For me the quotes that really make you stop and think came from Roy Greenslade in his Guardian blog.
Talking about (and arguing against) the on-going battle by Rupert Murdoch to make charging for newspaper content the norm, Roy Greenslade said:
"The split (in the pro and anti camps) is both philosophical and practical.
"There are those (with whom I agree) who believe that the digital media revolution is in the process of transforming journalism and those (such as Murdoch and most traditional newspaper publishers) who believe the net is merely another platform rather than an instrument of transformation."
And that is exactly it.
In all areas of the media and marketing industries there is a divide that you can express in these terms. Actually, it's not so much a divide as a chasm as it influences your whole world view on digital media and its role in society.
That's a point that ties nicely into a recent post on Shannon Paul's blog. Shannon wrote an article looking at whether social media is a strategy or tactic.
My (small) contribution to the ensuing lively discussion was to talk about something an industry contact constantly says to me to support her argument that looking at digital marketing as something distinct is a waste of time:
"There is only great content. If you have good content it will work anywhere." (In other words, concentrate more on the idea and stop doing a smoke and mirrors act around the mechanism).
But as Roy Greenslade says in his piece, the question isn't even whether you believe that social media is strategic or tactical.
The question is whether you believe it's transformational or tactical. That's a little different and also deeper as you are touching on values and behavioural beliefs.
If you believe it's merely tactical then as Rupert Murdoch does, you think digital media is just another outlet for you to do what you've always done (he didn't always think this way). If you believe it's transformational then you realise that communicating with your audiences, whether as a publisher or brand, has to be more than simply pouring old wine into a new glass.
I'm hardly impartial, but I know where I'd place my bets on which argument will win in the long term.
Related articles by Zemanta- You: Why Rupert Murdoch's corporate suicide will be great for bloggers (thenextweb.com)
- The Empire strikes back or the old order's attempt to draw a close to the age of free (thisisherd.com)
- Sunday Times the testbed in Rupert Murdoch's online revolution (guardian.co.uk)
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