There is a lot of buzz these days about social media. Everyone's trying to figure it out. There are some who understand it, and some who might be missing the mark. The "web" is quickly, and deservedly, becoming a science unto itself. The web is still perceived by the majrity as a platform. A medium. An "it". When, as I observe it to be, the web is much more, it's "where," "when," "how," and "why." And most importantly "who." My friend Stowe Boyd refers to practitioners of social media as "the people formerly known as the audience" - a term I am quite fond of. In general, this is a concept that the world of marketing communications has yet to catch on to.

I attended the Digital Media Summit in Hollywood yesterday.

Here's the pitch from the event web site:
"Hollywood and content producers are faced with a Hobson's Choice: Make your content available to all for free online - and potentially see your core business cannibalized. Or hold onto copyrighted content tightly...and watch as an amoral generation of youngsters steals it."

Is it really that dire? I saw an awful lot of head-scratching going on. No one seems to know quite what to do about this whole "social media thing." Charlene Li gave a great presentation on social media and groundswell, a primer I think many in the room desperately needed. Thanks Charlene!

Waiting for a Hit

I started my career 12 years ago as a programmer. I then transitioned into design, animation and interactive presentations, followed by a bit of video editing, then creative director. For the past seven years I have run an interactive marketing firm. I feel like my professional history, combined with my lingering passion for each page in that history, gives me a unique perspective.