Broadcasting Brain

Here in social media and in the blogosphere we (ironically enough) talk a lot about something we call the echo chamber effect.

Just like a sound is repeated, amplified, and occasionally distorted in a real-life echo chamber (a device used to conduct experiments with sound), ideas can be discussed, rediscussed, etc. until we believe them just because we hear them.

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In the mainstream media (and digital media) we’ve been seeing a lot of talk about the need for bailouts for various US financial institutions and a seemingly endless stream of experts who say it’s a do or die situation.

The US House of Representatives refused to buy those arguments on Sept. 29, 2008. I’m sure there’s a multitude of reasons why they didn’t pass the legislation, both good and not so good.

I scratched my head a bit and wondered if a bunch of people were just trying to play chicken with the current Executive and Legislative leadership. It seemed like a dumb move.

However, I came across the following article by Howard Owens in Google Reader today that made me think for a moment. Here’s my immediate reaction after reading the article:

Wow. This article is worth reading, if only to give you the opportunity to take a sober second thought about the current US financial situation. Be honest: have you really sat down, read about this issue in detail, and formed your own opinion or are you just echoing? This is an echo-chamber much, much larger than we ever talk about in the blogosphere.

Whether or not you completely agree with the points in Owen’s article, I think you would agree that a lot of the discussions around the proposed bailout package were a living, breathing example of the echo chamber. A single message has been repeated and amplified across the media, creating a lot of nervous people. Result: massive stock market drop on the day of the event. More echoing about the dire nature of that event. And, today, the markets are starting to rally back.

The bailout seems to make sense in many ways, particularly if it means that people who need credit will lose access to it, but we’re certainly leaving the details and execution to a small group of people. These people SHOULD know what they are doing, but if you look back over the past 40 - 45 years of history and at some of the bigger things that went wrong, don’t you think that it might be a good idea to understand the details a bit better? Take a sober second look?

I’m not saying that action isn’t necessary to fix financial problems. All I’m saying is that much of the reactions to Monday’s events are an unmistakable example of the echo chamber in action. Then, when reality sets in and the world’s still there, do you think you are better able to recognize the effects of the echo chamber?

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I was recently tagged by a meme about social media marketing best practices by Dan Thornton (aka Badger Gravling, a user name I still envy) of The Way of the Web .

Mitch Joel of Twist Image and Six Pixels of Separation fame originated this meme back on Aug. 27, 2008, so I’m a little bit behind.

Look, I’m not a social media marketer and if I were, I don’t have a lot to show as success stories in this space. However, I do have a little story to tell which might give you some insight into something that I think would be valuable, regardless of whether or not it directly applies to social media marketing.

It’s very simple: volunteer your time, knowledge, and expertise for a good cause. If you can work social media marketing into the situation LEGITIMATELY, so much the better.

Here’s the story:

This weekend I gave a short presentation to a local church group about Internet and cell phone technology. The organizers of this group knew me and knew that I know a bit about this stuff, mainly through the newspaper column that I was writing earlier this year and because of my job as an IT professional.

These people wanted help in understanding technology better, especially safety for children. They don’t work in social media for hours each day, and they weren’t early adopters: basically they were representative of the majority of people out there who hear about technology, see their children using it, and don’t understand many of the details.

• I talked 30 minutes about some basic principles, like safety, privacy, reputation, and respect. I answered a few questions.
• They were very grateful. I may get asked to speak there again.
• I feel like I helped them, even if only a little bit.

My thought is that if you could take this experience and repeat it once per month for several years, you’d do more for advancing the causes of social media in general, and possibly social media marketing to boot, than attending a conference or meeting of the converted.

In short, get out there, share what you know, answer people’s questions, and do it for free. It can be with some form of non-religious group like a service club, chamber of commerce, or what have you if you prefer not to mix religion with your technology. Whatever the audience, you’ll build trust, goodwill, and more by volunteering a little bit of your time like this.

If that’s not conducive to social media marketing, I don’t know what is.

Between listening to Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica podcasts and reading this very cool post by Merlin Mann about creative story arcs in content creation, I’ve really come to realize that I really like the idea of making stuff, particularly from a design, planning, and plotting level.

I wonder if there’s a job out there called content architect or content engineer?

I’ve tried writing both fiction and non-fiction. I think I have become a good non-fiction writer; don’t think I’m doing great, awesome or amazing stuff yet.

Writing fiction, good stories with strong characters, moving plots, and overall literary goodness… that’s a bigger challenge for me. And yet creating strong fiction seems like a much more satisfying goal to me. I think I’m in love with the idea of universe building.

How about you? Don’t you love a good story? Ever think about all of the background work that goes into it?

One of my pet projects that I had shelved for a long time was to develop a treatment for a science fiction TV series. It would be a remake of a 1970s show and, honestly, I’d be attempting to do something very similar to what Moore did by remaking Battlestar Galactica. That does worry me a bit because it would just be derivative, and wrong, to copy his formulas and methods too much.

I also have another idea for an original science fiction series. It’s languishing. But, to be fair, so are a number of my other creative ideas.

I read an interesting post at In the Mirror which asked the question: why do you write?

This is what I had to say in response:

The short answer is that I write because I have things to say to an audience.

The somewhat longer answer is that I write because I see it as a necessary step in my growth as a person. Writing is an exercise in self-actualization to me. I was a content consumer for most of my life and I’ve thought about it enough that I’m wanting to create my own. So I do. I also have a dream of being good enough at this and sufficiently networked to make this a much more significant part of my life, including making it a big part of my livelihood.

Plus it’s fun to make things.

So now you have my thoughts on this. How about you? Why do you create content, if you do? What is it that you’d like to create?

Like the title says, I’m now considered to be a Mashable.com Contributor. I’ve been writing a few posts there during the past couple of months and I guess I passed the audition.

Thanks to Adam Ostrow for giving me a chance and Pete Cashmore for blazing the trail.

Don’t worry: Broadcasting Brain is here to stay and will continue to go on strong!

Today I want to ask you a question and I’m really, really curious to know how you do things.

I’m really curious to know if you are the type of person who does things in a linear sequence or do you follow a more random pattern of working.

Linear sequence would be an example of starting at the beginning or logical starting point and then following a predefined set of steps, in order, until you reach the logical ending point. If you were driving from City A to City B, as an example, there is probably a shortest path where you always pass by several other cities, towns, landmarks, and so on. Food recipes are another example of doing work in a specific sequence of steps.

Random-access, a little-used term but quietly prolific process, means that you can do things out of sequence, just like the way that your computer’s hard drive, your DVD player, and your digital music player can move to any piece of data (or section of the storage media). These machines can move directly to a specific piece of information without passing through all preceding pieces of data. In terms of work, this means that you do not work in a pre-determined sequence. Instead, you’ll flip from task to task depending on your interest levels or other criteria.

By habit or by nature, I seem to use non-linear methods whenever I can, particularly when I have a lot of control over how I can do something. The main reason I use these methods, I think, is that I need a starting point to sink myself into before I can properly get oriented on doing something.

It’s not always the most efficient way to get things done, but it’s effective for me (I tend to be more biased to effectiveness than efficiency).

But enough about me.

How about you?

Are you a linear worker or do you move through work differently, more random-access? Please share your thoughts with the rest of us and thanks!

For more interesting thoughts and ideas, why not subscribe so you never miss a post?

Here’s a couple of recommended podcasts, to add to the list that I published a few months ago.

Stephen Fry’s Podgrams - Stephen Fry was a wonderful voice and does all kinds of work as a voice actor (e.g. the narrator for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie and for the BBC children’s cartoon Pocoyo) as well as a live actor on stage, television, and films. He’s recorded five podcasts (or podgrams) to date. It’s wonderful, warm, witty, semi-melancholy stuff. Hey, House fans: did you know that actor Hugh Laurie (House himself) was once part of a British comedy duo called Fry and Laurie? Stephen is the Fry!)

You Look Nice Today - this podcast, while not an unkind show, is still not for the faint of heart or mind. Clever word plays, irreverence, and all around silliness prevail as this podcast cranks out thoughts and dialog at a rapid pace. Definitely not for children. I really like it - it’s a podcast about nothing but it’s highly entertaining.

As a general tip, if you’re looking for interesting, varied, and thought provoking podcasts, I strongly recommend that you check out the websites from the folks who make great radio programs, like the BBC, CBC, and National Public Radio.

Back to the podcasts!

I used to listen to a lot of music in my teens and early 20s. I was a guitar rock fan and that’s what I would usually listen to. As time and circumstances changed I cut back on my music as I focused on career, education, and family. I’ve been able to start squeaking it back in my days thanks to streaming audio, my new iPod, and YouTube.

YouTube is a funny thing Read the rest of this entry »

Writing the following post might not be great timing since yesterday’s post was clearly meant to be humorous, but…

I have this long range goal for my blogging.

Some time ago I wrote that my goal was to hit 250 K subscribers.

I was chickening out a little bit (even though 250 K subscribers is pretty freaking massive).

My actual goal is to hit 1 million subscribers.

It’s a Big Hairy Audacious Goal.  It’s insane.  It seems impossible.  I’m out of my freaking mind.

Probably.

But, if there’s even a chance that it’s possible, why not go for it?  Why not make the effort?  Why not make it crystal clear?

This will undoubtedly mean that I’m going to have to broaden out my subject matter a bit (or a lot…  I dunno).  I can deal with that - I hope you can.

I don’t want to alienate anyone who’s already here because any of you who are currently subscribed to this blog are the core.  You’re the group of individuals who were generous and patient enough to take a chance on a new blogger who entered the field at the time when blogging appeared to be hitting a saturation point.  I am more grateful for that kindness than you will probably ever realize.  I don’t know who all of you are, but you’re cool in my books.

Why one million?  Because it fits with my concept of this being the electronic equivalent of a syndicated column.  Because it could give me the opportunity to devote a large part of my energies to doing this work.  But mainly because I think that I have things to say and write that will appeal to a broader audience.

Is this a selfish goal?  Sure.  Nonetheless, it’s something I see there above my head, a level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that gives me something to strive for.

This is a LONG term project.  I could see this taking ten years or more, assuming it’s achievable.  A lot can happen between now and then.  The chances are small that I could succeed at making this happen.

But if I achieve even a fraction of this goal, then it’s worth it.  Any fraction.

If this is too egotistical, too heady, too… whatever for you and you want to bail, I understand.  This kind of journey and shift in focus might not be what you signed up for.  I have no real clue of what this is going to mean.  But it’s a vision and an honest vision.  Even if it runs counter to a lot of conventional blogging wisdom.

Is this going to mean anything different in the short term?  Probably not, at least not much, other than I’ll start broadening out on my subject matter.

If you’re willing to stay onboard, then THANK YOU.  If you think anyone else might enjoy becoming part of this journey, please invite them along.

OK, I’ve babbled for a bit.  Am I completely nuts here?  Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?  Have a great weekend.

This just in: while many prominent bloggers are now safely stuffed into their Las Vegas accommodations for Blog World Expo 2008, this reporter has just learned that their assistant editors and substitute bloggers have staged an unparalleled coup of the blogosphere!

Minions everywhere have executed fiendishly clever plans to corrupt their masters blogs! The details are almost too incredible to believe, but they are starting to be revealed now:

Problogger by Darren Rowse has been changed to ProLogger! Branding itself as “anti-green”, the blog is now a passionate advocate of the pulp and paper industry! “Make money outdoors” is the new motto!

Chris Brogan’s blog is now Chris, Broken, a whiny emo-ish personal blog where the assistant editor (who’s real name is John), whines about losing his 14th girlfriend this year while envying the fun and frenetic lifestyle of his boss!

John Chow has become a food blog, talking about all of these great restaurants that the editor visits! Oh, wait…

Social Media Explorer has become Social Media Exploiter! The assistant editor has some bones to pick and they’re exposing the seedy side of social media, one deal at a time! (The assistant editor’s last name is Chapel, but we’re not sure if it’s a man or a woman…)

Awake at the Wheel has now become Asleep at the Wheel. It’s now full of biographies of politicians and corporate executives.

LouisGray.com was renamed LewisGrey.com. The assistant editor thought the new name would be easier to remember, plus he figured it would irk the boss.

GapingVoid was renamed Smoking Hole. All of the art has been replaced by business card sized panels with a weird grayish black color, perhaps from an explosion of some kind. Scott Adams was seen trying to sneak away.

Scobleizer was replaced by Sigmoidoscopeleizer. Don’t ask.

Queen of Spain blog was replaced by King of Spain. Kind of predictable, really. I think McCain/Palin is to blame.

Wine Library TV was the subject of the most astonishing coup. The editor of Scripting News flooded the Wine Library TV offices with knockout gas and has taken over. Winer TV is now devoted to electing the Democrats at all costs in November ($20 gift certificates at Gary V’s store if you vote for Obama/Biden!)

More updates later in the day if we can bear to describe them!

If ye be wanting more Broadcasting Brain goodness, why not subscribe? Arrrrh.

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I’m writing for several different blogs, including my own. Broadcasting Brain is the only place where I follow a regular writing schedule. The other places are blogs where I am a contributor or where I can write on a pitch by pitch basis, subject to editorial approval.

Some people might say that you should put your eggs in one basket and concentrate your publishing efforts in one location. That can work for some people, but I think that only works when you have an established general topics blog or when you are an established blogger/voice. Otherwise, people expect you to stay on topic.

I’m finding that I want to branch out and write more on different topics. I also want to reach more people. I’m trying to write certain topics where I think the largest, most receptive audience is.

I think of myself of a syndicated on-line columnist. I generally don’t break news. I provide opinion, commentary, and analysis. Occasionally I’ll write “how to” articles.

My thought is that at this point it’s better to publish stuff where the audience is and hopefully entice some people to come back here.

What do you think?