Social Media | Backstage Communications

I am currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Organizational and Strategic Communication through Queens University’s Knight School of Communication (long name, isn’t it?).

To complement my course in Strategic Communication: Analysis and Theory, I recently purchased Brian Solis’ newest book, The End of Business as Usual. I have yet to read his other works in their entirety, including Engage, which is still on my list.

What I like about Solis is that he continually returns to research – it’s not about his own observations as much as it’s about his continual questioning and probing. Makes sense, because he is employed with research-based advisory firm Altimeter Group. Continue reading →

Angry, Frustrated Woman — My initial response. Photo by Corbis.

It happened again. I overheard a seasoned communications professional say, “she’s young, so she gets all that social media stuff.” Seriously? I feel like a broken record – just because we have new communications tools (digital media, new media, social media…) doesn’t mean that basic communications strategy has changed. And it’s about much more than Facebook – what about the fact that there are more than 5 billion people using mobile phones across the globe?

Do you have to be young to embrace new tools? I certainly hope not. (Reminds me of this controversial comment from a Charlotte marketing panel a few months back – really made me feel better to review these comments again!)

I allowed myself 5 minutes of frustration. I boiled in it. But then I realized something – those of us who are “young,” (whether that’s your actual age or your state of mind) and who try to embrace new communication tools actually have the upper hand. So what if only 1 in every 5 new media platforms will eventually become essential to your business? Don’t you want to be the one who “gets” it when it does?

I do.