A few years ago, in the early months of the podcasting phenomenon, I was the web-presence guy for a very funny and briefly popular podcast called “Area 51″. I had my own little niche podcast, and I recognized the importance of being “of” that community, surfing on its excitement and innovation. But somehow I could never get the “Area 51″ performers to become a part of that adrenalinized world, and the podcast died for lack of direction and commitment. To this day I believe that if the Area 51 crew had been a real part of the nascent podcast community, the exhilaration would have carried them over the rough spots.
I think it is very important to take the time to absorb the zeitgeist of the social media world in which you wish to work. Chris Brogan poses this observation:
It’s interesting to note that companies will spend anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 on a good website design, but will fail to implement even the most rudimentary listening tools to move their capabilities to understand the impact of such a site beyond the realm of hits and clicks.
Read Chris Brogan‘s piece concerning listening tools for social media. Or don’t, and just sling spam into a world you don’t really “get”.