of goals assigned to the network (largely by setting and controlling the way we perceive issues and information)
the ability to connect and ensure cooperation of different networks by sharing common goals and combining resources (i.e. identifying like-minded networks with which you can work to challenge the dominant program)

Castells calls actors in the first mechanism ‘programmers’ and those in the second mechanism, ‘switchers’.

I argued that Conservative and right-wing blogs were successful because they had programmed the UK’s political network by a) adapting early and b) creating a broad anti-government debate which resonated with the media and wider public.

This meant that left and liberal bloggers had to find common issues and threads with each other and the public with which to try and switch the dominant power in the network away from anti-government/right-wing debate.

So what does this tell us about the MyDavidCameron success? Firstly, I think it supports my original hypothesis. That is, Labour have identified a wider – albeit smaller – network outside of the UK political blogosphere with a shared value (mocking David Cameron/the Conservatives and graphic design).

They are then co-opting this network, forming a strategic partnership but letting the idea and content go where it goes, as opposed to trying to centrally plan and control what happens with the David Cameron imagery.

In my opinion, a political party having the foresight and ability to spot an opportunity like this and use it to help try to ‘switch’ the dominant discourse in the political blogosphere is smart.

Yes, there may be those that say: “well, who wouldn’t jump on an opportunity if it arose?” But I’d argue that the traditional approach to this kind of online meme would be to try and own it: take it in-house.*

I think Labour have deliberately avoided doing this, having learnt the lesson from last summer’s #Welovethenhs grassroot campaign that which Labour co-opted, arguably tried to centralise and quickly destroyed the value in the network. Compare how they’re currently using a Labour Party version of MyDavidCameron (i.e. becoming another node in the network) versus their mini-campaign site for #Welovethenhs which argubly tries to own the decentralised campaign network.

But thinking logically about the MyDavidCameron campaign: would Labour seeking to ‘own’ the network really kill it in the same way that it killed #Welovethenhs?

I’m not so sure for two reasons:

Firstly, the #Welovethenhs campaign was not a pro-government campaign; nor was it an anti-tory campaign. It was a pro-public healthcare system campaign. It’s an issue that traditionally has a shared value for with liberal/left networks but not solely. Labour arguably killed this campaign as it tried to go further than switching and instead reprogram the networks’ values as pro-government/pro-Labour.
Secondly, network alignment based on shared opposition to David Cameron and/or the Conservatives is one thing, but the reality is that only Labour can defeat the Conservatives at an election. Therefore, Labour trying to reprogram the goal of the networks driving the MyDavidCameron campaign to be pro-Labour is actually a smart move.

What this says to me is that now we’re entering the run up to an election, the political discourse is no longer split broadly between anti-government/right-wing ideology and pro-Government goals (that were largely indistinguishable form Labour policy).

Instead, Labour is starting to reprogram the UK’s political networks through creating a discourse of Conservatives vs Labour. It’s early days and the Conservatives still have the upper hand but I’d argue that the MyDavidCameron campaign plus the recent emergence of distinct left and Labour-aligned voices is starting to re-balance the pro-right-wing goals of the UK’s political networks.

Footnote:
* What this reveals is Labour’s ability to switch between a traditional command and control political party and a node in a fluid, participative network. Something Andrew Chadwick has defined as “organisational hybridity” – the internet driven phenomena that enables organisations and institutions to switch between being member-led hierarchical institutions, single-issue campaign groups or temporary, loosely joined networks of like-minded individuals. I believe this is what political parties of the future will look like: political parties in all but name, But that’s something for another post.

tagged: Conservatives, David Cameron, Digital Campaigning, General Election, Labour, Manuel Castells, Networks, politics

London really is the capital of Twitter

by Camille Jouneaux in News on 15 January 2010 at 15:02 Google+

After their initial report in June, Sysomos have taken a fresh look at the Twitter population breaking things down by country and also by city.

The US is still the country with the largest amount of users, however the influence of Americans has waned, with only 50.88% of the Twitter population vs. 62.14% in June. The UK is still on the podium, but only in third. Brazil is now the second biggest country with 8.79% of total users whereas the UK represents 7.20% of accounts.

London can be proud that it’s the capital of Twitter, with 2.08% of users, almost 25% bigger than its nearest rival, Los Angeles (perhaps due to the birth of Twestival here, which by the way has just opened registrations for their next event). However, our friends over the pond in New York are still more active than us with 2.37% of tweets coming from NY vs. 2.12% from London.

Looking deeper into the figures, there is something fascinating: the slow ascension on the platform of countries such as Brazil, India and China, three of the four BRICs. I think it’s worth keeping an eye on this – I would be curious to read a future survey comparing the economy of these countries with their presence on the international social media scene.

Update: Sysomos have released an extended list of the top countries and cities on Twitter.

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #9

by Jordan Stone in News on 11 January 2010 at 17:16 Google+

Tweetdeck infiltrates the Sky News Room
You might recall that last March Sky News turned a few heads by appointing Ruth Barnett (@ruthbarnett) as their social media / Twitter correspondent. Since that time, more than 90 Sky staff have opened Twitter accounts, ranging from field producers to weather presenters, and the use of Twitter in the newsrooms has boomed.

Then came the news last week from Journalism.co.uk that Sky News would be installing Tweetdeck software across its journalists’ computers, “as part of plans to encourage more use of social media for newsgathering and reporting.”

Over on Mashable they tried to put this move into context:

For those of you who work in more traditional work environments, you can appreciate the significance of software installs on company machines, typically regulated to lock down or limit employee downloads. The vetting of Tweetdeck as an application worthy of a serious news organization is one that should not be overlooked.

Though Tweetdeck might not be for everyone, it’s an interesting development nonetheless in standardising the use of social media in the newsroom.

Common-sense wisdom in Coke’s new social media policy
Last week, Coca-Cola released a 3-page social media policy containing 20 straightforward, common sense principles that should be adhered to by the company’s employees as they interact on the social web.

Adam Brown, Head Of Social Media at Coca-Cola provides a quick 3 minute video about the objectives, rational and challenges of their approach to Andy Sernovitz, who’s written about it further on his blog.

Read and study the full policy here.

Drink your Facebook
Last September Glaceau vitaminwater launched a contest for US customers which let Facebook users create a new flavour of the product. Last week they announced the winning entry (Sarah… from Illinois) and it tastes like Facebook:

The new flavor, announced [8 January], is called ‘Connect’ (as in Facebook Connect?) and even carries the Facebook logo on the bottle label.

In case you were wondering, Facebook tastes like black cherry-lime.

For a more in depth look beyond the campaign, check out John Bell’s blog post on ‘Crowdsourcing & Co-Creation with Glaceau’ for key takeways.

(Disclosure: vitaminwater is a We Are Social client)

NHS Salford uses Twitter to inform patients of hospital services available during snow
For the past few weeks the things in the UK have been a bit chilly, causing widespread disruption to transport, schools and government services. And where there’s #uksnow there are bound to be stories using Twitter as an angle. So here’s one of our favourites:

NHS Salford has been using Twitter as an additional way of communicating with the local population as snow continues to disrupt services across large parts of the country.

We admire their innovation at least.

Vive We Are Social France!

by Sandrine Plasseraud in News on 7 January 2010 at 17:03 Google+

Photo CC-by-nd by scorbette37

As new years go, 2010 couldn’t be any more exciting for We Are Social, and particularly for me.

As NMA and Brand Republic revealed today, I’ve moved to Paris this month in order to set up and run We Are Social France, with Orange Vallée as our first client.

I joined We Are Social in the early days of August 2008. Being part of the team and seeing the agency grow over the last 17 months has been an amazing experience. Not only in terms of the work we’ve produced, the clients we’ve won and the reputation we’ve built, but just as importantly, the great people we’ve managed to bring on board. An experience I’m keen to repeat in my own country.

In a couple of weeks Camille, who has been part of my team since October ’08, will join me here in Paris. With several pieces of new business currently in the pipeline, it’s likely the team will be growing further soon after that, so if you’re interested, get in touch.

Wish us luck!

Social media in 2010

by Sandrine Plasseraud in News on 6 January 2010 at 17:18 Google+

Mobile internet has grown immensely in 2009 and according to the latest TrendsSpotting report it will be at the heart of social media in 2010:

Mobile social media
In the report, David Armano says “mobile becomes a social media lifeline”: on the basis that nearly 70% of organisations ban social networking in the workplace, mobile internet will be a lifeline for addicted workers and what was once a cigarette break could turn into a social media break.

Dan Zarella predicts that with the rise of augmented reality, the border between the web and reality will become increasingly blurred.

As people trust other people online when it comes to forming an opinion about a product or service, the growth of the mobile internet will mean this increasingly occurs at the point of consumption. Imagine you’re in a shop, hesitating between two vacuum cleaners. What do you do? Do you ask the salesman or you check out independent consumer reviews via your mobile?

With the development of geolocation apps, this principle also applies to restaurants, bars, hotels, etc.. You’re travelling to Paris for business, you’ve just finished your meeting in a neighborhood that you’re not familiar with and you’re looking for a restaurant to have lunch? What do you do? Check out the reviews of the local brasseries on your mobile on Yelp, of course.

Social media goes up the agenda of organisations
The good news is that in 2010 companies seem to have plans to invest seriously in social media. According to BizReport, social media is a priority for marketers: more than half of respondents (56.3%) had planned to include social media in their marketing mix.

This is in line with the TrendsSpotting report where many social media players talk about the growing importance of social media for organisations.

According to Charlene Li, “social media will become part of everyday lexicon for business in 2010″ while for Adam Cohen, “Social media gets smarter”: companies will start using social media more strategically.

For Connie Benson, “social media will shift from being experimental to metrics and the loop will be closed so that social media monitoring is necessary and actionable”.

David Armano highlights that as of today, very few organisations have used social media beyond campaigns. He uses Best Buy as a benchmark of a company that has really managed to leverage social media strategically (Robin wrote about Best Buy and social media a few months ago).

David Armano goes further by predicting the mass adoption of social media policies in companies in 2010: specific rules of engagement across different social networks, rules on how employees’ participation in social media.

I agree with David. This year, companies will understand the importance of investing for the long term in social media rather than just on specific campaigns – as Robin put it, “stop campaigning and start committing”.

What was already important for brands in 2009 becomes crucial in 2010: listening to and participating in online conversations as they have a real impact on people’s opinions. Even more so now that Google and Microsoft have incorporated the real-time social web at the core of their search algorithms: Today, when researching a brand, you’ll surely find tweets about it.

Already this year Pepsi has dropped its Super Bowl advertising spend (after 23 consecutive years) to invest in social media in 2010, which implies these predictions may have some weight…

tagged: Adam Cohen, Best Buy, Charlene Li, Connie Benson, Dan Zarella, David Armano, listening, mobile internet, monitoring, Pepsi, social media, Super Bowl, TrendsSpotting, Yelp

Please check my Blog!

by Robin Grant in News on 6 January 2010 at 00:58 Google+

This is what it’s all about kids. Don’t forget that. Here’s to a great 2010… [via]

We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #8

by Jordan Stone in News on 4 January 2010 at 19:37 Google+

Happy New Year! Time for the first Monday Mashup of the new decade. Here we go.

‘Best Job’ winner stung by jellyfish
Loosely translated, the German word ‘schadenfreude’ describes the pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Which brings me to the news that the winner of Australia’s “Best Job in the World” contest has survived a sting from a potentially deadly jellyfish just days before the end of his dream stint on the Great Barrier Reef.

You may recall that Ben Southall beat over 34,000 competitors to land the six-month job as “caretaker” of Hamilton Island, Australia where he published the Island Caretaker Blog. The campaign gained international notoriety and bagged a number of awards, including two top awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this summer.

Twitalyzer 2.0 Launched
This weekend Twitalyzer shed its BETA status and officially opened the application to the public. This application allows you to analyse an account in detail, and also provides access to a dashboard, which “provides access to great new Twitalyzer features including tracking for multiple accounts, Google Analytics integration, user tagging and segmentation tools.” If you want to get the most out of the app then download and read the Twitalyzer Handbook, a 50 page user’s guide to the application.

Social Media is the New Super Bowl: Pepsi Refresh and What It Means to Marketers
The big marketing news across the pond over the past couple of weeks was Pepsi’s decision to trade Super Bowl advertising for social media activity in 2010:

For the first time in 23 years–23 years!–the brand will not be purchasing a Super Bowl spot. Instead, it is sinking $20M into a Social Media program called Pepsi Refresh. The Pepsi Refresh site will allow people to vote for worthwhile community projects, and Pepsi expects to sponsor thousands of local efforts via this program.

The Forrester Blog for Marketing Leadership Professionals unravels what it means for marketers, and considers the ramifications for the industry. The post is worth a read, and Pepsi’s decision is worth following.

Tories ‘would pay £1m for public policy making website’
Tory frontbencher Jeremy Hunt last week told the BBC that the Conservatives would offer a £1m prize in a competition to develop a website that would allow large groups of people to help develop new policies.

If implemented, this would be a groundbreaking approach to create a platform to crowdsource public policy ideas. Although perhaps they could offer 10 prizes of 100k each for 10 different approaches – after all, that’s still a substantial reward for a lone developer, and how are you going to know what works until you put it in practice?

Wipe The Slate Clean For 2010, Commit Web 2.0 Suicide
If you are looking for an online detox, this is for you. Moddr, a New Media Lab in Rotterdam have developed The Web 2.0 Suicide Machine which effectively disconnects you from social networks completely:

Just put in your credentials for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or LinkedIn and it will delete all your friends and messages, and change your username, password, and photo so that you cannot log back in.

A light hearted video describes the benefits of committing Web 2.0 suicide, but this is probably not recommended for anyone working in this industry as this ‘will really delete your online presence and is irrevocable.’