Don – blogging about blogging, no echo. Ageed that for me it’s about getting passionate people that are free to write what they believe. I think the key for blogging is candor, and a company that is willing to listen. Once that is achieved, people still need to make a living. Some how we got to a point where money = dishonesty. So if I’m telling you about a product I like it is more honest than if I worked for that company. What about a person that works for a non-profit community outreach group? They get paid as an employee, does that make them less honest, trustworthy?

Lucretia – Amen to marketing changing to accommodate the uniqueness of social media and a changing public. For me the beauty of social media as a movement is creating an environment for learning about other anything, other political perspectives, other human experiences, other subjects. This is done in a way, where there is less desire to sell something, and more a desire to share something. That may be subtle, perhaps lost on some, but for me it is a huge difference in the way we communicate as individuals and as organizations, be they government, private sector, or non-profits .

All the best to you both

Generation Y – the under 25 crowd – are constantly wired. Social media is really tho only way you can market to them. Television ads are skipped using DVRs & TiVo – or bypassed altogether thanks to torrenting. They don’t read print publications, and they grow up immune to ‘traditional’ online advertising. The *only* effective way to market to Gen Y is by ‘word of mouth’ – and in this case, ‘word of mouth’ is a clunky way of saying ‘word of text, video, SMS, digg, email, chat, myspace, facebook… essentially, social media.’

Gen Y’ers and their successors will grow up using their social networks as their information source about products, services, companies, and perspectives. Marketing will have to adapt. It’s no longer about slick slogans, catchy jingles, and clever campaigns – it’s about trust agents, candor, interaction and relationships.

Social media may be about more than marketing for all generations – but marketing will need to be all about social media when it comes to the new Wired generations and their disposable incomes.

Or so I believe, that is, after spending a lot of time interacting with them on this issue.

Thank you for contributing a food item to a St. Paul food shelter for the comment. It’s nice to see something of that nature being done!

Regarding paying ghost bloggers, it’s funny. I agree with you in principle, yet I would love to be the exception to the rule. You, see, I have a client that I’ve been talking to about blogging strategies. I pitched them on a blog approach and I’d actually love to step in and be their blogger. They’re in a space I’m passionate about and I wouldn’t be writing about their company per se. But I know I would be 100% authentic in executing this idea. We’ll see if it comes to fruition. If it does, I’ll be sure to blog about it. (Hmmm, blogging about blogging…is there an echo in here?)

But there is a massive market for smart ideas. Keep ‘em comin’.

Now to your point about movement, I use the word movement as in civil rights movement, not movement of a symphony. I agree social media is not a fad, the question is will it be something in which a majority of society will participate?

Lastly, I disagree with your last point about marketing yourself or your business if you mean marketing in the traditional sense, that being “Here’s my company and here’s my stuff and we’re better than that guy over there.”

I support the idea of individuals and companies who also derive money from the topics in which they participate on social media sites should contribute their knowledge. They should add to the discussion as an integrated member of that community and not as an outsider shilling their wares. My position is that most social media participants and active bloggers are there because they reject being attacked, manipulated, and cajoled by marketers. That’s why I call it a movement not a marketplace.

In fact, I believe that the tools you promote on your site are exactly what social media participants will reject. In reading your home page the impression I get is the antithesis of the idea I am espousing, marketers should not be “attacking” the social media market and that companies should not seek to “become a force” in social media.

I did not complete the entry form on that page because given what I read I am not interested in your form of social media marketing. I would however, like to understand exactly what the 20 software social media marketing titles are and what they do. I would consider having an interview with you on the Marketing Edge, however, you should realize that I am dubious about the marketing tactics as promoted on your site.

Thanks for commenting and allow us to air this discussion.

When you say movement, it seems to me like there’s an end. Like a movement in a song. It’s there then it’s gone. However, it changes and influences what happens afterwards. Social media is here to stay. Yes, there may be other things in the future, but for now, it’s here and it’s in its infancy.

I think that if you’re not marketing yourself or business on the social media landscape, you’re gravely making a big mistake.

– Michael S. Copeland
Social Media Marketing Tools
at http://SocialMediaBlaster.com