Blog Hard and Blow Hard
What’s the deal with Shel Holtz? I mean, I realize that he is some sort of messiah for a lot of social media nerds.
But do we have to listen to everything he says? Its fortunate he has a disclaimer at the end of this post about how great MyRaganTV is. Otherwise, I’d be calling total bullshit on his bearded act. I’ve called the whole MyRagan-deal out before for being pretty useless and redundant in the face of superior social networking sites (ahem, Facebook, anyone?). I’m really surprised that Shill, sorry I mean Shel Holtz, doesn’t recognize that
Oh, wait…maybe it’s because he is on their payroll! Although we can’t be too critical of him because, as mentioned above, he does make sure to disclose this fact. However, I also feel like he could be a little more objective.
In fact, I think we all need to be a little bit more objective about social media and web 2.0. While I respect enthusiasm, I’m a little weary of self-aggrandizing behavior.*
August 8th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Hey, I’m just a guy with a blog expressing my opinion. Personally, I think the jury’s still out on whether a niche social network will work — I’ve advised IABC NOT to do it. But more than 8,000 people see some value to MyRagan — enough to sign up — and there’s usually something interesting going on when I visit, which isn’t nearly as often as I visit Facebook.
But I resent the notion that I’d shill for Ragan just because they’re a client and a sponsor. As Neville (who also blogged about MyRaganTV) noted on his post, we have a contractual stipulation that allows us to speak our minds about Ragan, whether that’s positive or negative. And while I was on the payroll, I’ve dissed Ragan about anonymous blogs, dismissal of social media, inappropriate use of social media, and a variety of other things. You’d know this if you’d done a search of my blog. Clearly, it’s easier to toss insults around than do the homework and report fairly and accurately.
I guess transparency and disclosure earn you crap from some quarters.
In the meantime, I still think MyRaganTV is a good idea, and I’d think so if Ragan weren’t a client.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Shel,
Thank you for your comment, and I apologize (perhaps belatedly) for coming across a bit too strongly and personally in my post.
My actual issue is more with MyRagan and MyRaganTV than with your views in general.
I know that both sites are open to everyone, and not just professional communicators. However, I fail to see the value in creating such niche networks for communicators. In some cases, specialized sites makes sense in that they are able to add something that did not previously exist. (Although with the rise of the Facebook applications, most of this can be accomplished in one place).
In the case of MyRagan, it seems to complicate my communications. The site has added little to no value to my life.
I realize that you are a respected and revered social media thinker, and I agree with you on a few issues. However, I just can’t drum up the same enthusiasm for MyRagan and MyRaganTV. Too me, it comes across as a flooding of an already busy and crowded market. I know that often times risk is necessary in order to move ahead, but in this case I feel that everyone’s resources would be better spent investing in time on previously existing networks, and I’m not sure why you feel otherwise.
To repeat myself: I appreciate your reply to a post of mine that probably came off too strongly, and I look forward to hearing more from you.
Cheers,
Parker
August 8th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Hi, Parker.
I am on the record as being unconvinced that niche social networks like MyRagan will be effective and that groups within larger networks like Facebook may make more sense, which is why I have advised IABC not to enter that space. (Several IABC groups have formed on Facebook, and I spend more time on Facebook than I do on MyRagan or Melcrum’s Communicator’s Network). However, I’m not 100% sure of that. Ning, for example, is having considerable success with social networks dedicated to specific issues. And it’s hard to dismiss 8,000 communicators signing onto MyRagan, where activity seems to be pretty high. That’s more than half the membership of IABC or PRSA (minus student members). While it’s of little value to you, it seems to be a worthwhile investment of time to others. I’m watching and waiting to see if it is able to maintain those levels of participation.
As I said in my post, however, I think MyRaganTV is a different story. It’s hard to use keywords on YouTube to find communications-related multimedia. Knowing that ALL the content on MyRaganTV will be relevant to my interests makes it a desirable destination, at least from my point of view. The question in my mind is whether communicators will contribute content. If they do, it’ll succeed. If not, it’ll be primarily a place for Ragan to make its video available, which still isn’t completely without value.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Shel,
Alright, at least we can agree on the fact that niche social networks might not be the greatest solution. However, I find it much more easy to dismiss the number of communicators that are on MyRagan. How many of them are still active in that community? I’m sure that you’ll find that a great deal of them eagerly joined in the early days as a way of exploring and finding out what’s new. Rather than than the number of total members, I’m much more interested in the number of members who contribute content (or at the very least log-in) at least once a week.
The fact that it is difficult to find communications-related media on YouTube probably has more to do with the searching ability on the site rather than a lack of available titles. Again, I’m sure that an easier solution can be had by way of dedicated Facebook-groups. Even using the existing MyRagan community (though I shudder at the thought) would probably be a better solution than creating a new site.
At the end of the day, I still feel that we need more objectivity and criticism about social media.
-Parker
August 9th, 2007 at 4:12 am
Parker:
I have maintained the value of traditional press releases in the face of social media enthusiasts who insist that a company need to nothing more than blog their news. Trust me; I am not a gushing fan of every social media tool or resource that comes down the pike. I look at each from a strategic point of view and in the context of the overall communication environment. That is, I work hard to be objective.
As for MyRagan (or Melcrum’s Communicator’s Network or other niche networks within other professions), I think you may be dismissing the idea too quickly. Yes, Facebook is a larger and has more features. But consider this: Why should anybody join a professional association when they can simply go to a park or a sporting event where tens of thousands of people have gathered? Surely there are some communicators among them and, if they hold up a sign, can probably form some groups.
The fact is that a dedicated group can attract more people and inspire some more focused discussions. As I noted, I spend considerably more time on Facebook than MyRagan, yet I am always impressed by the level of conversation going on there. Meanwhile, most Facebook groups I’ve joined have little activity. The focus on the profession adds some value, just as joining a professional association does.
Again, I’m reserving judgement; I am not convinced that niche social networks will be effective in the long run. But I’m not yet convinced they won’t, either.
August 9th, 2007 at 4:27 am
You may find this interesting:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2017224.ece
August 9th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
[...] 9th, 2007 As part of the recent debate that Shel Holtz and I had in the comments section of an earlier post I had made, Holtz provided me with this link to an article about how users of social networks have little or no [...]
August 13th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Last June we were running a conference in association with Ragan Communications in London’s Docklands. Shel Holtz along with Mark Ragan and other Ragan regulars like Steve Crescenzo were there presenting. In the evening we had a party to help publicise membership to the IABC Chapter in London. I posted an invitation on myragan to invite people along to network. At the time we had just 100 members in the BritComm group of myragan. 70 responded and 30 actually turned up.
I don’t think an invite on Facebook would have had the same impact.
August 13th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Hey Parker,
The ideas are not bad over there as much as the execution and attitude. I’ve seen a few niche social networks work well (just not one that seems to resonate with communication-related professionals). Social niche networks rely on leadership more than platforms.
If there is a challenge with MyRagan, it’s in the presentation of their own material and the lack of content leadership (as opposed to content management). For example, today’s e-mail read:
“We hope all of you in the Northern Hemisphere enjoyed an easy breezy summer weekend. Last week, a blogger said MyRagan “won’t even make its first birthday.” Ouch. Well, we will invite that blogger to MyRagan’s first birthday party. Log on to MyRagan to see his post and read how MyRagan members are responding. (Here’s a hint: They disagree with the blogger’s assertion.)”
The teaser was nowhere to be found. So I turned to the Ragan videos. Yikes! So I checked my IABC group (no new messages since Aug. 7). But what was this e-mail really? Transparency? Leadership? Or an invitation to flame a member. Right. An embarrassment to the profession.
You’re not far off. All my best,
Rich
August 14th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
[...] you want to read through all the comments that I received, take a look at these two posts of mine (first one, second one). Some of the [...]
August 14th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Richard is correct that we should be more specific in the e-mail we send to members every Monday. It should perhaps indicate somewhere that the teasers in the e-mail–including this week’s teaser about Parker’s blog–can all be found on the MyRagan homepage, also known as the What’s Hot page.
Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Michael Sebastian
MyRagan managing editor
August 15th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Thanks for everyone’s comments and for joining in on the so-called “conversation”
-Parker
September 16th, 2007 at 12:07 am
[...] Reflecting on that and the whole brouhaha surrounding Chris’ post about Crayon and I’m reminded about a few posts I wrote a few weeks ago that were fairly critical of both Shel Holtz and MyRagan. [...]