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The Health Care Debate: Clear Communication Matters

NOTE: I encourage people to comment on this blog. It’s about dialog. However, this is not an opportunity to espouse political views on health care (or any other topic). Comment on the discourse. Comment on the media. Deliver your insights on misinformation campaigns or marketing ploys. But please leave political diatribes at the door. Thank you.

I make it a point not to discuss politics in this blog. For one thing, it’s a measure of self-preservation — I don’t want to miss out on opportunities to do good work because a client dislikes my politics. For another, I want to stay on-message. The AVC blog relates to communications, media, marketing, PR, language.

But these days, I can’t help but be reminded of the various points where politics and communication collide. Staying on-message has never been so important. And in a time when newspapers are folding and reporters are seeking new careers, never before has good journalism really mattered.

I’m wrapped up in the health care debate. How can you not be to some extent? It’s everywhere. There’s White House messaging, congressional messaging from both sides of the aisle, various news reports, third-party analyses of the arguments. And yet, with all this information, very few of us can grasp what will be in any measure of a bill. We are trying to understand the issue and reach an informed conclusion, but it’s increasingly hard to find civil debate — anywhere. For me, there are just too many messages. And it seems that instead of talking about the issue and really delving into it, pundits and politicians and media figures are talking AT us — telling us the world might end if we do it … or if we don’t. But truly informed, fact-based debates are lacking. (Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough …?)

I recently posted a commentary about health care on my personal Facebook page. I added no commentary of my own. A handful of friends “liked” it or commented. Three friends in particular kept the conversation going. The thread now stands at a hearty 35 comments. Aside from being my most successful FB post (when measured by the activity that follows), the discussion that ensued was controlled. Passionate, but controlled. Participants’ political views ranged from libertarian to near-socialist. But questions were being asked and answered. Ideas were being heard and considered. Experiences were shared. We are nowhere near being able to solve the health care issue in this contrary, but I think there’s something to be said for the nature of the conversation. It has — to some extent — given me faith that such a conversation is possible. If you have the right people in the room.

We all have a stake in what happens — and from where I sit, the first obligation our news media and our leaders have is an obligation to civil, informed discourse. Don’t market to us. Don’t play PR tricks. Don’t fling incendiary catchprases at each other. Don’t mislead us. Persuade us with facts. Yes, actual facts. This is not a light beer you’re selling. It’s a critical change in policy. I crave civil and clear communication about this issue … and other issues, too. And I’m left to wonder if I’ll ever get it.

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Are Agencies Taking SM Strategy Seriously?

In a recent conversation with a colleague, we embarked on the subject of social media. For those of us in media/marketing/communications, social media is so often where our conversations end up. How can we make Facebook and Twitter work for us? How can we get more hits on YouTube? Etc.

I personally include “social media integration” as one of my services. That’s because I think these techniques can be a valuable element of SOME marketing campaigns. Not all. But it is still about strategy. There are organizations signing up for Twitter accounts because they hear that’s how they get the word out these days. And yes, it’s one way. But you should still have goals and objectives for this medium — just as you do for direct mail, media relations or your Web site.

My colleague and I noticed that several agencies are hiring “social media interns.” Is this a way to capitalize on a young person’s knowledge of the technology? Is the strategy being considered, or are they just setting college students free and asking them to build fan pages all day long? Without being on the inside, we can’t know for sure what the hiring strategy really is.

Nonetheless, when it comes to social media, make sure that if you hire a consultant or agency to help, that you have a plan — a strategy — in place. Just because Twitter and Facebook seem “easy” doesn’t mean they are throwaway tools. Think it through, and make sure that your agency or consultant is, too.

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Follow Your Clients and Sources

There are a lot of components to being a good PR/Marketing/Media professional. Yes, being a good writer or editor is one expectation. Understanding the business. Delivering creative ideas. Providing stellar customer service — or at the base level, at least returning phone calls and e-mails. (This gets missed more than you might realize.) And we’re also expected to understand and engage in social media.

But here’s something that I’m finding is often overlooked — if you’re a reporter, follow your sources. If you’re a PR/marketing pro, follow the reporters that cover your industry. Work for an agency or maintain clients as an indie? Follow your clients.

It seems so basic, but we’re so absorbed in this world of social media, and everyone is trying to figure out how to monetize it. How can you drive traffic to your Web site via Twitter? How can your YouTube video become viral? How can Facebook help your blog get noticed? Great goals, but as we sit around figuring out how to grow our business or make money or get noticed, we’re focused on our output. And when we focus on the output, we’re probably ignoring what others are saying. We stop listening (if we ever were in the first place).

But there are reasons — obvious ones! — to listening as much as you speak. In the world of Twitter, short bits of information are broadcast at a rate that is often hard to keep up with. But the problem with tweeters is that they tend to follow people who are trendy (Grrr, who cares about Ashton) or who they want to follow them back. Instead, your strategy should be to sure, follow people you find entertaining, but also follow those who can teach you something, enlighten you or help you in your work. Reporters seek out sources via Twitter — so why aren’t you following the reporters who cover your industry?

What about following clients? Unless you’re maintaining your client’s Twitter account or ghost writing the blog, you should be reading these communiques. It A) Provides you with additional insight into the company, which may provide an opportunity for business — or least keeps you looking engaged and B) Gives you information that you can use as a conversation starter — again, showing your client you care enough to use nonbillable time to keep tabs on the company.

Yes, we’re all busy. But many of us are busy putting messages out into the world through our blogs, our tweets, our fan pages, etc. So, why not take some time to sit back and listen. This may be one of the most important things you can do to perform better at your job.

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A Reason for Social Networks You May Have Overlooked

When you think of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networks, it’s easy to think two things:
1. Young people.
2. What a waste of time.

And while Twitter’s demographic is actually a bit older than you might suspect, social networks of all stripes are gaining in popularity in all age groups — yes, even seniors. But the reason isn’t the one you might think. It’s not about marketing or re-connecting with old friends or getting popular online (Ahem, Mr. Kutcher). It’s about fighting boredom and loneliness — and having a reason to keep going.

While it’s hard to think we can replace human interaction with online networks and be just as happy, this just goes to show you that social media has a place no matter who you are. I was struck by this notion and by the following New York Times piece on the subject. Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02face.html?_r=2&ref=technology

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Is Your Boss Watching You on Facebook & Twitter?

Here’s some not-so-shocking news: A majority of executives say they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, according to a Deloitte LLP survey. Also not shocking: Employees say they disagree.

But what IS surprising is that only 53 percent of employees believe their Facebook and Twitter lives are none of their boss’s business.

Execs – I hear ya. Your employees are critical to your brand. If Sally in Accounting tells her 300 Twitter followers that your company is the worst place in town to work, that damages your brand. But instead of worrying about what Sally or your other employees are saying, it’s probably best to monitor your staff’s views through anonymous internal surveys and take the time to make changes where possible. Those efforts will help ensure you have fewer disgruntled employees.

But what about staff members who think it’s OK to reveal details of internal staff meetings? (Yes, NYTimes reporters, this one’s for you.) What’s a boss to do? For these issues, companies should have official policies in place. But as this survey shows, few companies do. Though it’s a bit unsettling that special rules have to be made for online social networks. Why isn’t it implicit that anything that’s a corporate secret should be honored in ALL mediums by staff?

Twitter’s a very open social network, so if you really want to monitor your staff, you could. (And this survey says … well, you do.)

Facebook, though? C’mon. While some people use Facebook to appear more popular than their friends, this site is frequently more personal with smaller networks. It’s a way to keep up with friends and view family photos. You may not want Sally to tell her Facebook friends she’s unhappy with her job or your company’s policies, but she could also tell them at the next cocktail party or over the phone. So, unless you think you have a right to wiretap your staff, why do you have a right to monitor their Facebook pages? (And people, please. If you post stuff you don’t want your boss to see, maintain tight privacy restrictions on your FB page.)

So, is anyone else surprised that only 53 percent of employees said their social networking pages are none of their employers’ business?

Check out the full survey at:

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_150509.pdf

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