socialADDICT

As Internet marketers all know Web 2.0 is all about the user. Users are the ones generating the content; uploading their ideas in the form of blogs and podcasts, sharing pictures and music with the community, and taking the initiative to share their knowledge and exert energy into some kind of niche network. With so many communities sprouting up continuously, we as marketers and mediators of communities need to learn how to distinguish our blogs, our podcasts, and the design experiences of our community. We need to differentiate our ideas, design our conversations, develop relationships and promote the community. Ultimately become a conversation architect.

Think of it as a site mediator on steroids. Constantly promoting the community, building up a great user experience, developing relationships and nurturing those relationships is what makes the new generation of marketing so exciting. The conversation architect is also about acceptance. Marketers must accept and understand the shift in power from marketer to consumer (user). And in order to understand, marketers need to talk with the users. Sounds simple right? You’d be surprised how little conversing goes on between the people behind the website and the end user. In my opinion those will be the sites that ultimately FAIL.

Even with a shift in power, marketers and designers are still developing the interface but they are now giving up the control of what should be done inside the site. Instead, successful sites have extremely dynamic content, offer endless potential to their community, and embrace fresh and funky user generated ideas. On top of accepting this idea of fluidity, marketers should be the conversation architects to facilitate the conversations and ideas with all members of the community. At this point you will begin to thrive a vibrant community full of active, loyal, and influential members.

I’m continuously working towards becoming a great conversation architect.

Also, can I get my business cards updated?