Digital Biographer™

Announcing the publication of: Age of Conversation 3. 

Buy Age of Conversation 3 today

• Buy the Hardcover at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Conversation-Its-Time-Busy/dp/098247394X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0
• Buy the Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Conversation-Its-Time-Busy/dp/0982473974/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
• Buy the ebook for your Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Age-Conversation-Time-Busy-ebook/dp/B003KGBMWQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1272982016&sr=8-2

Almost three years ago, an online conversation between two marketing pros, an American and an Australian, evolved into a collaborative writing effort by more than 100 bloggers from nine countries, and was aptly titled The Age of Conversation.

Fast forward to today and the abstract experiment is now a concrete treatise on the state of social media and marketing best practices as a whole. With Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton still firmly at the helm, the third book in the Age of Conversation series has become a veritable “who’s who” of the world’s leading marketing bloggers.

Age of Conversation 3 (202 pages; hardcover; paperback; Kindle; ePub) was published by new digital publishing company Channel V Books (www.ChannelVBooks.com), and is now available through all major online retailers, as a Kindle e-book, and will soon be available as an ePub for other digital readers.

Age of Conversation 3 captures the distinct shift from social media as a hypothetical consumer loyalty tool, as it was considered only a little more than a year ago, to its current state as a staple in the modern marketing toolbox. Although the book covers more than just social media, the topic is ubiquitous among the book’s 10 sections: At the Coalface; Identities, Friends and Trusted Strangers; Conversational Branding; Measurement; Corporate Conversations; In the Boardroom; Innovation and Execution; Influence; Getting to Work; and Pitching Social Media.

“We have seen an incredible shift in the role of social media over the past three years. It has moved from an outlier in the marketing mix to one of the strategic pillars of any corporate marketing or branding exercise,” said Drew McLellan. “And it doesn’t end there,” adds Gavin Heaton. “As the many authors of this new book explain, the focus may be on conversation, but you can’t participate in a conversation from the sidelines. It’s all about participation. And this book provides you with 171 lessons in this new art”.

The genesis for the series itself has all the makings of a thrilling read: regular correspondence between people around the world; a proactive collaboration between 15 countries; and two marketing professionals who have never met each other face to face, scrambling to learn how to publish a book from the ground up.

It all started when McLellan blogged about a similar collaborative book effort and Heaton wrote to him to suggest they get a few fellow bloggers to produce a marketing book in the same vain. Three emails later, and they had named the book and set what they thought would be an impossible goal: 100 bloggers. Within seven days they had commitments from 103. Back then, the marketing industry was abuzz about how citizen marketers were changing the landscape, whereas the second two editions have revolved primarily around the growing field of social media and how its methodologies have affected marketing as a whole. What all three books have in common is that they each capture a uniquely global vantage point.

These are the 10 sections in the book: -

1. At the Coalface
2. Identities, Friends and Trusted Strangers
3. Conversational Branding
4. Measurement (You’ll find my contribution here)
5. Corporate Conversations
6. In the Boardroom
7. Innovation and Execution
8. Influence
9. Getting to Work
10. Pitching Social Media.

The first Age of Conversation raised nearly $15,000 for Variety, the international children’s charity, and the Age of Conversation 2 raised a further $10,000 for Variety. This year’s proceeds will be donated to an international children’s charity of the contributing authors’ choosing. Please help to make sure we raise something extra this time around…

• Buy the Hardcover at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Conversation-Its-Time-Busy/dp/098247394X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0
• Buy the Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Conversation-Its-Time-Busy/dp/0982473974/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
• Buy the ebook for your Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Age-Conversation-Time-Busy-ebook/dp/B003KGBMWQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1272982016&sr=8-2

 
[ This article was originally published at Digital Biographer on 5th September 2008, and was syndicated to The Next Web on 6th September, 2008 ] © Copyright 2008 Clarocada Ltd. It has been updated a little for November 2009 where marked in green. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 UK: Scotland License. © Copyright 2009 Clarocada Ltd. 

“Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that corporations and other large organizations habitually engage in only because they cannot masturbate” – Dave Barry

I don’t do meetings any more. I used to do a lot of meetings. But not any more.

Follow @clarocada on Twitter

The change from meeting to tweeting – where a series of brief exchanges (each a maximum of 140 characters) can make up the content – has been brought about by a variety of factors over the past 15 years or so – but here are the ten factors that I think are critical.

1. IN GOOGLE TIME
   I no longer have a phone book, business directories or yellow pages. Those were essential when I started my first corporation in 1993. But now, I use Google. On my Nokia N86, as I move.  As a result, I have less patience for slow ways of doing things – I am impatient. I demand speed, efficiency, and immediate results.
2. HOLA FONEROS
   I have a laptop computer and a mobile phone, I can work from a cafe terrace in Banyalbufar just as easily as anywhere else. As a result, I don’t have the need to restrict myself to doing business with those who are within easy reach of where I live or work most of the time.
3. HOME OFFICE DRESS CODE
   I don’t need to have an office in the city centre to get my work done – I can do it from my home office. As a result, I don’t need to spend time travelling, and so I use that saved time productively. I also find wearing a suit in my own kitchen a bit pointless, so feel there has to be a very good reason to dress up to go somewhere – and my carbon footprint’s lower.
4. MY ONLINE VISIBILITY
   Whereas I used to have to push information out to people in brochures, newspaper interviews, in meetings, at trade shows, I now have online profiles at LinkedIn, Xing, Facebook, Hyves, Flickr, Friendfeed, MyBloglog etc, and I have blogs and web sites that I can update easily in seconds. As a result, I don’t have to spend so much time introducing myself, and explaining what it is that I, or any of my enterprises provide – people find out about me before they meet me, or get to know me through following my activities online. People can meet me at airports because my photo is online. They can also decide whether they need to waste their time meeting me. People ask me to speak at events without having ever met me or spoken to me.
5. I HATE COFFEE
   I don’t really like coffee any more. But I still drink it. And I especially never liked paying £3 for a cup of it unless it was refilled all day and came with free wi-fi. As a result, when someone says – let’s have a chat over a coffee, I say “No. Let’s save the time and money, and spend five minutes now working out if we need to meet – and if so, what items on the agenda we can dispense with before we need to have a meeting”.
6. MEETINGS ARE GETTING SHORTER
   I arranged a meeting in London (yes, I do still sometimes meet people) with guys coming from Amsterdam and from the USA without ever using a phone – and although we’d not met before, we have already shared dozens of pieces of information that made the business of the meeting last about ten minutes – and then we ordered some food and drinks. We then talked about other interesting stuff and new possibilities – not just ‘the business we need to discuss’.
7. CUT THE CHIT-CHAT
   I can get to know people online by following their updates – or by looking at what they’ve said, or who they’ve been talking with, or who’s been talking about them – and so with this background, a lot of ‘chit-chat’ becomes unnecessary. As a result, I can filter out people, or filter them in. I still enjoy the random, however, - I had two great ideas on the bus this morning, just following my twitter stream and listening to music.
8. YOU CAN DO THIS TOO
   You are reading this blog. You can send me emails, you can send me stuff without a courier, you can clarify things in Skitch, you can speak on Skype for free, you can send an instant message or a twitter. But you can do this as suits your agenda – and not be dragged into it by another party with an unknown agenda who wants 100% of your attention – NOW.
9. I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU
   I can now have customers who I never meet. That used to be very difficult. But now, I can see people, talk to them in real time, swap messages and files, send them sound files and presentations, have a video-conference with them… whether they are half a world away or live around the corner.
10. LIFE’S TOO SHORT
    A friend of mine died suddenly this year. David was 42. He did not suffer fools gladly, and could summarise biblical volumes of information in a pithy, witty phrase. But he ran out of time. We all will. Mr Williamson, I’m thinking of you each day when I open my eyes, pull my first waking breath, and smile.

“I prefer email and tweets and other online communications over telephone and face to face meetings because it allows me to manage my own time. When I’m meeting face to face the other person will automatically assume they have an hour of my time, which seems to be the standard meeting length, and will take all of that time to talk TO me.

In an email I might grasp their concept within 2 minutes and be ready with a reply. Other times I need to think about their message overnight. All of this is impossible in face to face meetings where an immediate reaction and 100% dedication is demanded.”

- Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten

So if you want to have a meeting with me here’s how to start the conversation:- Let’s tweet.

But what about you – what’s changed the way you handle meetings over the past few years?

Please, don’t tell me you’ve not changed things, or let other people push your time around. Tell me it’s not so. Life’s too short. I’ll be working at http://tweeting.me.uk from next month.

eBranding for the Masses by Dan Schawbel – personalbrandingblog.com

“The Internet has its victims and its heroes. Social media has been the driving force in revealing and exposing good versus evil, by the participation and commentary of its inhabitants. Those who have clean hearts will gain positive publicity around their personal brands because people will only have good things to say about them.”

In a chapter entitled ‘eBranding for the Masses‘ Dan outlines the facts that tell us we can no longer choose whether to be connected, visible, and engaged — unless we choose to be invisible.

>> Read the full story from Dan Schawbel and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

You Are Not Your Audience by Douglas Karr – marketingtechblog.com

“As a result, many businesses are classified this way but operate quite the opposite… the data lied, and I did not do my due diligence to learn about my audience. The target we used focused on women-owned businesses … with women no where to be found. We (a team of men) sent our direct mail piece to men.”

In a chapter entitled ‘You Are Not Your Audience‘ Douglas reminds us that you need to talk to your audience directly to avoid marketing tragedies.

>> Read the full story from Douglas Karr and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Tragedy and Triumph: A Conversation Veers Off Target by Amy Jussel – www.shapingyouth.org

“Conversations may start with you, but they’re not yours to keep. Your words can be hijacked, trivialized, or repositioned to attract flamethrowers and incivility like heat-seeking missiles, but if you try to rein in gonzo journalism you’ll get kicked in the face or sound like a nag.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Tragedy and Triumph: A Conversation Veers Off Target‘ Amy reminds us one voice DOES matter.

>> Read the full story from Amy Jussel and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

World Wide Rave! vs Unscrupulous and Sleazy Viral Marketing by David Meerman Scott – www.webinknow.com

“Unfortunately, I’ve come to realize that viral marketing has a significant dark side — quite a bit more extensive than I had been aware of. Much of what people call viral marketing is nothing more than traditional advertising techniques that rely on interruption, bait-and-switch gimmicks, inane games, and frivolous contests. It’s the old rules of marketing transferred to the Web.”

In a chapter entitled ‘World Wide Rave! vs Unscrupulous and Sleazy Viral Marketing‘ David reminds us that one must draw a clear distinction between the amazing ways people spread ideas and share stories online and the bogus crap that misled agencies and corporations resort to with their ,viral. campaigns.

>> Read the full story from David Meerman Scott and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Why Listening is Priority #1 by Simon Payn – simonpayn.typepad.com

“After all, we’ve been taught that the most important skill of a great conversationalist is shutting up and listening to what the other person has to say. And any business that truly listens to the conversation that is going on around its products will show it has mastered marketing in the Age of Conversation.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Why Listening is Priority #1‘ Simon outlines a six-point plan for successful listening.

1. Grow big ears.
2. Show that you are listening.
3. Ask for feedback.
4. # Four
5. # Five
6. # Six

>> Read the full story (we know that’s not six) from Simon Payn and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

The Marketing Matrix: Ignore or Explore? by John Moore – www.brandautopsy.com

“In your left hand, I’m placing a blue pill and in your right hand, a red pill. Choose the blue pill and nothing changes, you’ll ignore everything I have shared and continue to believe in the inertia that binds you to the past. Choose the red pill and your journey begins… you’ll explore deeper and truer connections with your customers participating in the online groundswell.”

In a chapter entitled ‘The Marketing Matrix: Ignore or Explore?‘ John asks us to wake up to reality – those who trust the opinions shared by others in the online groundswell must use those methods to create a new type of effective marketing – a social kind.

>> Read the full story from John Moore and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Marketing is in the Eye of the Beholder by Corentin Monot – organic-frog.com

“Another reason why people are skeptical and even reluctant about conversational marketing is the fear of the new. Few people actually possess a genuine entrepreneurial mind, (and) we all know that the successful brands and businesses are those that have a point of view and are ready to defend it. The rest, which is the vast majority, are copying and pasting empty words for their vision values and purpose documents.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Marketing is in the Eye of the Beholder‘ Corentin reminds those who understand conversational marketing have a role to educate beyond a group of like-minded peers. We need to include the C-level, the boardroom and the mail clerks in our conversations.

>> Read the full story from Corentin Monot and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Rise of the Global Agency by G. Kofi Annan – www.annansi.com/blog

“As the global centers of influence change marketing and advertising will need to ramp up their collaboration with and training of international agencies and employees. The question at this point is not when to divert resources internationally, but how fast to do so.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Rise of the Global Agency‘ Kofi Alaz suggests that there is a new breed of ‘Agency 2.0′ in the Age of Conversation – an international and independent type of body that works – guess what – in a different way.

>> Read the full story from Ozgur Alaz and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Pricing in the Age of Conversation by Ozgur Alaz – www.marketallica.com

“Although influentials constitute a very small portion of Internet users, their effects are great. They have the power to influence thousands of people with the content they produce; they influence purchase decisions in many cases. I will discuss how the Age of Conversation may change our pricing practices by bringing forward a new provocative proposition.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Pricing in the Age of Conversation‘ Ozgur suggests a radically new pricing mechanism for online content. Radically new. But the price of this knowledge is of course, as ever in this series, the price of holding the hardback, softback or ebook version of AOC2!

>> Read the full story from Ozgur Alaz and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

How Do I Know Thee? Three Social Media Vignettes by Kate Trgovac – www.mynameiskate.ca

“I’ve never looked into your eyes, but I know you through your tweets. Each 140 character set touches my soul and each pixel of your 48 x 48 icon sets my heart aflutter. You are smart and funny and witty and charming and… dreamy. But apparently a lot of other people think so too.”

In a chapter entitled ‘How Do I Know Thee? Three Social Media Vignettes‘ Kate paints three different pictures with words. Dear reader, you’d have to read it in full – I can’t summarise this chapter. It’s like poetry.

>> Read the full story from Kate Trgovac and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

The Secret to Conversing with Non-Humans by Chris Kieff – www.1GoodReason.com

“There are Non-Human Entities among us. Many people have seen them, or claim to have seen them. They move amongst us quietly, unseen by most. However, they carry immense power. These things can make or break companies, individuals, and careers. They can give you million$ of dollar$, or take them away.”

In a chapter entitled ‘The Secret to Conversing with Non-Humans‘ Chris reminds us of four important things you must bear in mind when you talk to the rather important non-humans you’ll encounter online : —

1. Be honest
2. Bottom Line up Front
3. Avoid using synonyms
4. Stay on message

>> Read the full story from Chris Kieff and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Don’t Be a Non-action Hero by Bill Gammell – ubereye.wordpress.com

“You’ve heard of great action heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. But have you ever heard of a “non-action hero”? A non-action hero doesn’t save the passengers of a train bound for certain doom because some didn’t follow his strict “wearing clean underwear in case of an accident” policy (so your mother was right after all!).”

In a chapter entitled ‘Don’t Be a Non-action Hero‘ Bill Gammell outlines three things you need to be a hero in business, and to defeat the evil status quo: —

1. Core purpose
2. Super powers
3. Action

>> Read the full story from Bill Gammell and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.

Our Challenge is to First Understand Others by Jonathan Trenn – digitalstreetjournal.com

“The challenge before us is not only to overcome the barriers of those who seek to resist the changes we are embracing; it is also to develop a deeper understanding of the diverse peoples that are becoming users of social media.
If we fail to do that, we’ll simply be a bunch of nodding heads mistakenly thinking that we are the future of communication.”

In a chapter entitled ‘Our Challenge is to First Understand Others‘ Jonathan reminds us of the irony of a room full of white male caucasians all agreeing that social media is a great way to cross cultural and social boundaries.

>> Read the full story from Jonathan Trenn and 236 other contributors: Buy Age of Conversation 2 today…

David Petherick is one of 237 authors who contributed to the book ‘Age of Conversation 2‘. For the first 237 days of 2009, he is highlighting a chapter from one of his co-authors, briefly discussing their contribution, and linking you to their blog or online presence.
All proceeds from sales of Age of Conversation 2 go to charity.