Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook, so I hereby anoint him King of the “We” Generation.
Facebook was launched in February of 2004, and has grown into a community of over 200 million users.
I “follow” (pardon the Twitter reference) a wonderful group of “friends” on Facebook. These are people I may never have been in touch with with again were it not for Mark’s invention. (Lev Grossman’s “Why Facebook Is for Old Fogies“ is required reading on the subject.)
I am now part of a variety of online conversations - from blogging, twittering, and checking in on friends, to reading RSS feeds and keeping up with business contacts. In the process, I have come to feel more “connected” than at any time in my life.
Thanks, Mark!
My favorite brand, hands down, is Apple.
Apple is an example of what can happen when a company makes exciting products, listens to feedback, and uses that feedback to make even better products.
As the great GaryVee so often points out, if you are passionate about what you’re doing, and are willing to listen to your customers, they will love you forever.
I believe that this trend will drive business in the “WE” generation. (WE stream our lives on Facebook. WE comment on blogs. We Tweet.) The WE generation will warn us if a product (or service isn’t everything WE want it to be.
The social Web is about conversations - and these conversations provide free business advice to alert brands.
If you’re like Apple, you’ll listen.
Steve Rubel has gotten a lot of attention recently by announcing he was “moving from blogging to lifestreaming”.
Steve admits that the two are similar, but he’s managed to make a point - that blogging is not the “be-all, end-all” we once thought it was. Online publishing is a moving target, and Steve has gotten us to sit up and take notice of this inescapable fact.
I looked up “Lifestreams” on the Web, and remembered I had first encountered the term years ago, in an interview with Yale computer scientist David Gelernter;
“A lifestream is a time-ordered stream of documents that functions as a diary of your electronic life; every document you create and every document other people send you is stored in your lifestream.”
That paper was published in 1996 - the early days of the consumer Web - and I find it interesting to see the concept being embraced and written about. And if you look at the way we use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it seems to me that we’re all moving to lifestreaming…
Chris Brogan has a book coming out called “Trust Agents”.
In a blog post dated September 9, 2008, Chris defines Trust Agents as “…people who use the web in a very human way to build influence, reputation, awareness, and who can translate that into some kind of business value.”
So here’s a question: what might a trust agent have looked like in a medium that was popular before the Web - in, say, 1969 … or 1979?
How about the radio disc jockey?
Think about it - before radio formats existed (with their regimented imposition of liner cards, commercials, and heavily researched playlists), DJ’s simply played the records they loved.
They played songs “free form” - one after the other, and the other, and the other. And that was how you found music you loved.
Which brings us back to 2009. With the exception of a few commercial gems and a long list of non commercial stations, the free form DJ’s have left the building. But couldn’t modern day “Trust Agents” emerge, and do the same thing for blogs? Or products? Or travel destinations…
…and isn’t that “business value”?
I’ve been reading (and watching) a lot of interesting stuff on the Web lately, and a few words have jumped off the screen at me - “Relationships” (Fred Wilson), ”Trust” (Seth Godin), and ”Living Networks” (Ross Dawson).
I believe (hope) that these are the concepts that will shape content creation in the “2010 Web” (Robert Scoble).
Consumers seem to be changing their allegiance - from a long standing reliance on TV shows, radio programs, print and Web content produced by big media companies, to more intimate conversations with “the little guy”, who shares thoughts, expertise and trusted information with a socially networked group of like-minded friends.
Hmm, empowering the little guy. Not a bad way to be going…
I just commented on a blog that I found out about the death of Michael Jackson in the same way I found out about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon - on the Web. Somebody mentioned something on Facebook, and I watched the story unfold online.
The thing that struck me was my reaction to the news. At first I couldn’t decide between TV and the Web. The Web won.
Where did I go next? The New York Post. (I know that TMZ had the scoop, but the Post is a sentimental favorite.)
Twitter breaks the story and traditional steps in with the reporting.
And the TV stayed off…
My name is Bruce Barber, and for the past six years, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my life.
I used to be a radio personality. It was my dream job - but after 20 years even your dream job can start to suck. So I quit.
My plan was to become one of those dot com billionaires, but it didn’t work out. I attribute this to the fact that a.) my timing was lousy, and b.) I had my head up my ass.
When I reached the realization that I wasn’t going to be spending the rest of my life shopping for private jets and sports franchises, I set about the business of trying to figure out how I could best employ my skill set. The problem: what do you do when you’ve spent the past 20 years making fart jokes and dreaming up pranks to get free publicity in the local papers?
So, what HAVE I been doing for the past six years?
1. I’ve driven my kids all over the place.
My wife is a doctor, and she’s really busy. This means that I have often been called upon to provide transportation for our four children. I’ve learned that parents don’t exist to nurture and teach - we exist to get the kids to swim practice.
2. I’ve created Websites and Radio Shows.
This experience has taught me that you can create all the Websites and radio shows you want - but getting paid for creating Websites and and radio shows is another thing altogether.
3. I’ve watched a lot of movies from Netflix.
As is the case with creating Websites and Radio Shows, I’ve learned that it’s hard to get paid for watching movies from Netflix.
The work I’m most proud of, and the people that helped me do it:
I’ve built a top shelf audio production studio in our basement, which has enabled me to host and produce The WNPR Health Forum, in collaboration with The Yale Cancer Center for Connecticut Public Radio. (I couldn’t have done it without the help of my friend “Chewey”, who works for The Guitar Center in Orange.)
I also created a Website called The Real Life Survival Guide, which features links to practical advice and tips for living. I can now produce audio and video podcasts, subscribe to pertinent RSS feeds, and create buzz on Twitter. The RLS Guide was built by Mike Boyink using Expression Engine, and the design work was done by Adina Alexander.
The radio programs I’ve created have been a source of great ego, er, pride, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the exemplary talents of Fred Lyle, Sissy Biggers, Cindy Papish Gerber, Duo Dickinson, Deb Hauser, Rich Hanley, Lisa Lelas, and a cast of thou - hund - tens of guests who joined us on “The Neighbors Are Talking”. Thanks also go to Jerry Kristafer and Paula Wilmer, who gave us a slot on WELI in New Haven.
For legal (and moral) support; Jim Segaloff, Cheever Tyler, Dick Ferguson, Jim Morley, and Hank Yaggi.
I also have to thank the extremely handsome and talented Ed Crowley from Dichello Distributors, for supporting “The Family Minute” on WEZN-FM, Star 99.9.
Kim Grehn at Connecticut Public Broadcasting has been an advocate, mentor, and generally wonderful human being. There are SO many cool, smart and inspiring people working in public radio these days - they get me hot.
More recently, I have received great deal of guidance from my friend Ann Nyberg, who is responsible for the creation of a small media think tank devoted to supporting the creative community. I get to hang out with really smart people like Helen Bennett Harvey, Ryan Duques. Suzi Craig, Olwen Logan, Noah Finz, Kendra Farn, Mark Joyella, Christina DeFranco … and the list goes on an on.
I must also thank Herb Emanuelson, who introduced me to Larri Cochran at Adams and Knight. Larri introduced me to Twitter.
People like Gary Vaynerchuk, Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Chris Brogan, Fred Wilson, Kevin Colleran, Steve Squinto, Tom Clifford, Long Ellis, Ed Katz, Jim Kohn, Ben Berkowitz, David Salinas, Richard Schultz, and, again, a cast that’s too long to list, have provided me with valuable insights into what the “Web 2010” is going to look like.
And finally, I’ve been working with a very talented team in the re-design of this site. Many thanks to Brent Robertson at Fathom for his logo and imaging work (he really gets *it*), and to Thomas Reggi, who created a customized tumblr site for me from the ground up.
Wait a minute, maybe I’ve learned something!
A few short years ago, I didn’t know .html from .php. Now I’m @BruceBarber. I have accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Disqus, Seeesmic, Blip.fm, Flickr and FriendFeed, to name just a few. I can comment, blog, podcast and vlog with the best of ‘em.
Not bad for a 52 year old…
So, What’s Next?
I have a vision - that brands can (and will!) form relationships and build trust with their customers by supporting independent content creators. I say this with great hope because I happen to BE an independent content creator.
Jerry Del Colliano outlined this scenario in a recent blog post.
I’ll be sharing my thoughts on all of this in the coming weeks and months, and I invite you to join the conversation in the “Comments” section.
Trust me - I’m going to need all the help I can get…
