After more than 12 years of socializing on the web I have come to a simple conclusion:\u00a0 it\u2019s not about technology or being able to manipulate tools \u201cbetter\u201d than anyone else, rather \u2013 it\u2019s about ideas.\u00a0 The technical aspects are totally democratized, and becoming simpler to implement every day.\u00a0 Internet marketing isn\u2019t directly about technology, rather it\u2019s about ideas that set it on fire.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about ideas that spread, ideas that are sticky, ideas that connect us in meaningful ways \u2013 with each other, with businesses, with causes.\u00a0 Whether that idea is simple or complex technically is not relevant, and in fact some of the most successful examples are ridiculously simple.\u00a0 With that said \u2013 even to be able to come up with simple ideas you have to be fluent in how society connects and communicates and have a comprehension of all the tools available today and tomorrow.<\/p>\n
The best communicators stay at the edge of technology and embrace change Any\u00a0digital divide\u00a0that exists\u00a0today<\/em>\u00a0will eventually bridge as everyone catches up and enters the same playing field.\u00a0 The thing is, by that time a new divide will emerge.\u00a0 What I\u2019m getting at is that no marketer can thrive long-term without staying at the edge, as fluency in tools is imperative to be able to think in terms of strategy and come up with good ideas.\u00a0 And,\u00a0<\/strong>that\u2019s the basic requirement of each and every communications professional.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t want to stay at the edge, communications is not for you.\u00a0 There\u2019s no chance of being able to think at a high level if you\u2019re always playing catch-up.<\/p>\n Where we\u2019re at today<\/strong><\/p>\n We spend so much time talking about tools, trends and tactics \u2013 but the reality is everyone can learn these things independently as many in the industry take the time to share their knowledge publicly.\u00a0 What this means is that the real value has always been and will continue to be strong ideas.\u00a0 Think about the fact that:<\/p>\n I\u2019m not downplaying the fact that you need to be fluent in manipulating web communications tools, (or that the tools aren\u2019t amazing, because they are) you absolutely do \u2013 but the real value here is not just understanding, it is creative application.\u00a0 Ideas will emerge as the truly valuable asset, as execution itself gets simpler and knowledge becomes widespread.\u00a0 This is a good thing, as more understanding means less time spent explaining\/educating and more time working at a high level.\u00a0 Also, the value of what we do will just continue to go up as more are educated.<\/p>\n The web shifts at light speed, new divides will inevitably emerge TechCrunch along with the early adopter crowd have been pontificating about the future of real-time for quite some time, and Erick Schonfeld captures the shift nicely in the first graph of\u00a0Jump Into The Stream:<\/p>\n Once again, the Internet is shifting before our eyes. Information is increasingly being distributed and presented in real-time streams instead of dedicated Web pages. The shift is palpable, even if it is only in its early stages. Web companies large and small are embracing this stream. It is not just Twitter. It is\u00a0Facebook and Friendfeed\u00a0and AOL and Digg and Tweetdeck and Seesmic Desktop and Techmeme and Tweetmeme and Ustream and Qik and Kyte and blogs and Google Reader. The stream is winding its way throughout the Web and organizing it by\u00a0nowness<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n My point with quoting TC here is that the way society and businesses use the web is always on the move.\u00a0 Interestingly enough, what\u2019s new may in many cases add value to what came before it, as exemplified by the fact that Twitter just\u00a0makes blogs more powerful, and many\u00a0successful blogs spawn message boards\u00a0(what is new does not necessarily invalidate what came before it). You have to get ahead of the curve to be effective here, come up with successful ideas and know what to apply when and where.\u00a0 The best way to get there requires more than reading about others doing it, rather you will learn the most by\u00a0experimenting\u00a0as part of your natural process and embracing change as it happens, not fighting or fearing it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After more than 12 years of socializing on the web I have come to a simple conclusion:\u00a0 it\u2019s not about … <\/p>\n
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