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An Excerpt from Trust Agents

We're very pleased to feature this excerpt from Chris Brogan's and Julien Smith's new book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

According to the book's introduction, the authors promise to "answer to the question, ‘‘What do I do now?’’ It is full of actionable information, supported by research and strategies, studies, and an explanation of the thought process behind what we do on the Web. We love all the great ‘‘idea’’ books out there, and we do have lots of ideas packed in here as starting points. In addition to these, we give you actionable tasks you can execute." We hope you enjoy this excerpt.

The Trust Agent : Art, Business, the Web, and Humans

Business, it feels, is becoming an art. Financial collapses across several industries hit the U.S. economy in 2008, and the entire world rolled into 2009 with even more troubles. Many organizations are still scrambling to keep afloat. On top of this, print journalism in the Western world is collapsing because advertising isn’t supporting it anymore. Television and radio aren’t exactly reporting record-making quarters, either. Companies need to evolve.

This is an amazing and unique time. Attention is scarce. The established leaders in many business segments have toppled or are on the ropes. The Internet has leveled the distribution playing field for media, merchandise, communication, location, and many other areas. It’s at once scary and ideal, ideal because this is where trust agents excel.

The Web and new media give you the opportunity to reveal the human side of your business. Consumers can carry on conversations with brands like the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Whole Foods, Home Depot, or even Hardees foods via the web and its social networks. Not in the last 50 years or more has the balance of business interaction and communication been so in favor of smaller, more personal interactions than it is right now. Yes, some larger corporations continue to grind on and pay no attention to the little people, but that’s not the norm.

Where will this all take us? We’ve shared with you six lessons to help you navigate this space. Do you need to be a trust agent to do business in the modern world? Of course not. Many people will do their jobs without thinking about any of this. Most of those jobs exist inside cubicles, with little in the way of entrepreneurial thought required and with a strong sense that someone else is steering the ship.

We think you’re different. Maybe you’ve got the notion that you are capable of doing things better, that you have it in you to master these new radios. You may want to discover what others are doing to build trust and earn attention so you can apply it to your career.

As we wrap up the book with this final chapter, we want to discuss some stuff one last time and from some slightly different perspectives. The thing is, you can’t for a moment think what you’ve read in the previous chapters is static information. This is a book, after all. By the time you’re holding this in your hands, there already have been significant changes on the web, and that’s if you bought this book the first week it came out (and if you did, thank you very much, and we owe you a cookie).

So, once more, we bring you our thoughts on the trust agent.

To read more, buy the book.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Social Media Provide Untapped Opportunity to Engage High Dollar Non-profit Donors, According to Community Philanthropy 2.0 Research Study

The social web offers a welcome place for individual philanthropic activity. New research funded by the Columbus Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation demonstrates that High dollar donors -- especially 30-49 year-olds -- use the social web, but have yet to be engaged by strong, trustworthy philanthropic organizations. This was among the key findings of the new research study, “Community Philanthropy 2.0,” conducted by Beth Kanter, Society for New Communications Research Fellow Geoff Livingston, and Qui Diaz of CRT/tanaka.

The Community Philanthropy 2.0 research study examined the use of social media by non-profits and causes, as well as existing donors and Internet “savvy” users' traditional and social media usage patterns. The research was designed to determine if and how social media can be used to engage and cultivate high dollar donors. Objectives of the research included:

• To determine if high dollar donors use social media
• To see if those currently using social media could become potential high dollar donors
• To examine if cultivation of high dollar donations is possible online
• To determine what kinds of social media would serve this user base

Key Findings

* The online world of charitable activity is highly social, but also fragmented. No dominant voice for charitable giving exists online, indicating the social web is still in an early phase of philanthropic activity.
* Online conversations rarely evolve into meaningful discussions about how nonprofits are achieving their missions and impacting society. Donors don’t advise other donors, and generally, philanthropic experts from foundations do not participate in these discussions.
* There is a need for a trusted source, and a lack of authoritative philanthropic conversations.
* The 30-49 age group represents the best fit to cultivate major donors using social media strategies,
* More than 50 percent of 30 – 49-year-old survey respondents are interested in the following topics:
• “Whether or not a nonprofit is successfully making an impact” (75%)
• “Learning about organizations that are actively working on issues and causes I care about” (62%)
• “Success stories and updates on the progress of nonprofits I support” (54%)
• “Information/updates on the issues and causes I care about” (54%)
• “Financial accountability and governance of nonprofits I support” (51%)
* 80 percent of the Internet-savvy respondents aged 30-49 reported that they would participate in social media with nonprofits if the information was highly credible and of strong quality, and 77 percent said they would participate if it came from a trusted source.
* Online community-oriented social media is a preferred tool over most other forms of online conversation.

"The social web represents a tremendous opportunity for community foundations to shape local giving. High dollar donors use the social web, but have yet to be engaged by strong, trustworthy philanthropic organizations. Foundations and nonprofits in general simply need to determine the best means of participation," conclude the researchers.

The full executive summary of the study is available for download.

In addition, SNCR Fellow Geoff Livingston will publish a paper based on the findings in the upcoming issue of the Society for New Communications Research’s Journal of New Communications Research and will present the findings at the Society for New Communications Research’s Annual Research Symposium, which will take place November 5-6 at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambr.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Technorati Launches Twittorati

Technorati just announced the launch of Twittorati. According to Technorati, "Twittorati is where the blogosphere meets the Twittersphere: what top bloggers are tweeting about, and how these trends compare to blogosphere trends. You’ll be able to filter tweets by topic, see the most tweeted blog posts, and compare leading blogosphere and Twitter trends." Twittorati is featuring the Technorati Top 100 Bloggers at launch, but will expand to include the many more authors in the active blogosphere. You can find the Twitter content most relevant to you, compare the day’s top blog and hash tags to see the hottest topics in both spheres, as well as see the most popular links that are being tweeted and which blogs are linking to them. Writer pages display each tweeter’s blogs and Twitter information and Technorati Authority.

Popularity: 64% [?]

Society for New Communications Research Launches New Study to Explore How Social Media Affects Business Decision Making

The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) today announced the launch of a new research study to explore how business leaders use online communities and peer networks to support their decisions. SNCR Fellows Vanessa DiMauro, CEO, Leader Networks and Don Bulmer, vice president, SAP, are conducting this study. This study will examine the role of social media has on decision-making among enterprise users.

Specifically this study will explore the following questions:

• Is social media typically regarded as a trustworthy source of information for professionals?
• Are social media tools effective sources of information, advice and peer collaboration and how do they compare to traditional off-line networking and knowledge share?

An online survey is available at: http://www.newsymbiosis.com

“A great deal of attention and research has been devoted to evangelizing social media as a new
form of customer-centric relationship building,” stated Bulmer. “However, what is often overlooked is the impact of social media to change behaviors, and the potential to leverage social media to impact professionals’ decision-making processes. While everyone is endeavoring to capture the mindshare of the buyer, few understand what success truly looks like.”

“This study is designed to get inside the heads of decision makers as to how social media tools like online communities are changing the way they make their decisions,” added DiMauro.

Popularity: 68% [?]

Society for New Communications Research and Middleberg Communications Announce Second Annual Middleberg/SNCR Global Survey of Media in the Wired World

The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) and Middleberg Communications today announced the launch of the Second Annual Middleberg/SNCR Global Survey of Media in the Wired World to examine the effects of new media and communications developments on journalists and journalism. The research team will examine the effects of new media and communications developments, social media, and citizen journalism on journalists and the journalism profession. The survey seeks to:

• Determine how and why journalists use new media and communications tools and technologies
• Determine the frequency of use of and preferences for new media and communications tools and technologies
• Assess the perceived impact of new media and communications tools on the way journalists work
• Assess the attitudes of journalists toward the impact and value of these new tools and trends on journalism

Similar to last year’s initial re-embodiment of the Middleberg-Ross Survey, the current study will include an updated online survey and case studies based on interviews with journalists.

All journalists are invited to participate in this research study. An online survey is available at http://www.sncr-middleberg-2009survey.com.questionpro.com/

Journalists who complete the survey will be entered to win an iPod Touch, and will receive a complimentary copy of the executive summary of the survey results, which, this year, will focus on social media, including journalists’ use of and views on the credibility of content found on Twitter, blogs, and Facebook. Participants will also receive a special discount to attend the 2009 Society for New Communications Research Symposium, which will be held on November 5-6, 2009 at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambridge, Mass., where the initial findings will be shared. The final results will be highlighted in the Society’s Journal of New Communications Research and published in a full report.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Nonprofit Organizations Lead the Way in Social Media Adoption According to Society for New Communications Research Chair Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes and Eric Mattson of Financial Insite

The nation’s largest nonprofit organizations have outpaced corporations and academic institutions in their adoption of social media, for the second year in a row, according to a new research study, “Still Setting the Pace in Social Media: The First Longitudinal Study of Usage by the Largest US Charities.” The study was conducted by Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Research Chair of the Society for New Communications Research and Chancellor Professor of Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Eric Mattson, CEO of Financial Insite Inc., a Seattle-based research firm.

This landmark study compares organizational adoption of social media in 2007 and 2008 by the 200 largest charities in the United States as compiled annually by Forbes magazine. The study provides the first longitudinal look at social media adoption among the nonprofit sector, and demonstrates that social media has become an extremely important component of the communications strategy for US charities.

While Barnes’ and Mattson’s prior research has confirmed that the Fortune 500, the Inc. 500, US colleges and universities and charities have all increased their adoption of blogging between 2007 and 2008, charities are “out-blogging” them all for the second year in a row. Their latest research shows the Fortune 500 with the least amount of corporate blogs (16%), the Inc. 500 with 39%, colleges and universities blogging at 41%, and charities now reporting 57% with blogs.

Other key findings in this study include:

• In 2007, 75 percent of the respondents reported using at least one form of social media. One year later, 89 percent of these organizations are using at least one form of social media. Usage increased for every tool studied.
• Social networking and video blogging are now the most common tools used, with 79% of charities using each of them. Use of online video increased by 38 percent; social networking increased by 47 percent in the one-year period studied.
• In addition, the charities reported that they have begun to use Twitter.
• When asked if they felt their blogs were successful, approximately 90% of charities with blogs said yes. This finding is consistent with studies in business and academia that have consistently shown those using social media are satisfied and feel it provides positive results.
• Sixty-six percent of respondents in 2007 and 75% in 2008 report they monitor the Internet for buzz, posts, conversations and news about their institution. This compares with 54 percent of colleges and universities and 60 percent of the Inc. 500.
• More than 80 percent of those studied feel that social media is at least “somewhat important” to their future strategy; 45 percent responded that social media is very important to their fundraising strategy.

“These organizations are demonstrating an acute, and still growing, awareness of the importance of Web 2.0 strategies in meeting their objectives,” said Barnes. “They have found a new and exciting way to win the hearts – and maybe even the dollars – of potential donors. For volunteers and donors looking to have a conversation online about particular aspects of the charity’s mission, this increased interaction can be significant. These nonprofits are clearly learning to use social media more effectively.”

A full copy of the new research report can be downloaded here:
http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch/socialmediacharity.cfm

In addition, Dr. Barnes will publish a paper based on the findings in the upcoming issue of the Society for New Communications Research’s Journal of New Communications Research and will present the findings via a web-based briefing and at the Society for New Communications Research’s annual research symposium.

Popularity: 65% [?]

Society for New Communications Research Fellow Danny O. Snow Named to IBPA Board

Society for New Communications Research Senior Fellow and publishing futurist Danny O. Snow has been elected to the board of directors of IBPA, the largest association of independent publishers in the USA. IBPA represents more than 3,500 publishing companies coast to coast.

Snow, a Harvard graduate and founder of Unlimited Publishing LLC, is also a journalist focusing on new publishing technologies and new media. He is widely quoted by print, broadcast and online news outlets worldwide.

“This is a time of real, radical transformation in the worlds of publishing and communications,” he said. “Just as we are now seeing major newspapers moving from print to digital distribution, we will soon see long-overdue changes in the book world, making it more efficient, greener, more democratic and more equitable to readers and writers than in the past. It will be a year of serious challenges and sacrifices for many, but the outcome could literally change the history of the written word for the better.”

Snow’s term will begin in July of 2009.

Popularity: 72% [?]

Fortune 500 Corporate Blog Adoption Slow and Steady According to Society for New Communications Research Chair Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes and Eric Mattson of Financial Insite

The Fortune 500 are farther along in their adoption of public-facing corporate blogs than previous data has suggested. This was the key finding of a new research study, “The Fortune 500 and Blogging: Slow and Steady” conducted by Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Research Chair of the Society for New Communications Research and Chancellor Professor of Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Eric Mattson, CEO of Financial Insite Inc., a Seattle-based research firm.

The new report is the outcome of a statistically-sound study of public-facing blogs among the Fortune 500. The study examined the 2008 Fortune 500 list in an attempt to quantify the adoption of social media by identifying those with public-facing blogs. Barnes has conducted similar studies on the Inc. 500, US colleges and universities, and Fortune magazine’s list of the 200 largest charities. The report conclusively shows that while the Fortune 500 companies are adopting social media at a slower rate than other leading businesses, universities and charities, many more of them are blogging than has been previously reported.

Key Findings include:

• 81 of the Fortune 500 or 16% currently have public-facing blogs.
• This compares with 39 percent of the Inc. 500; 41 percent of the higher education sector and 57 percent of the nation’s Top 200 Charities.
• 28 percent of the Fortune 500’s blogs link to Twitter accounts. (Other Fortune 500 companies have Twitter accounts, but they are not linked to their blogs)
• Five of the top ten companies have public blogs: Wal-Mart, Chevron, General Motors, Ford, and Bank of America.
• 90 percent of the Fortune 500’s blogs have the comments feature enabled.
• The computer software/hardware technology industry has the most blogs, followed by the food and drug industry, financial services, Internet services, semi-conductors, retail and automotive respectively.
• Ten percent of the Fortune 500’s blogs link to podcasts; 21 percent incorporate video

“It appears that those companies that have made the decision to blog have utilized the tool well. There is frequent posting, ongoing discussion and the ability to follow the conversation easily through RSS or subscriptions,” stated Barnes. “Those F500 companies that have taken the leap into the blogosphere represent all the things that make social media great. They’re diverse in both size and industry, thereby adding a range of new perspectives to the online conversation. They’re enabling their readers to better control and participate in that conversation. And they’re exploring other ways – like videoblogging and podcasting – to communicate with their community.”

“As social media becomes more integral to the business function, we should see evidence of it in the use of blogs, podcasts, Twitter or other tools,” added Mattson. “Given that the Fortune 500 stand as a model for business success, it is interesting to examine their involvement in the social media arena.”

A full copy of the new research report can be downloaded here:
http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch/fortune500.cfm

In addition, Dr. Barnes will publish a paper based on the findings in the upcoming issue of the Society for New Communications Research’s Journal of New Communications Research and will present the findings via a web-based briefing and at the Society for New Communications Research’s annual research symposium.

Popularity: 31% [?]

"Tweaching"

A new term coined by SNCR Senior Shel Israel to describe his experiment in teaching a module on Twitter to SNCR Senior Fellow Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes "Introduction to Social Media Marketing" class at UMASS Dartmouth.

(Twitter + Teaching = Tweaching)

"No one has tried to guest instruct a class via Twitter before," commented Israel on his blog, Global Neighbourhoods. "My hope is that others watch what we do then try something like this themselves. This may be a new way to remotely talk with people who want to learn."

Popularity: 17% [?]

A Social Survey for Social Causes

SNCR Fellow Geoff Livingston, along with Qui Diaz and Beth Kanter are working on a special project, dubbed “Philanthropy 2.0.″

The goal of the Philanthropy 2.0 research project, which is being funded by the San Francisco Foundation, Columbus Foundation and Minnesota Community Foundation/Saint Paul Foundation, is to provide nonprofits with the information they need to best use new communications tools and technologies to improve the ways in which they communicate with donors and advocates through meaningful conversations and dialogue about their causes.

We invite you to participate in this important project by taking the survey now. The research team will make this information available to the nonprofit sector, and SNCR will publish the results of the survey.

Please help us to help social causes be more effective in this Web 2.0 world. Take the survey now.
Thank you for your participation!

Popularity: 30% [?]

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