It’s been three weeks but the next episode of The GennY Podcast is finally here! Full disclosure: This was actually our first recording, but we felt that the episode we released first was better suited to be our first, introductory podcast. Coincidentally, some topics actually touch on what was said at Social Media Breakfast | Singapore 6, but in slightly more detail.
Once again, this episode was brought to you by the same people behind episode 1 (Krisandro, myself, Dorothy, Yin and Yinqi), but we hope to shake that up for subsequent episodes.
GennY Episode 2 Team
The show notes:
00:00 – Daryl starts us off – introductions all round
00:55 – Yin starts us off on the topic: How can we get traditional companies to start slowly on the social media path?
01:35 – Social media allows you to know what your consumer wants, what trends they’re picking up, and hence customise your communications/marketing
03:02 – Why don’t companies go where their audience is?
05:42 – Is there a perceived credibility problem with social media?
06:48 – How well received would brands be on Plurk?
07:50 – Maybe if they talked about things other than just selling, they might be better received.
08:31 – No messages from unknown faces please!
11:46 – Should employees reach out from their own identity, or create one aligned with a company?
13:02 – “Dear All” = Fail
15:03 – How about Facebook Groups?
15:39 – Facebook Groups more as personality “labels” rather than a communication channel
16:40 – Maybe Facebook Groups would work if the creators made an effort to communicate to the group
16:47 – But this can be overdone too
18:20 – Is this an intrinsic problem because Facebook Groups have no RSS?
Wow I have to say even after doing this for a year (well technically eight months because I was away for a bit), today’s Social Media Breakfast | Singapore was really challenging.
A lot of it had to do with physical constraints. The space was a little odd, the sound wasn’t as good as we’d like, but the truth is, we signed off on that. I signed off on that. I knew that venue being long might have been an issue, but thought the main venue of having it in Tangs would be a nice trade off. Well, and I guess we weren’t expecting that many people (I think we hit 100 this time).
In all honesty, I see or hear the negative feedback, and sometimes it’s tough to take. Not because it’s untrue, but because I’m the type of person who wants things to succeed. But I think at the end of the day, it’s a learning process for all of us. We all have day jobs (or school), we don’t have a lot of money, but we make the best out of things. And I think it’s always encouraging for me to see familiar (and unfamiliar) faces make the effort to come down even for a little while, and tell us they appreciate the effort.
I’ve been watching the development of the social media scene in Singapore for awhile now, and I am more convinced than ever that the direction we’re taking is the right one. It’s about community. And relationships. And partnerships. And a community who will tell you what sucked because they want things to be better.
And we will be. Because we’re not motivated by money, or “fame” or what have you. We do it for passion. A lot of problems can be solved by charging, and getting money. Or making the event invitation only. But knowledge is never meant to be horded, but shared with as many people as possible, taking both the good and the bad of that decision.
I want to particularly thank the people who donated money to us. You know I opened the donation “box” at the end of the night, and I saw $3 in coins in there. I don’t know if it was from one person or a few. But the point is, even in recessionary times like this, you felt that what we’re doing is important or valuable enough to drop your change in and keep us going. So thank you.
Lots of data from the registration form that I’m going to look at soon. If you have the time, fill up the feedback form! It’ll help us greatly.
Finally, if you do have feedback about the event (not related to the venue and sound because we know that already), please comment here, or if you feel it needs to be private, drop me a mail directly at uniquefrequency [AT} gmail *dot* com.
I was previously blown away by HBO’s level of personalisation with their outreach attempts, which was really the catalyst for me to meet Karen, Angela and Yin Qi for lunch awhile ago.
What They’ve Done
The first time I met anyone from HBO, was at Social Media Breakfast | Singapore 3 way back in August of 2008. Yin Qi was there and the first casual connection was made. Stemming from that, there was an event for one of HBO’s shows, “Flight of the Conchords“, and ended with a regional contest which was well-talked about.
The Inspiration
When I asked them about who/what prompted the dabble in social media, surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be an “Eureka!” moment, but rather something that grew organically. Ultimately, it all came down to fit: “Flight of the Conchords” is very heavily viewed via online channels like YouTube, they resonate with the younger audience who is online, and the very nature of the show made it the perfect talking point.
Obstacles
From our discussion, the difficulty faced wasn’t so much organising something in Singapore, but organising something regional. This is something agencies should definitely take note of in Asia, because differences between countries within the region can be pretty big, and at the minimum, a basic understanding of that would be added value.
Metrics
As their first foray into social media, it was as much an experiment as anything else, so hard metrics were not particularly the focus. However, they were sufficiently satisfied with the online discussions and conversations to be convinced it was a worthwhile avenue for future efforts. Even though no hard metrics are available, just looking at the YouTube videos produced on the “Flight of the Conchords” blog from all over the region, the comments and the links, it looks like it certainly did not go unnoticed by the blogosphere.
What’s Coming Next
I got the benefit of discovering that a second blogger outreach event will be happening this year, this time for a different show, “True Blood“. Given that I missed the “Flight of the Conchords” event as I wasn’t in Singapore, I’m looking forward to this
What do you think are they key points from HBO Asia’s social media journey? Is it an issue that agencies don’t have regional capabilities as yet? What do you think HBO Asia could do better? Comment away!
Do you know of a company that should be featured on this column? Would your company like to be featured on this column? Comment below or send me an email at uniquefrequency [AT] gmail (dot) com.
Earlier this year, I got an email from Yin Qi from HBO Asia, who I met at a Social Media Breakfast, asking me if I was back from exchange and that HBO had a little something to send me for the new year. I replied yes and provided them with my address.
HBO Handwritten Note
When the package came, I was pleasantly surprised to find not one, but two True Blood calendars, as well as a handwritten note from Yin Qi. I mean anyone can send calendars, and a printed note would have been fine, but a small difference like a handwritten note, really helps such efforts at building a relationship stand out.
That aside, I think the strategic elements of this outreach effort are pretty strong.
1) By giving me two calendars, HBO Asia has made it easy for me to give one (or both) away, thus getting the word out more effectively. Word of mouth doubles (at the very least), not counting if I put it in a public place like the Campus Radio studio.
2) The calendars also come with stickers (which the note drew my attention to), which allows for tertiary students like me who have laptops open all the time, to conveniently take one and stick them on the front, as many people do in school. The stickers aren’t explicitly “HBO Asia” or “True Blood”, but quirky ones like “Bloody Free” and “Juicy Date” which just encourages people to ask a question about them.
HBO True Blood Stickers
Excellent effort from HBO Asia, and I’m looking forward to see and hear much more from them in 2009!
Almost two weeks since my last blog post, that’s the longest I’ve gone without blogging this whole year. What happened is my laptop is down and while I have posts that I drafted on the flight home, I hadn’t had time to upload them into the cloud yet, and hence they’re on hold indefinitely until my laptop is back. On the bright side, there’s always new content to be published!
2008 was really an amazing year for me. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this year has been the most life-changing by far. Discovering social media properly and becoming a serious blogger has given me as much, if not more, education that my university life has thus far.
Social Media Breakfast | Singapore has been and continues to be a revelation of sorts. It’s still very much in its infancy stage but I have no doubt it is going to grow (maybe at a slower rate) in 2009.
My experience in Canada was similarly eye-opening. It was nice to be away from home for a few months and really live “alone”. I think I learned a lot about independence there.
2009 is going to be an even more interesting year for me. Graduation is looming and joining the workforce is going to happen one way or the other. I have a pretty clear idea of what I might wanna do, but it’s still a little early to say.
As for where this blog is heading in 2009, that’s coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Our fifth (and last) Social Media Breakfast | Singapore for the year, will be held this Saturday at the Samsung Store at Vivocity and you can find out the full details on the SMB|SG blog.
There’s no fixed agenda this time around, but it will simply be a great time for everyone to meet up and relax as the year winds down. If you’ve been supporting us so far, I really hope you can come down and have brunch with us for the last time in 2008 (and get excited for 2009!)
The speaker list for Podcamp Singapore is finally out so I can plug them in full!
Podcamp Singapore is happening this weekend on the 1st of November 2008 at SMU. And the speakers so far are:
- Melvin Yuan, Director of Digital Strategies Group, Asia, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. (Also aka my ex-boss)
-Walter Lim, Acting Director, Corporate Communications & Industry Promotion Division of National Heritage Board. (Also aka great partner with Social Media Breakfast | Singapore)
- Allison Lim & Charlie Pownall from Burson Marsteller
If you’ve been involved in the social media scene, why don’t you consider speaking at a session as well? There are so many of you who have been involved with Social Media Breakfast | Singapore, I’m hoping you guys can volunteer to share your views too! I wish I could attend Podcamp Singapore. It would be a great opportunity to test drive a few presentation ideas I’ve been thinking of..
To register, head on to the Podcamp Singapore Wiki, you can also follow their progress on their blog, or follow them on Twitter. I didn’t get a reply what the hashtag is for the event, someone attending please let me know so I can follow the action from over here!
Should bloggers be rewarded? Payment isn’t the only way… free schwag? Review units to keep? What do you consider ethical and what do you not?
Do famous bloggers deserve star treatment, and star rewards? People argue that objectivity is lost with payment, but should companies leave the option open for bloggers who wish to go down that path?
If you pay a blogger to do an advertorial blog post, does anyone read advertorials anymore? Do they think its a waste of time, a sign of selling out and a turn off?
I’m going to speak generally and say that most people who took part in the conversation are concerned about objectivity being an issue when money comes into play, and rightfully so. Cullen puts it very well:
For me, I think the bottom line is when money starts to trump honesty then the money’s influence is unacceptable.
My personal point of view is that compensating bloggers is fine. I don’t necessarily like the idea of money changing hands, but I think freebies or trial copies with the option to purchase at a discounted price are okay. After all, bloggers are spending their precious time and effort (not to mention valuable blog real estate) to talk about you. There is opportunity cost involved!
I also feel the problem is the “expectation” that reviews should be good. No one has come out straight to say it, but inherently, if you get a review, it shouldn’t be saying bad things. That’s why ad-pull became an issue with magazines. Company X would pay for a couple of pages of ads, but the writers of the magazine might criticise them over something in another section of the magazine, and next month Company X takes their advertising elsewhere.
I think this has a mindset that has to be fixed, especially when it comes to bloggers. When you get involved with them (regardless of whether anything changes hands), it is a partnership. One where you (the company) takes the good and the bad. And if partnering with a blogger means getting feedback on what’s not fantastic with your product, it’s an opportunity to improve it, rather than an excuse to switch to another blogger who only says good things about you.
The discussion is far from over, there’s much more that can be said about compensating bloggers, it might be a great time for you to head over to the forum and chime in!
In the meantime, thanks Farinelli, Daniel, Brian, Hillary, Cullen, Claudia, Relax and Nicholas for really bringing some momentum to the topic! Looking forward to much more.
In re-reading my earlier post, and certainly from some of the comments, I realise some parts of it may be sending the wrong message, so I’ll use this post to clarify some points.
1) Agendas are fine
I don’t have anything against practitioners coming with a set goal in mind. In fact, if you’re waking up at an unearthly hour to attend SMB on a Saturday morning without an agenda, you’re better off staying at home and sleeping two more hours. Go to network, to “seed” your ideas, ask people what they think about your brand, meet other people in the field and find out their obstacles, figure out which blogger you want to invite to your next event, whatever.
Hedirman asked me what I would do if I were on the other side of the fence, a company figuring out what to do and attending SMB. My response:
If I were a company trying to get my way into the scene, I think there’s no other way than to just jump head in. Definitely research. I wouldn’t just come to SMB and “observe”. I’d want to know who’s going, what they blog about, who’s relevant to my vertical, who should be a top priority to introduce myself to, so on so forth. Then I’d want to go back to the office and tell my boss “I’ve met x number of bloggers, their audiences read them because of y, I think we should do something.” I mean otherwise, I think Saturday mornings can be better spent sleeping in!
2) Sleazy corporate agendas are not
Note earlier I said “ask people what they think about your brand”, not “tell people about your brand”. There’s a difference, and most of the people who are reasonably familiar with the space will be able to tell the difference. If you want to give a spiel, save it for the proper circumstance. If you’re a new startup and someone asks you to tell them more, that’s a different story.
3) Don’t come thinking 2.5hrs at an event makes you part of the community.
This really irks me. If you really want to be involved, be involved. Meeting 20 people in the span of an afternoon and getting their namecards or a Facebook Group address, doesn’t mean you’re entitled to spam people. It’s about making connections and relationships of quality, not quantity.
4) Don’t come thinking a $500 food sponsorship is your “buy in” into the community
I’m not going to dwell on this, but I know how this works. A $500 sponsorship sounds excellent to get yourself the names, email addresses, blog addresses, twitter and plurk accounts of some of the top influencers in Singapore. Sorry, no. You want to build a houselist, go be a gold/platinum/whatever sponsor at one of the trade shows and spam everyone there.
5) How long are you going to let “new” be an excuse?
As Dorothy puts it, how long are you going to be a “curious spectator”? It’s true, you can’t jump in and be familiar with everything at once, but it doesn’t take years and it isn’t rocket science. Jump in and get your feet wet, or get out of the pool.
6) SMB shouldn’t be your only outlet
And this was the point I was principally attempting to drive across. I would like to see more corporate-led initiatives for sharing/collaboration. Something along the lines of Verge or Web Wednesdays or Third Tuesdays.
When you think about it, SMB was started by a student, a model/actress and someone who wasn’t even in the army or legal to drink at the time. Not by the people supposedly “working” in the space.
What I’m saying here is I find it a little bit strange, bordering on outrageous, that the corporates/agencies who are supposedly “in the space” are relying on an initiative driven principally by people not in the workforce to get together. Even Podcamp Singapore is driven primarily by the academic field.
It’s like if we were scientists, we’d be waiting for kids playing with “my first physics set” to organise something and go for that.
What happens if we sit up in 2009 and decide we’re too busy to continue with SMB? Or it evolves into a “bloggers only” event? Social media in Singapore crawls back to the dark ages?
Put another way, I look at the people I consider my “mentors”, though perhaps not from direct influence, the Mitch Joels, the CC Chapmans, the Joseph Jaffes, the Christopher Penns, the Brian Solises, the Andy Sernovitzes, and wonder why there are no such people in Singapore. They’re practitioners, we have practitioners. They’re out there building up the space, we’re….. not.
As I’ve been reading the blog posts (and more importantly, comments) about Social Media Breakfast, I’ve come away with two thoughts:
1) We Aren’t Perfect – And That’s A Good Thing
I appreciate feedback from Su Min, Coleman, Brian and everyone else who contributed to let us know the panel wasn’t as balanced as it could have been, that we should’ve added a blogger on it, that we needed more audience interaction, to be conscious of the level of involvement of corporate entities.
It’s great because it prevents us from resting on our laurels. Not that we would, but arguable each SMB has been an improvement on the last, and it would be easy to say “We improved!”, but it’s comments and feedback like this that reminds us that improved we may have, but there’s always room for more.
We always learn from the events, and with your help, improve. From SMB2 we learned we needed structure, from SMB3 we learned structure doesn’t come naturally, so we need to “artificially” introduce it via a panel, now we learn a panel is not the be all and end all, but the execution needs to be worked on. I remember one of the “P”s from Dorothy’s live blogging: perpetual beta. That’s exactly what SMB is and it’s your feedback that helps us improve that beta product.
As we’ve said time and time again, it’s everyone’s not ours.
2) Where Are The Agencies/Companies Taking The Lead?
This is a very cynical view, and you can feel free to disagree with me, but where are these agencies and companies? I may be putting my future career on the line by calling them out, but I think it needs to be said.
Ben Koe has a list of case studies of social media marketing examples in Singapore, and I see some action going on, but nowhere in the proportion to the talk I hear about social media and Web2.0.
I’ve said this before in an audio podcast for For Immediate Release, as reported by Michael Netzley: It’s as if everyone is sitting back and waiting for someone else to jump in first, show results, and then everyone is going to be like a lemming and follow.
There are more than enough corporates attending SMB to plead ignorance anymore. By some attendees accounts, there are too many corporates attending, that it’s affecting the social. There have been suggestions of breaking SMB up to a “corporate” track and “social” track.
You know what? Not going to happen. The agencies and companies out there have hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions in budget, hardware, software, resources, connections, tools, networks, people and skills, to get a similar “corporate” version of this going around. If you don’t want to because you’re afraid that by sharing you’re losing your competitive edge or actually benefiting your competitor, then that’s the landscape we will have to deal with.
And no one benefits with that kind of landscape.
i also commented on Pat Law’s blog that the idea of sharing our “fishbowl” ie attendee list with marketers who would be interested, is not something we would do. The traditional way to get such a houselist is to go sponsor something like a huge IDC event or pay for money at an Ad:Tech booth and get it from there. Maybe some companies are looking at SMB with a lightbulb going off thinking “Hey these are the alpha consumers, the innovators and early adopters, maybe we can cheaply leverage that somehow”.
So that’s my frustration. If attending SMB is your company’s cheap way of doing some “research” into the shiny new object that is social media without actually getting your feet wet, I’m afraid to say you’re not going to get very good results. Sometimes we get someone approaching us with a “partnership” deal, it usually stinks of “let me leverage your network so I can shove my brand in people’s faces”. Sorry, no.
In short, I look at the current social media scene here and it’s driven by organisations like E27, TDM and us. Us being six people, half of which are still in school. Look at the podcamps worldwide and the SMBs worldwide, they’re organised by people who work in agencies, blog, podcast and live the social media life.
Is that the best Singapore and all the “top agencies” can offer? I really want to hear from you, bloggers, entrepreneurs, agency, corporate people alike. Is this a fair critique of what’s going on? Or are there things I’m not seeing? Love to hear it.
The speaker list for Podcamp Singapore is finally out so I can plug them in full!
