Michael Allison's Blog

Month: April, 2009

Why you shouldn't worry about Oprah on Twitter

I was on Twitter 664 days before @Oprah. I signed up relatively early back on March 31, 2007, but in a flash, the Queen of Daytime Television had more followers than anyone could ever hope to have.

It doesn’t matter much to me, but it matters to a lot of people who feel they have more cred than the late-coming Oprah. From what I’ve seen, the hours logged and the relationships built give users a sense of accomplishment. With Oprah joining and almost immediately accumulating a 600,000 followers, the Twitter community feels invaded.

This is not a new phenomenon. In fact, sociological theory can help us understand it more. Subcultures, like the punks of the 1980s, feel a sense of exclusivity – communities have a passion for a subject and this insider-knowledge helps form identity. When elements of the subculture are co-opted by the mainstream there is a backlash, because the community feels its identity is under fire. This happened when grunge music burst into the mainstream during the 1990s. Pretty soon, everyone was wearing distressed flannel and skipping the shampoo.

If you’re new to Twitter, don’t worry. Listen, learn and follow people who interest you.

If you’re one of the original Twitter users, stick with who gives you value, and don’t waste time worrying about it having jumped the shark. When something bigger and better comes around, you’ll probably know about it before anyone else, anyway.

And if you have a nagging curiosity to see how long you’ve been on Twitter before Oprah, check out herebeforeyou.com.

No Comments by Michael on April 26, 2009
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Remember when the printing press was invented?

After Gutenberg invented the printing press back in the fifteenth century, leaders like Martin Luther found it a handy tool to carry out a revolution. While few in those times were literate, they eventually began to read and ideas spread. How different would your high school social studies class be if Martin Luther didn’t have a printing press?


As time passed, only elites — kings, barons, noblefolk — were permitted to operate these printing presses. Cynics might say this was how the powerful maintained their position over the powerless. Modern book publishing is a dilute example of this. Sure, you can write a book and publish it on your own, but more often than not, you will not reach millions of people through Random House, but the John Grishams and David Baldaccis get to.

Social media users are now literate, and some argue the space is going retro, as in Web 1.0-1990s-retro — so enucleates Ad Age’s Simon Dumenco. Again, the cynics amongst you might say this is because elites — tycoons, CEOS, corporate executives — want to gain control over the online space to stay at the top of the hierarchy.

What was to be a revolution of democratized media, bringing power to the people, may turn out to be just another printing press: a tool for one-to-many communication.

If we look at the development of each of the traditional forms of mass media, print, television and radio, there was always a seed of hope among the revolutionaries for a revolution. As it stands now, these tools are all, more or less, owned by elites for one-way communication. Will the people’s social media evolve any differently?

(photo credit: dunechaser)

No Comments by Michael on April 19, 2009
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My Other Twitter Account is a…

Nora Roberts on Twitter

When wildly prolific romance author Nora Roberts began churning out novels at a rapid pace, her agent advised she use a pen name in order to put out more titles. Seizing the opportunity allowed not only for more books but for a change in genre. Ms. Roberts had always wanted to write sci-fi romance novels, so she chose the name J.D. Robb and put out her line of successful techno-romance-thrillers under this pseudonym. It doesn’t matter that everyone now knows J.D. Robb is Nora Roberts, her readers know which name delivers the goods they want.

A couple months ago, between job applications and during commercial breaks in Days of Our Lives (joking…), I created @BCMovies, a Twitter account solely about British Columbia’s film and television production industry. Did you know the province of British Columbia is the third largest centre for film production behind L.A. and New York City? I’ve got lots to work with.

One of the reasons I created a separate account was because not many people following my personal account (like New Yorkers and Torontonians) care about the film industry in a province in Canada, but British Columbians take pride in this successful industry, and we get a thrill from spotting familiar locations in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. It also doesn’t hurt that the Twilight sequel New Moon began filming in Vancouver around the same time.

The account isn’t anonymous. I declare who I am in the bio, but I have a significantly different group of followers than the ones for my @michaelallison account. The tone of my updates for @BCMovies are more serious than those from my personal account, and I interact with the community in a different manner.

So, it’s something to consider. If you’re starting a business or decide to share information about your hobby, consider adopting a nom de plume of sorts, so people who want your content on a specific subject know where to get it.

And if I ever begin writing romance novels under an adopted name, I’ll be sure to let you know.

No Comments by Michael on April 13, 2009
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It's Easier to Complain than Find the Answer

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zps10jk5Ei8]

Saw this on Twitter from Yule Heibel. It’s Tzeporah Berman, President of PowerUp Canada, speaking at the Building a Green Economy conference in Vancouver on April 7, 2009. Around 8:25 she says, “It is far easier to be outraged than it is to stand in support of solutions.”

Expand the idea. How does this apply to your world view? Your faith in institutions? Government, business or society?

No Comments by Michael on April 8, 2009
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Don't say I didn't warn you…

British Columbia Flag

If you’re eligible to vote in British Columbia, then here’s your warning:

You have 40 days to register as a voter and research your choice for MLA for the Provincial General Election on May 12, 2009.

There will also be a referendum on the BC-STV voting system. Educate yourself.

That is all.

(image credit: Alanna@VanIsle)

No Comments by Michael on April 2, 2009
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