Remain Relevant in Changing Times

Is the Rolodex still relevant? Spinning for contacts can still trump the click of a mouse

Saturday's Wall Street Journal carried a fascinating story that addressed the question, "Whatever happened to the Rolodex?" (Subscription required). In a nutshell, the story featured several business professionals who still cling to their Rolodexes, despite living in a Blackberry world where it seems you aren't real if you aren't connected online or found in an Outlook Contacts listing.

The article made me smile because I, too, am one of those people who never throws away a business card. I put them in large ziplock bags and store them in a file cabinet drawer. I've been too embarrassed to keep them on a Rolodex, believing it would mark me as a dinosaur. Still, as much as I love technology and am good about keeping my key contacts filed electronically, there's a part of me that just knows one day there's going to be a huge technical glitch that causes me to have to rebuild from scratch.

Yes, I know half the cards will be out of date, but the point is I'll at least have names I can look up using other means. Besides, I like to look at business cards. I think they tell a lot about the person who gave it to me (unless they're from a large company that requires a standard card that emphasizes the brand over the person).

According to Newell Rubbermaid, makers of the Rolodex, the 6,000-card flip files of the past have given way to much smaller flip files; in fact, the largest one the company makes holds "only" 500 cards, a nod to the decreasing desktop space resulting from the surge in cubicles. But hey, despite the fact that these card wheels aren't exactly a growth industry, they also don't require frequent updating; hence, they're cash cows. The standard business card just hasn't changed much over the years in terms of size and shape.

Generally speaking, sales of card wheels have fallen steadily since the 80's when personal digital assistants (PDAs) first came on the scene. Now, companies that traditionally relied on card files and even card scanners are looking for ways to expand their brand and tools to the digital world, lest they go under altogether.

Meanwhile, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn provide ample opportunities for us to keep up with one another electronically. I love and hate these tools equally: I love 'em because, used properly, they're powerful and undeniably easy to use; I hate them because they're so easy to use people tend to "collect people" with the click of the mouse without giving much thought to why the person is worth collecting. At least with a Rolodex, you have to make an effort to attach the card to the wheel, file it and even occasionally remove some if the file gets too unmanageable.

In our efforts to become as paperless as possible, I think we sometimes fail to recognize that "the old-fashioned way" can still be relevant. After all, the relevance isn't in the  way the information is filed: it's in how the information that's filed is used.

How do you keep up with your contacts?

Books on a cell phone: giving novels the finger - and thumbs!

I can't even imagine reading an entire novel on a cell phone screen, let alone write one. And yet, that's exactly what's happening in Japan, according to today's Wall Street Journal story, "In Japan, Novelists Find a New Medium." (subscription required)

It seems that the fiction market is enjoying a comeback of sorts, thanks to the ease with which novels can now be delivered right to the palm of your hand. Novelists are banging out their stories one key at a time, mostly using their thumbs. One featured novelist has already written eight books and has a loyal following that apparently appreciates her willingness to suffer through sore pinkies and broken blood vessels on their behalf.

Not surprisingly, readers are primarily teenage girls whose love for this entertainment-on-the-go is also influencing what books go to print ("Love Sky" sold more than 1.3 million hard copies!) and even to movie format.  In fact, one of the reasons the books are so popular is because they tap into the way young people often think - in movie scenes. That makes both writing them and reading them even easier for all involved.

And talk about getting instant feedback! Since the stories are usually written in chunks and delivered in almost-real-time, writers can get feedback that offers encouragement, or even suggest changes to the storyline. In other words, the novels themselves become more relevant even as they are being written. Novelists can choose to weave in a national event happening on the very day they're writing, for example. I love the idea of the interactivity, but can't say I much cotton to the notion of reading more than 100 characters or so on a tiny cell screen.

It'll be interesting to see if this genre takes off in America. As one who still likes to pick up a paper off the driveway and actually turn the pages while I read, I can't imagine ever reading anything longer than a quick text message from one of my daughers on my cell phone. Besides, these Boomer eyes would need a screen the size of checkbook to be able to hang in there long enough to finish a novel.

I feel sorry for people who read this way. They're not getting to enjoy the smell of the paper, the great sound a cracked spine makes or the joy of finding a long-lost, much-needed receipt stuck between the pages as a bookmark.

Business cards are more relevant than ever!

Sorry it has been a while since I've posted to this blog. I didn't take the summer off; rather, I started a new blog to coincide with new responsibilities I have at Edelman. I am spending a good bit of my time helping organizations understand how best to market to Boomers. That's how it came to be that I'm now writing www.BabyBoomerInsights.com, a blog that offers insight about how Boomers think, act, and make purchase decisions - all based on research. Stay tuned to find out about some original research findings Edelman will soon be releasing. You just may be surprised by some of the nuggets in there! In short - in my world, few things are as relevant as Boomers.

Meanwhile, I just had to bring to your attention an Associated Press article I read last week in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about business cards. The timing was almost eerie because just 48 hours before this article appeared,  someone asked me if I thought business cards were  on their way out, given people's love affair with  Blackberrys, the iPhone and other PDAs. I hadn't seen any research on the subject but my response was, "I sure hope not."

Despite being addicted to my Blackberry (but I confess, I'm seriously lusting after the iPhone), I still like collecting business cards. I rarely throw them away and to I've collected about 1,000 over the past five years or so. I keep them in zip lock bags in the bottom drawer of my desk. I love technology, but a little piece of me never trusts it entirely, so I see my card bags as extra insurance. Besides, I love to look at the weight, size, design and colors of business cards. You can tell something about a person by what they choose to put on a small rectangle. Vcards just aren't the same.

Apparently, a lot of people agree with me. According to the AP article, business cards are becoming even more popular, despite the ease with which we can all exchange information electronically now. In fact, even kids are getting in on the act, designing "calling cards" that have only their MySpace or Facebook information on them. In other words, they're using offline techniques to drive people online to check them out. Very clever. And very real world. I almost always look up a web site I see on a business card I've acquired at a networking meeting.

These days, I often get a LinkedIn invitation following a networking meeting I've attended or spoken to. Apparently, some people use LinkedIn as an electronic rolodex, rather than as the networking tool it is intended to be. See my post just before this one if you want to know what I think about the "Link hos."

Anyway, I think it's fascinating how people are using their business cards to remain relevant, from offering multimedia mini-disk cards to stock ones with embedded computer chips that let you download information into your computer. But nothing replaces a beautifully-designed, high-quality card that makes you want to know more about a person.

So, spend the money and take the time to really think through your business card. Unless you have an unusually gifted knack for design, don't do it yourself. Hire a professional. After all, your card may just be the ticket to getting your intended audience to check you out.

Networking on steroids: LinkedIn growing in popularity

Have you noticed the explosion in the number of people who want to get LinkedIn with you lately? Although I've used the service since shortly after it made its debut a few years ago, I can't help but notice that lately everybody wants in on the act. Perhaps they have seen some of the great media coverage the site has gotten recently.

I get several LinkedIn requests a week. I don't always accept them. It strikes me as irrelevant to connect to someone I've never heard of who happened to find me using a keyword search. The way I see it, my connections aren't relevant to me - or others - if I can't personally speak to why I'm connected to them.

I suppose it's possible that some people actually know - and can credibly introduce - hundreds or even thousands of people, but frankly, when I see people with so many connections, I automatically raise an eyebrow. "Link Hos" I call them. Seems they may be more interested in collecting links than in making true connections.

Perhaps it's fallout from the MySpace and Facebook generation. I've heard several college students comment that they have "983 friends on Facebook." Never mind that they haven't even met 971 of them.

LinkedIn can be a very powerful networking tool if used properly. I've been able to use my  genuine connections to meet people I want to know, either for personal or professional reasons. I've also reconnected to people I worked with in past jobs, as well as rekindled college friendships. And I take some pride in the fact that I can provide relevant information about every one of my connections, even without looking at their online profile. That's the very essence of networking, in my humble opinion.

What's your take? Am I being too dismissive?

The day my land line phone became irrelevant

Until recently, it hadn't really occurred to me that my phone would become irrelevant. Yet, that's exactly what has happened. April 30 will be the last day my land line interrupts the middle of one of my favorite shows, which, ironically enough, are House and Flip That House (no connection between the two).

After almost 20 years of having the same land line phone number, we have decided to go completely wireless. I honestly have no anxiety about this at all. I can't remember the last time someone called me on my land line who wasn't soliciting for something. My daughters have never had a land line, so calls coming in aren't for them either. It's time to  "let it go." I've come a long way from my childhood days when our family shared a party line with a neighbor.

When I called Bellsouth to let them know of my decision, the first thing  I was told was that I would now be  dealing with "The new AT&T" (as if that made a difference). When I told Chris that I had decided I no longer needed a land line, he suggested I keep the line at a new reduced rate of  about $25 a month, less than half what I had been paying. I explained that the same $25 bucks could buy me an enormous amount of additional, flexible cell service. He didn't even try to argue with me. Maybe he realized the service he was selling was quickly becoming irrelevant to a lot of homeowners like me. Still, wouldn't you think he'd fight harder to keep a 20-year customer?

The day I called to cancel my land line, I also called T-Mobile to switch my daughter's cell service to Verizon because T-Mobile's service is spotty in the college town where Sydney will soon move. The rep did everything he could to prevent the switch. He offered to find out when better coverage would be available and said I could suspend the service until then, thereby keeping the number and not leaving a "service you have enjoyed since January 2004, according to our records." He then suggested switching to a newer phone that had better signal strength and, oh by the way, would be available to me at a discount rate as a reward for being such a good customer. I really liked this guy and actually felt guilty about canceling the service; however, I had already checked into T-Mobile's future coverage plans and knew they didn't include the GCSU area. I was very impressed with the rep's efforts to make T-Mobile continue to be relevant to me. And if T-Mobile had plans to increase coverage in the area soon, I would have stayed with the service.

How about your company? What do you do to ensure you remain relevant to your clients? Don't wait until they've decided they no longer need you before you figure out you still need them.

US Netcom hits new low: proves opportunistic, not relevant

I was so appalled when I saw this news release, I actually began looking for it on several sources just to make sure I didn't misread it or that it was the hoax of a sick mind. Could there really be a company so shameless, so idiotic and so desperate for attention?

US Netcom  appears to be all of those things. Clearly, this company doesn't understand the difference between being relevant and being opportunistic. If the idea is to drive up traffic to their web site so they can put out another release about how they have achieved record number of hits (thus - in their minds - becoming more relevant), let me remind you what HITS stands for: How Idiots Track Success.

I hope all the people who are making history by reporting on the Virginia Tech tragedy online will take note of this company's actions and use their considerable power to give them the attention they richly deserve.

Follow this link to read the full release. Meanwhile, here's the most offensive excerpt:

For $1 per student per year, services such as AllCall Notification could have provided VT with a method of crisis control capable of reaching every student far faster than email. It should have been in place as part of the schools' emergency preparedness plan.

Here are the names of the people who put out this ridiculous release, just in case you want to contact them: Kim Cooke, Mark Hefley, Jeff Worhol, JJ Kelly. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you at 1-800-695-7788 or jeff.warhol@usnetcomcorp.com.

 

We're watching history in the making: Va Tech tragedy changes how stories are covered

If you're still talking about "new media," please stop. There's no such thing any more. It's just media now. Citizen journalists and consumer generated content have never been more relevant than what we have seen in the past two days. The horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech tested the incredible potential - and limits - of the technology that is forever changing the way we communicate with one another, whether across the hall or around the world.

As you know by now, the most compelling video of the police on campus trying to find the gunman came from a camera phone owned by a student (who, btw, was paid by CNN for exclusive footage). So far, it has generated over 2 million views. Hundreds of people have sent what CNN calls i-reports, providing a citizen's eye view of the events as they unfold. Suddenly, the number of "reporters" covering the story has completely changed the way we are able see and absorb the story. We don't have to wait for over-produced, high-priced media personalities to reserve satellite time and set up temporary sets to tell us what they think is going on.

Meanwhile, students learned from other students who was injured, killed and missing by reading Facebook, blogs, MySpace, Wikipedia, and of course through IM's and text messages. Today, there are hundreds of Facebook pages and forums dedicated to mourning the students. In fact, one has drawn more than 28,000 members who share memories, photos, poems and questions. Global online communities are  coming together in a matter of hours. The mainstream media can't keep up. Nor, by the way, can the technology. This horrible event will serve as a blueprint for communications companies to develop even more robust interactive programming.

Over the next several weeks we can expect to see tremendous online coverage of this story as an official investigation gets underway. Every hour new information is revealed as people share their experiences and insight.  We're watching history in the making. News will never be covered the same way again.

Consider this, too: this week marked another new milestone: a majority of teens (55%) now have online profiles.  Watch that continue to grow quickly, especially with the corresponding growth in online coverage of major news.

So, let's drop talk of new media. It's so 12 hours ago.

CBS and Imus: more a misfiring than a simple firing

Imus says he is done apologizing for the remarks that got him fired. Thank God. He was starting to hog ink that could be used to continue to tell us the sordid details of the soap opera about Anna Nichole's baby and speculation over just how bad Sanjaya will be on the next episode of American Idol.

These three stories have one thing in common: they are far more relevant to advertisers than they are to most viewers and listeners. Advertisers care about ratings. They want to know that their products and services are being exposed to the largest audience possible. And these three stories have drawn huge audiences, each for a different reason.

So, I find it just laughable that CBS wants us to believe that they fired Imus because he stepped over the line with his racist remarks. Oh puh-leeze... Imus has offended just about everyone during his 30 year radio career... multiple times, in fact. In many ways, the more offensive he was, the higher his ratings and the happier the advertisers.

This time, though, advertisers ran scared as soon as Jesse and Al got involved and then they really got nervous when the brilliant PR machine at Rutgers went into high gear. Suddenly, they began to worry that this story wouldn't blow over and the strong wind that kept it stirring could well damage sales.  Seems to me they waited just long enough to fire him that it ruined their ability to argue that it wasn't about the advertising dollars, but the offensiveness of his comments.

The lesson to be learned from this is that timing is a key element of relevance. CBS took action too late for most people to believe its argument that the decision was driven by moral outrage rather than the almighty dollar. Right... next thing you know Sanjaya will win American Idol and Fox will try and convince us there was absolutely no manipulation of the process. 

   

USA Today, America's McPaper, embraces Web 2.0

One of my favorite newspapers, USA Today, has relaunched its web site and it's a real beauty. The paper that built its reputation on giving people colored pie charts and an abbreviated version of the news has decided to take a deep dive and actually involve its readers, whom they're asking to participate online and use the paper as a resource.

The first thing I noticed was all the white space on the screen, a far cry from the original wide screen layout with lots of color and bold fonts. Now, the online paper is elongated and fits on the screen in a much narrower format (which advertisers tend to love). Then, I saw how the cover photo changes as you mouse over the thumbprint photos in the margins. That means instead of selecting a cover story and playing it up, the cover story changes based on your own interest. Can you say relevant?

The site uses a public comment tool, social network capabilities and gives people the ability to upload photos and participate in blogs; in other words, all the things that make Web 2.0 the must-have format for newspapers now.

But what I like best about USAT's efforts is that they're not turning the paper over to consumers to be "citizen journalists." Instead, the paper's "real" journalists can use the consumer tools as a listening device, but the reporting will still come from those trained in the craft. Thank goodness. I've always hated the expression "citizen journalist" because it implies expertise that in most cases does not exist. (Full disclosure: this could be an ego thing with me. I have a degree in journalism and worked as a reporter for several years. I'd hate to think I wasn't special somehow.)

Watch for other newspapers, even midsize local fishwrappers, to grab on to Web 2.0 too. Today's newspapers will thrive only if they go beyond giving consumers what they need and include what they want (which, apparently, is the ability to be a part of the process).

I predict USAT will be successful because it has always had a breezy, consumer-oriented writing style that makes it appeal to the average reader, who will be quicker to share the site with "like kind." And when that happens, advertisers will start to throw their support behind it and before you know it, USAT becomes a "gotta see" portal.

Check it out.

Going in the hospital? Better learn the language

A kind nurse rolled me out of the hospital yesterday, eternally grateful to be headed home after several days of tests and treatments. I'm on the mend again, feeling much better and smarter all at the same time. I went in speaking only English. I came out bi-lingual, fully understanding medi-speak. I hope you don't have to use this, but just in case, I want to share with you the most relevant language being used in a modern hospital.

Hat: you'll never want to wear one of these one your head. It's what they call  the little plastic  bowls they put in the toilet before asking you to  "collect" your own  "elimination."

Temporary discomfort: if told you "might experience a little temporary discomfort" you're in trouble. It really means, "This is going to hurt like hell but you'll get over it in a few days."

Hot stick: you don't want one of these. It means a "special IV technician" is about to take a harmless looking needle with wings and stick it way deep into a vein, thrusting it in an out while your entire body burns. Just before you pass out, the technician will cheerily announce, "OK, I think I've found one that works!" Resist the urge to respond, "Are you sure? I once went on an archeological dig that wasn't this comprehensive or time consuming."

We're trying to isolate the problem: this is what doctors say when they don't agree with one another on your diagnosis. One of mine thought I had Crohn's Disease. Another was sure my problem was e.coli. After a rousing game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" they concluded they were both right.

Nutrition: this used to be called "food service." In recognition of the fact that few people would call it food, lawyers are now requiring hospitals to stick with the simplest, most objective term. After all, everything on the tray does, in fact, have some kind of nutrition in it. (Except for the shredded iceberg lettuce with low fat dressing.)

Blood products: Adding the word "products" is apparently supposed to give blood transfusions more of a consumer feel, almost like you're getting something you've shopped for. When these products are delivered right to your bedside, they also come with multiple nurses, who check one another's  ability to match the names and numbers on your arm band with what is printed on the bad of blood (which, btw, isn't red so much as it's maroon). When you see the intensity on their faces while they read, it makes you very nervous and grateful all at the same time.

Vital signs: these are things that must be checked every 12 minutes, day and night, especially when you're sleeping. For some reason, vital signs cannot be checked at the same time you're being given medicine or food. It's a whole separate procedure that also can be done only with all the lights on.

My favorite word is discharge because it means you're headed home. At this point, you receive all kinds of paper work that essentially says "here's how you take care of yourself." They slip in several paragraphs that note that if your insurance company doesn't pay the bill, you have to give the blood back or they'll come to your house and do an instant "walletectomy."

I'm certain this language will keep evolving, so I encourage you to share what you have learned from your own personal experience.  We have to do our parts to remain relevant as patients because, believe me, you don't want to be an irrelevant patient!