I've been fiddling around with Seesmic a bit, both for video comment replies and for spreading information on behalf of my stellar client, the Knight News Challenge. Seesmic is a video micro blogging web application in pre-alpha stage being developed by the hip French entrepreneur Loic Le Meur to make video uploading easier for those using webcams. (Seesmic made its debut at the Demo tech conference where it was called the "Twitter of video." So of course I had to try it.)
However, that is not where the strength of Seesmic lies. My first few attempts at using Seesmic met with moderate success--in initiating a PR outreach-type-thing for KNC and making an announcement about our September 9th webcast. As I chatted with Cathy Brooks and Sukhjit about how to best utilize Seesmic, Sukhjit had this advice: "stay on the thread and revive it, because once it's gone, it's gone."
Much like Twitter, Seesmic is an active, living breathing conversation that is only pertinent as long as the participants are engaged and talking. No one really cares what you talked about last week--once the conversation dies, it's time to bring up another interesting, new topic. And that's when it hit me: DUH. Seesmic is social media, like every darn other tool we use. And here I was, putting out one-way messages that didn't really ask anything or give a compelling reason to engage in conversation.
Conversation.
The question to ask was: What might people unaware of the Knight News Challenge be interested in discussing? KNC is all about promoting open-source digital communication, right? And most creative people I know have some type of great innovative idea just sitting around, and most of them never bring it to the light of day. Why is that?
And gee, wouldn't that be a great topic for a conversation with passionate, engaged innovators?
One of the lessons I got from Chris Brogan's last two Twebinars was Tod Defren's advice not just to listen for your brand mentions online but to listen around your brand online. For example, if you provide a toothbrush sanitizing solution, don't just search for mentions of your product name. Search for conversations that are happening around "oral care" and "travel health" and "family health." That is where you have the opportunity to really engage in two-way conversations; that is where you'll find out what your potential customers' true concerns are. That is where you'll find out why those who aren't using your product aren't using your product. That is where you'll find out where the next big feature/benefit of your next product will be, because that is where people are talking around your product but not about it.
The Seesmic thread asking the question, "What are the obstacles/stumbling blocks to innovation?" has garned over 30 responses and is still going strong. Personally, I'm learning a lot about whether funding really is a stumbling block to innovation and why many entrepreneurs languish or never get off the ground at all. You can view the entire thread here:
To see the original video and entire conversation, click here and then "Conversation" to the left of and below the video.
Lesson learned: Keep. It. Social. Ask a question you really don't know the answer to. Ask for more information. Play Devil's Advocate. Ask for advice. Listen to your customers. Listen to those who will never be a customer. Listen. Engage. Participate. Be opinionated. Be curious.
To find out more about the Knight News Challenge, visit www.newschallenge.org. To apply before November 1, visit the Garage.