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Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Ragan’s conversation expands

I’m not sure I get Gary Goldhammer’s gripe with Ragan Communications’ adoption of social media. In his “Below the Fold” blog, Gary writes,

Social Media is Not Just About a Set of Tools ??? Will someone please tell this to Ragan and PRSA? Please, before they hurt somebody? It???s often those who profess to know the future that turn out to be the most shortsighted.

I don’t get Gary’s gripe in part because he doesn’t explain it, but that leads me to believe he figures it’s obvious, which means I just plain don’t get it. (I’m not paying much attention to PRSA, so no comment there.)

Consider that Ragan just added the ability for readers to comment on any of the articles appearing in the new content-rich site (based on advice from Neville Hobson and me). Within 48 hours, that led to some 50 comments, a lot of them directed at an article by Steve Crescenzo. CEO Mark Ragan points out that many of these comments are from people who have not participated on Ragan blogs and other social properties. One of the comments led an editor to correct a typo and thank the reader.

Shel Holtz

I know I’m biased because (disclosure alert) Ragan is a client and I have counseled the organization on some of its social media efforts. But for the life of me, I can’t figure out what they’re doing that’s shortsighted. Gary: Any enlightenment?

11/02/07 | 5 Comments | Ragan’s conversation expands

Comments

  • 1.I'm with Ragan! Gary is on the losing side on this one.

    Internet Marketing Blog | November 2007 | Las Vegas, NV

  • 2.And I can speak to the PRSA side of this. We (meaning a group of fairly well-known PR bloggers) just launched a conference blog site for them that was a lot more than tool deployment. We used video, podcasts, Twitter and a blog and are getting some pretty great conversational feedback in the blog.

    http://www.prsaconf07.info

    Kami Huyse | November 2007

  • 3.What can I say, I just felt like being a total dick that day :-) The comment was sparked by a conference announcement that to me focused on teaching people about the tools and and technology of social media, and not the underlying cultural and sociological shifts people need to understand and embrace first. As Linda Zimmer and I used to say, "it's about sociology, not technology." And the "killer app" isn't RSS, it's people (and so, by the way, is Soylent Green...)

    Then again, it could just be that I was being a total dick...

    Gary Goldhammer | November 2007 | Orange County, CA

  • 4.Gary, Sometimes the marketing for something can bely the truth. Still, I can see your point. Given that PRSA finally used the collective wisdom of folks that are out here doing this every day, instead of pundits looking from the outside in, is a victory in my book.

    Kami Huyse | November 2007

  • 5.Iagree kami, good point back atcha. And you know I've always considered you one of the "good ones" (you too, shel) :-)

    gary goldhammer | November 2007 | orange county, ca

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