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By way of http://www.illdoctrine.com/:

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It seems that the pundits in social media / web land are always upbeat about the latest gadget, the new social network, a new Google products, etc. Talking about serious issues thus takes a back seat given that apathetic societies don’t tend to thirst for more serious discussions on the future of our world and the internet.

The latest case is in point is a push to re-draw what is deemed “acceptable use” for congressmen and women (as discussed here) which will inevitably lead to closure on politicians being able to speak directly to their constituents via the net. Isn’t that the point of the net? To get shit done and communicate? Possibly to be entertained if you are addicted to the naughty side of life. (See: Christy Brinkley’s ex.)

Clearly I can’t fault mainstream marketing / advertising pundits fully since many use social media to make more money, more connections, and followers. Others are tied to corporations that neither allow freedom of choice or speech as it relates to what can be expressed during work and off hours. Even simply having an opinion could result in job loss.

I suppose my griping is rather useless here but I am frankly getting worried by the visceral disconnect that is the work / life balance. Middle class zombies walk our streets while men in suits rule it. While I’ve always seen the upside of being elitist and hope to some day climb my way up, I never quite understood until recently that elitism in itself is a strategic move that allows distance to be kept between average citizens and ruling classes. My work is my life and my life is my work. It is this harmony that maintains my passion for business, politics, life, and the world. The workaday world is an excuse to live for the weekends.

Frankly, the hype and craze of web 2.0 is over for me. It’s clear that gang mentality won (See: Obama) and the net will be used just as with the megaphone of yore: the loudest voices will win. So until “average folks” sit back and take in the potential power of all of our toys the mediums will remain moot. Thoughts and ideas are flushed down the tubes just like old newspapers get recycled.

I’m certainly not an advocate for activism. In fact much of it is rather loosely strung together on the web but worth mentioning is the recent FISA bill that Obama voted for. The technology used to power My.BarackObama.com was used against him by the people to fight against his controversial vote. So what’s the next step? Methinks those types of outlets won’t be as available to supporters in the future or will be heavily moderated to avoid such conflicts of political interest. Then we’re back to square one: a corporate “vote for me” pitch that is top down as politics usually goes.

The long and short of this disjointed rant is that we all know where this is going: back to square one where our internet packages will look like satellite or mobile rate plans. On deck. But by then it will be too late to maintain pipe neutrality. Sadly.

I thought it peculiar when people started using the term “the internets”–plural. Now it makes sense. But guess where 99% of the mainstream population will be? On the controlled platform. I feel for the kids of tomorrow who will never get to experience neutrality and freedom online. Likewise, I’m glad I saw it because it inspired me to control my destiny, start a company, and work my way up. People need hope to take risk and make change.

It seems that given fears about the economy and war that the message of hope is finally here but words aren’t making as much of a difference as they used to. Remember when words mattered?

Filed under: Rants, Social Media, Personal Branding, The Future, Wealth, Leadership

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And quite the change for Fixion Media. But I digress, because “change” becomes apparent only in terms of dollars and long-term loyalty. We have in essence tried to marry the needs of independent digital publishers with that of large corporations, medium-sized corporations, and independent businesses. To meet the needs of such business interests carries a lot of weight especially with respect to fairness and balance. On the whole, our updated 2008 rate card does truly reflect the need of busines A, B, and C. And business X, Y, and Z. I am clearly and constantly striving for a free marketplace–a free market system if you will. I suppose the only way to achieve such a system is to be fully engaged in a debatable system. Where I am open to comment and criticism but where Fixion Media can clearly adopt the needs of passers-by, corporations, and legitimate industry-specific interests. It’s an exciting time for the free market. As opposed to John Oliver’s Terrifying Times special. Loved it though!~

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Slightly overcast in Montreal today on the heels of the official kick off to summer. They call it Formula 1 racing and it’s the biggest party of the year some would say. Unfortunate to say, however, that thunderstorms are expected to hit during the festivities. Montreal is a classy lady when she wants to be but don’t expect to see that side of her this weekend.

As I’ve been noticeably absent of late on this blog (save for my Twitter feed) and with respect to engagement within social media circles I’ve become more focussed on my company Fixion Media. It’s easy to get lost in YouTube. On TED. In Google Reader. Facebook. Definitely Twitter. And of course old media streams. Well you get the picture. But frankly to me it’s time to flush the fishbowl and start anew.

Given that media, agencies, and marketers are pretty well connected in the digital realm I’m seeing little progress in companies actually working together in a social manner that is compatible to how we speak to each other in the corporate / private world via social mediums. In business terms the contracts read the same. The due dilligence is there (and the wallets are light “due to the credit crunch”). The risk to a given brand seems to great to bear should an experiment go wrong.

I believe in a general sense this to be a turning point in my philosophical outlook on the web and business. The internet mirrors its real-world corporate counterpart in real ways where profit and glory rule the day. I of course have no problem with profit nor glory but I’ve come to appreciate and better understand the needs of real people. Normal people who can’t afford iPhones with unlimited data plans. People that think $50 is too much to pay for a concert ticket. Musicians that think they’re famous but are actually dead broke. And most importantly perhaps I’ve come to better understand where my company fits into the bigger picture in terms of serving such communities and likewise protecting their interests from sharks. It’s a fascinating dynamic which has ruled my thoughts of late.

“Always remember the art of good business is being a good middleman.” That quote is from Layer Cake, a film. While I’ve changed my personal definition over the years of what being a “good middleman” entails I’ve come full circle to boil it down to its simplest state again. Such a state in my opinion requires independence. Right now, that is justification enough to pull away from the day to day drama of social circles and into the real world of business. Striking a good balance between the two will prove necessary to the success of my companies.

Filed under: Rants, Economy, Social Media, Personal Branding, Politics, The Future, Music Industry, Wealth, Leadership

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“Online is getting to the point where it may be more important than the 30-second TV spot.” - VP of Marketing at car manufacturer XYZ

I hope this is a quote from the era of enlightenment–otherwise known as the period that ushered in Joe Jaffe (circa numerous years ago). If it isn’t, then I just might be retired before these major co’s ever shake the old media.

Filed under: Rants, Television, Politics, The Future, Television Ads

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Hat tip to The Customer Collective.

Filed under: Rants, The Future, Leadership

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Mitch Joel’s blog posting titled, “Marketers - I Believe The Children Are Not Our Future”, tackles a tangible issue facing marketing companies at the moment. While I agree with Mitch’s stance on the whole, I likewise must default to the theory that educational institutions shouldn’t cater wholly to the needs of corporations. Rather, the government should generally guide and fund educational programs that cater to new and/or emerging markets without influence. Otherwise, the learning process is tilted off its axis and becomes a forum to learn “answers to the test”–in this case the skills needed for a particular job function–rather than instilling knowledge and passion into vibrant young minds.

There is another layer to this problem and it is the institutional reliance on the almighty resume. I would bet that there are thousands of teenagers pulling computers apart in their basements and building ad-hoc networks. School might not be for them. There are also thousands more editing their own YouTube videos, designing Flash applications, or creating powerful social networking groups. Yet school mightn’t be for them either. Such types of independently-minded workers are all around us–they might simply lack the proper “corporate environment” at present to thrive. This is especially important in that money as a motivating force is less important now than ever. I have excluded people that operate small businesses for the sake of making a point here, but it’s important to note that such workers couldn’t possibly be in contention for such job openings because they perhaps value freedom, time, and creativity more than the average person. This makes them too costly to employ for the average corporation. But I digress.

Building a successful company involves growing its revenues, getting more focussed, hiring staff members in cycles, and aggrandizing the overall apparatus of a given company. The irony is that Web 2.0 and social media are areas in opposition to concepts like “corporation-building”, which involves skilful layering of executives, staff members, investors, and clients required to achieve success. In the new economy, more people are clearly interested in making their personal brands matter within specific corporate climates, which for obvious reasons is often a conflicting ideal vis-a-vis that of corporate prerogative.

At the end of the day, there are only a handful of “types” of people out there: leaders, workers, those in between, those on the outside, and the “owners” who serve to manage the leaders. Since more people want to be leaders or owners than ever before, it’s fairly clear to me that’s it’s going to take far more than pinpoint precision educational programs and goofy 2.0 office settings. We’re in this for the long-haul and corporations need to take responsibility to breed, train, and provide the opportunity for upward mobility based on meritocratic policies.

Perhaps the brand of the future will consist of dozens or hundreds of companies intertwined in a progressive new form of organization of equals. Equality is a rare concept in the business world though. That’s a lot of egos to check at the door.

Filed under: Rants, Economy, Social Media, Politics, The Future, Leadership, HR

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Once again international users are shut out from yet another video content service: Hulu.com. Let’s just add it to the list that already includes iTunes, MTV, NBC, ABC, et al.

It’s almost perverted in the sense. As globalization rips through the planet, somehow it seems that watching a 22-minute episode of the Simpsons on Hulu is an unreasonable thing to ask–nevermind that I live less than 100 miles of the U.S. border and that we live and breathe U.S. media. Look folks, the web is global. Adapt to it.

To all of the unions out there, and guilds, performance rights societies, royalty collectors, attorneys, producers, executive producers, actors, distributors, affiliates and networks out there: get a clue.

To everyone I forgot to name… add yourself to the list.

Filed under: Rants, Video, The Future

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Strategist Joe Trippi nearly kicked the bucket this time around on the election trail leading the campaign for John Edwards. Why? Because Trippi has diabetes and he runs himself into the ground every time he gets a campaign. While that may be the sign of a true warrior it was rather unfortunate to see Edwards suspend his efforts early to give way to Clinton and Obama.

Trippi is the real deal. A kingmaker amongst men. He does however have one major weakness as a political operative and it is that he staunchly believes in democracy. He chooses to work with specific candidates for who they are. As such, the talent pool tends to dither down to those with less political power tilting more towards heart.

Rewind to the last Presidential election cycle and you might remember Trippi as one of the influencers behind the historical Howard Dean campaign, until of course the devastating and infamous “Dean Scream”. The Deaniacs couldn’t reverse the flow of a media-driven assassination which was once again led by the mighty Right Wing.

Question for Obama supporters: don’t you think the same thing is going to happen to Your Man? After all, a free ride in the media only lasts as long as the Right Wing declares it to be so. I’m afraid we might even have to coin a new term to describe Swiftboating. Let’s hope that Obama supporter John Kerry warned him. You might remember Kerry as the guy who lost to Bush in 2004. Must have been a difficult election to lose but he still managed it. But I digress.

The reason I’ve mentioned Trippi here is that I’ve been following him on Twitter virtually since the start of the election cycle. To my knowledge he has yet to endorse anyone but knowing his long-running dislike of Clinton might suggest that is leaning towards Obama.

Here are a few choice Tweets from Trippi in the last couple of days. Please read carefully:

Last day of vacation going home tomorrow. Anyone know of congressional races might need someone like me? about 24 hours ago

Change politics and launch new government funded by the people and only the people. Obama — challenge Clinton and McCain to do that pledge 10:58 AM February 18, 2008

Why doesn’t obama do real public funding in general? Accept nothing over $250. 10:18 AM February 18, 2008

Knowing that this will be the last time top down has a chance. My thanks to those who helped me through the darks 03:08 PM February 14, 2008

Much more at peace than I was after Dean. Watching bottom up politcs grow stronger this cycle. Knowing the ok 03:06 PM February 14, 2008

On beach in sun. Making democracy work better on hold for a few more days on my priority list 11:23 AM February 13, 2008

Here are my observations:

1) Trippi challenges Obama to fight for public campaign financing. You might remember Obama campaigning for public financing (even McCain called him out on it) but he seems to have changed his mind now that the coffers are being filled with thousands of micro-donations. Interesting flip-flop. Power often changes the game.

2) Is this really the last time that “top down” politics has a chance? The world is banking on that coming true but we can’t ignore the traditional power structure. One might assume that Trippi knows someone that we don’t.

3) Trippi is “more at peace” than post-Dean campaign. That might just be the glow of Bush leaving office, but nonetheless I agree that the youth is rising and that a new generation is surfacing. All of the social corruption of the 80s and 90s has served to create a free-thinking movement. Given that apathy is always around the corner we should still be weary of this crazy Obama train.

I’m with Trippi for the most part here but at what cost? Obama comes out of left-field to take down the Clintons? Not very likely without a silent push from the Right Wing. But of course, I wouldn’t want to stray beyond what the mainstream is currently saying. Not worth the attacks from Obamas disciples.

Filed under: Rants, Politics

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