DR. WHAW? Sunday Digest – Week-ending August 30, 2009

This was a tough week for the Sunday digest.  There was a TON of great news and insight that emerged this week, and it was really difficult to pick just seven articles to share with you as the best of the week.  After much hemming and hawing, here it is!  What I Didn’t Read While Hard At Work this week.

DR. WHAW? Sunday Digest – Week-ending August 30, 2009

1. Community and the Politics of Place by Chuck Hemann — This is a brilliant post about how social media may be able to restore the sense of community that was once prevalent in our society.  Chuck Hemann provides some great insights into this phenomenon and why social media may be just the trick to get us back.  What do you think?  I think this is definitely worth some serious consideration.  It’s always good to think about social media as something other than a great business or marketing tool.  : )

2. Relinquish Control, Empower the Passionate Fans! by Ryan Stephens — Everyone has been arguing lately that social media is not about controlling your brand.   What I haven’t seen much of is an explanation of how to give up control without completely losing touch, but Ryan Stephens gives a brilliant overview here.  The post is specifically about sports and how you can use the post of your 80,000+ fans, but there are some great lessons here that can be applied across any branding strategy.  This is a definite must-read if you’re into branding online at all or if you remain unconvinced of the potential power of social media.

3. Basics of Social Media ROI from @thebrandbuilder from Ken Burbary — If you are interested in social media measurement at all, heck if you’re interested in social media at all, you must read this! The full presentation from Olivier Blanchard about SM ROI is provided here, and it is brilliant.  Hopefully you’re all convinced by now that measurement is absolutely essential to any PR or marketing campaign, and this is the best resource I’ve seen for SM measurement thus far.  READ IT!

4. Can we all stop agreeing with each other and have some arguments please? by Edward Boches — Lately Edward Boches has noticed a trend in blog post comments and Twitter interactions that he doesn’t like: we’re all agreeing!  But why is that bad, you may ask?  Read on!  We may all be trying to be a little too nice, but at what cost?  I wonder if we’re not missing out on some great insight and discoveries because we’re all too concerned about doing the “right thing.”  I know I’m hesitant to disagree because I’m still a newbie.  What about you?

5. Twitter: protected by the First Amendment? by Mike Schaffer — The freedom of Tweet is not mentioned in the First Amendment, but Mike Schaffer believes that it is most certainly implied.  He argues that the Tweet falls somewhere between “speech” and “press” and should for that reason be protected.  This is definitely something you should think about and consider as Twitter evolves.  It could have some serious implications down the road.

6. Tribune Co. Offers Localized Network of 70+ Blogs to Advertisers from Marketing Vox — Earlier this month the Tribune Co. made some great financial strides and made us all believe there was hope yet.  With the creation of a blogger network throughout the city of Chicago, I think the Tribune is well on its way back into our hearts.  This shows that there can be hope for newspapers yet, but only if they innovate and find a way to carve out a new niche.

7. Mobile is glue for all we do by Dan Butcher — An ESPN executive stressed that mobile is a key component of their network’s overall portfolio.   This surprised me at first considering all of the media channels that the sports giant uses, but it does make sense.  It has been said that nearly 100 percent of all U.S. citizens will use a cell phone by the year 2013, and it seems smart to invest in this media channel now.  This is a very interesting read because it shows you how ESPN is integrating their mobile launches and programs with the rest of their network.   How should your business or industry be using mobile?

Did I pick the best ones?  Were there others you would have chosen instead?  Why?

Leave me your thoughts, I really want to understand which reads are your favorites or most important to you.