Social media is changing the world for the better.

I know this because of the conversation I have, over and over again, every time I run a social media workshop for companies. It starts with an honest and understandable question: “What if we get on Twitter and people say horrible things?”

For companies who aren’t yet engaging with customers on social media, this is a worst-case scenario. People will be complaining, in public, and these complaints will be visible to everyone, and other people who see those complaints might not like us anymore, and then the good times will be over. Providing a soapbox on which our customers can advertise their dissatisfaction runs counter to every protective instinct we have.

The problem, of course, is that those complaints are already being aired online. Anyone upset enough to go to your Facebook page and tell you what they don’t like is upset enough to tell their friends and followers in your absence. Staying off social media doesn’t stop the problem; it merely removes the discomfort of having to deal with it. Being on social media at least gives you the chance to respond.

And here’s where the second question comes in: “What if we respond the wrong way? What if we say something stupid?”

On social media, we’re afraid of the same things we were afraid of back in eighth grade: that people will be mean to us, and that we’ll make fools of ourselves. For the most part, we’ve overcome these fears for our personal Facebook profiles and Twitter accounts; as companies, though, it’s still the first day at a new school.

The good news is we’re grownups now. We get a chance to do it again, and do it right. To allay those anxieties, I propose Two Golden Rules for Not Making Your Company Look Stupid on Social Media:

Rule 1: Act With Integrity

The first rule isn’t about turning your company into a group of enlightened monks or save-the-world superheros. Integrity is about being consistent. It’s about (to use a horrible consultant phrase) living up to the brand promise. It’s about making sure that what you see is what you get.

Sometimes, what you see isn’t peaceful, or wholesome, or spiritual — and that’s fine. But where companies get in trouble is when they pretend to be something they’re not. SIGG found this out the hard way, when their “eco-friendly” water bottles turned out to have BPA in the liner.

Rule 2: Admit Your Mistakes We all mess up, especially on social media. But the optimal way to deal with a mistake is to admit it, take any steps necessary to correct the situation, and then move on.

A few years ago, Hugh MacLeod shared an email he’d filed under the category: “When It’s Time To Bitchslap The Newbie.” The message was a clumsy and overbearing link-exchange request; MacLeod was gracious enough to anonymize it and spare the sender visits from his readers (one commenter complained: “Aww, you should have given the url so readers can troll the crap out of it”).

Imagine for a second you’re the person who sent the email. Imagine you’re seeing those responses, and imagine further that the original post doesn’t mention your name or your company. What would you do? Me, I’d want to run for the hills — after all, nobody knows who I am. The email’s author, however, took a different tack, and left the following comment on the post:

Hugh – First of all, sorry for starting off on the wrong foot and creating a bad first impression with you and your readers. After more than 10 years in traditional media, we are learning this new way of talking and we’re just taking our first steps. So thanks for not biting our heads off.

Secondly, a big thank you to the folks who commented – especially Rachel and Joaquin – for pointing out what we did wrong and how we can go about doing it right.

Like everyone else, we’re learning as we do and your post is a lesson for us. And this time we’ve learned our lesson.

Cheers

Johnny Boston

CEO Raw Digital

Cheers to you, Johnny Boston. Well done for acting with integrity and admitting your mistakes. When more companies make that shift, the world will be a better place.

Do you believe social media is changing the world for the better? Let me know, in the comments or via @kcolbin.

The bucolic woods of Weston hardly resemble Madison Avenue: however, the creative minds generating development projects – and adroitly executing their ideas cost-efficiently – are a formidable rival for their urban counterparts.
Johnny Boston, founder and chief creative officer of Raw Digital, a Manhattan-based video production company known for its cutting edge spots, recently announced the opening of its Connecticut division. Christine Fulton, a producer and researcher for Raw Digital, will oversee the Weston-based operation. She is also married to Boston.
An award-winning production company, Raw Digital has successfully worked with a diverse group of clients, such as Moet Hennessy, Amnesty International, Ladies Home Journal and the Clinton Global Initiative, to name a few.
In addition, Raw Digital has garnered the reputation for taking a non-traditional approach in creating brand opportunities for its clients. An all-encompassing, one-stop shop, Boston said that the company is responsible for all creative solutions, strategy, distribution and digital work.
“It’s all about finding an entertaining way to engage your audience,” said Boston. “It’s about storytelling and delivering your message quickly and successfully.”
The town of Weston was the backdrop this summer for a series of webisodes produced by Raw Digital for a British dairy export company. As business development manager for Coombe Castle USA, Melissa Chesman approached Boston, her Weston neighbor, about heading up the project.
“Raw Digital was the perfect fit,” Chesman said. “I needed someone who could think outside the box. I wanted to find a balance between providing a branding opportunity for Coombe Castle and also help create awareness for this particular product, which most Americans are not all that familiar with.”
Born and raised in Great Britain, Boston provided not only a keen sense of the product itself but also insight into how the video would be received across the pond.
The collaboration between Chesman and Boston’s respective companies resulted in a clever, sexy spot that pleased both the American and English audiences.
“We wanted to make it entertaining and fun,” said Boston. “You don’t want to hammer people over the head with your message.”
This summer Boston also filmed a webisode for Ladies Home Journal. The popular women’s magazine commissioned Raw Digital to explore “What Defines a Lady?”
Using local talent, including Fulton and Chesman, Boston shot a fast-paced lively spot entirely at local venues, such as Compo Beach and private residences in Westport and Weston. Chesman has since joined the Raw Digital team as its development director for the Connecticut office.
Boston also recently took the helm of a production team creating promotional videos for a local dance company, Chi Dance. The business had recently been taken over by new owners and they were also opening up a second studio. Raw Digital was able to contribute its branding expertise as well as video production experience.
“I have wanted to do more producing in Connecticut,” Boston said. “I hate my commute. I hate the train, especially.”
Although he could cite problems with Metro-North – or traffic issues inherently found in commuting by car – Boston also acknowledged that expanding Raw Digital’s business to Connecticut has much to do with being closer to his family.
“I’ve been a bat for so long,” he said, smiling. He often leaves before the sun comes up in the morning and returns to his Weston home late at night when his two children, Alex, 6, and Zoe, 4, are asleep.
However, the smooth execution of this summer’s projects encouraged Boston to establish a Connecticut base for Raw Digital.
“We’re thrilled to be working in Connecticut for a number of reasons: first and foremost being it is our home,” said Boston. “There are also a lot of great tax incentives for film and television and a lot of supportive regional institutions. A large body of our work is branded content, and of course there are a lot of wonderful Connecticut companies we are looking to work and establish relationships with.”
According to Chesman, Raw Digital has several ongoing projects such as the sidekick version of “Desperate Housewives,” which reveal the underlying juicy truths about the seemingly normal participants in a suburban book club. Boston and Chesman admit that some of the anecdotes are based on real-life tales that they heard from people they met when they moved from Manhattan to Connecticut.
However, they are also quick to point out that they have also been introduced to interesting people who support their creative work.

Two representative groups of CNBC viewers from the UK, France and Germany were shown a segment from the CNBC produced Healthy Horizons programme, with half exposed to five second Philips branded bumpers at the beginning and end. Both groups then watched a spot advert from another advertiser and then a Philips advert. The group exposed to the strategic branded content associated with Philips were:

• 35% more able to recall unprompted, the brand involved
• 29% more found the accompanying spot advertising got their attention
• 33% more were able to remember the message from the accompanying spot advert
• 82% of those who watched the strategic branded content segment enjoyed the programme and felt more positive about the brand.

The research, conducted on behalf of CNBC by Continental Research, also showed that those exposed to the strategic branded content associated with Philips had:

Better engagement – they were more positive about the brand and related spot advertising

• 27% more viewers found the accompanying Philips advert interesting
• 30% more felt the spot advertising for Philips was relevant to them
• 32% more preferred the strategic branded content to other advertising and publicity they had seen.

Better awareness – viewers were significantly more likely to remember the subject of the Philips spot ad

• 83% of all viewers said they were more likely to notice a sponsor that has been associated with a programme over a period of time than one featured in an advert
• Those who saw the strategic branded content were twice as likely to be aware of Philips’ involvement in the health and wellbeing initiatives.

Brand advocates – advertisers benefit from being associated with engaging content

• 73% of those who had seen the strategic branded content were likely to recommend Philips products to a colleague or acquaintance
• 82% of all viewers said that if they enjoy a programme they tend to feel more positive about a brand which sponsors it.

Paul Maraviglia, Vice President Sales, EMEA at CNBC said: “This research sheds new light on how strategic branded content makes a direct impact on the viewer and the brand. The study shows an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards branded content. Viewers get great content and brands benefit from greater recall, engagement and awareness with the audience.

“The findings show how the positive association that viewers have towards a programme can rub off directly onto the brand partner. Strategic branded content offers advertisers the chance to associate with powerful programming and enhance their brand equity.

“It’s also interesting to note that viewers exposed to strategic branded content develop a greater appetite for advertising and have higher interest levels. Ultimately branded content viewers are significantly more likely to purchase or recommend the brand they’ve seen. Far from being taken for granted, this research puts strategic branded content on the agenda as a powerful marketing tool.”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/32355980

Compare a play from the 1800s and a web video being watched on an iPhone– the delivery methods couldn’t be more different, but both mediums share the fundamental characteristic of telling a story that resonates with an audience and using its delivery method effectively.

We are compelled to tell stories, share information and with every new technology we adapted. The basic idea, the creative expression of information, remains the same. But with newer tools, the level of engagement with the recipients of that information is quickly evolving.

With the advent of radio and television, stories were brought into people’s homes, and in order to get market share and audience in a world with more options than ever before, networks had to deliver quality by hiring great writers, producers and directors.

With cable, audiences became more segmented and so came the opportunity for programs to be more specific and relevant to specific interests. So, in addition to originality and quality, there was a need for relevance in programming. MTV was the great example of how the new network understood their demographic and gave them relevant programming.

When the Internet became commercial and wide-spread, many thought we could just throw out the old rules (let users create their own programming); while others thought we don’t have to change any rules (just put TV shows online). What was missing was the understanding of the Internet as a vast computer network that changed communication from one way messaging to an active conversation.

An early success story that benefitted from audience interaction was the web series ‘The Spot,’ which premiered in the mid-90’s and featured audience interaction with characters via email, as well as suggestions for the direction the stories should take. The show had a two-year run; entirely admirable considering it was launched over ten years ago. Undoubtedly, a large component of the staying power of the show was due to its interactive components, which created an invested fan base. With the increasing number of tools available now, similar success stories have been gradually more forthcoming, and greater series longevity should be anticipated.

The web allows immediate response on a global scale. Coupled with the extremely democratic nature of online content delivery and the power of peer-to-peer sharing, the opportunity had changed dramatically. Instead of a studio dictating content in the closed environment of a theatre, the viewers are largely determinant to what is successful, popular, and what generates buzz and traffic.

This form of distribution demands that a conversation happen with the audience. To engage viewers, you not only allow them to connect with the stories, but you encourage them to talk, tell friends, and learn more about the programs. This is where creative ways of using YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and many other interactive applications allow the audience to take part in these stories and the worlds around them created by a multifaceted platform of content.

By utilizing the multi-platform capabilities of social networking, widgets, et al. advertisers can increase the duration of exposure of viewers to a specific brand or message. This level of specificity and interactivity are the hallmarks of the coming revolution in digital storytelling.

Then by utilizing thoughtful, creative, and unobtrusive integration into content, publishers can offer brands a reach and staying power unavailable to them in the traditional commercial format.

Original online content has the potential to develop and retain audiences that was previously non-existent. Rather than moving pre-existing shows to a new medium, it is about creating compelling programs by partnering with experienced or at least original storytellers. By building these audiences, increasing the time they spend with the content through traditional mediums and on-line, you get better recall from information you present, and then you have something that is really compelling to your advertisers. It is the answer to the growing demand from the marketing industry that is looking to increase the level of conversation with their audience.

There are already signs of interest from the major media players, and sources of revenue are become more nimble, allowing for serious investment in quality content. The creators of ‘LonelyGirl15,’ originally an underground hit that grew, have been giving a production deal through CBS to develop more content for the web, and my own company Raw Digital has a partnership with Hearst Publications to increase their online presence through original content programming. The future of media is web-based, and the big names are catching on and doing all they can to get in on the ground floor. The secret of success in this new field, with such a variety of content, is keeping an audience engaged in your show.

http://www.adotas.com/2009/01/building-a-video-universe-one-user-at-a-time

Last week I moderated a session at the Digital Publishing and Advertising Conference (DPAC) on the subject of video monetization and syndication strategies for publishers. We had a great mix of panelists represented with Matt Wasserlauf, CEO of Broadband Enterprises, Johnny Boston, President of Raw Digital and Lynn Bolger, EVP  at comScore.

While we discussed many topics including the best content approach for increased traffic and ad revenue and the many different advertising formats, the discussion was all about making money today from online video advertising. I asked for a quick show of hands in the room on how many attendees were content publishers, at which time more than fifty hands went up. I then asked, how many publishers are making enough money today from online video advertising to cover anything more than your distribution costs? With that question, the room fell silent and not a single hand out of the more than fifty went up.

And these weren’t YouTube style publishers and independent video creators in the room. These were some of the largest online video publishers across many different industry verticals. After the panel, I spoke to many of them about their specific business challenges and what they needed in the market to be able to truly monetize their content. While answers varied, the number one complaint from all of them was that online video advertising still lacks targeting which keeps CPM rates lower than they would be if the right ad was being targted to the right user. I complained about that myself during the session saying it was bad enough I kept getting Gillette Venus women’s razor commercials on MSNBC.com, but even worse was that MSNBC.com delivered me that same ad eight times in a row before I got a new ad.

While I keep hearing online video advertising networks and platforms say they do targeted advertising, non one seems to be using it and I question whether or not the technology even works. Major publishers aren’t targeting ads to viewers even though it sounds like this is what they need to be able to charge a higher CPM and start to cover more than just their distribution costs. And until publishers can target the right ad to the right user, based on demographics, many publishers are going to have a hard time ever making money from their online video.

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/the_business_of_online_vi/2008/11/dmp-conference-takeaway-online-video-publishers-not-making-money.html

Here are three companies that specialize in these types of films and, if asked, will travel to make it happen. With more than 20 years of combined film and television industry experience, Lifefilm Productions co-founders Peilin Chou and John Brancaccio use the same production professionals they worked with at companies such as Walt Disney Studios, MTV Networks, ESPN, and Bravo to craft their celebratory docs. The firm prides itself on delivering broadcast-quality, story-driven films that are truly entertaining.

Past clients include C-level execs from Hasbro and real estate developer S.R. Weiner. Rates start at $5,000, with longer and more intensive projects ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

Husband-and-wife team Christy and Jonny Sheehan started Mad Props Productions when a tribute video they made for fun for a friend suddenly found them fielding requests for more of the same. With resumes that include broadcast work for companies such as VH1, A&E, NBC, and E!, the pair produces television-ready videos featuring top 10 lists with a fast-cutting style and artistic flair, or, if desired, more sedate pieces. Previous work includes 40th birthday party tributes for executives at Miramax Films and an investment bank. Fees start at $5,000.

Video production and corporate media development company Raw Media Network’s portfolio ranges from quirky and irreverent (a rockumentary parody complete with Mick Jagger and Bono look-alikes for a C.E.O. tribute) to weighty and reflective (videos for the Clinton Global Initiative and Amnesty International). Raw Media president Johnny Boston states that regardless of the topic or the tone, the foundation of the firm’s work is crafting compelling stories. The company enlists top industry talent, from broadcast cinematographers to writers with credits including Saturday Night Live and the Academy Awards. Prices begin at $5,000.

—Mimi O’Connor

Check the article here

Just got a press release from CosmoGIRL! in my inbox about a new video soap they will be launching in spring of ’08. From the release:

CosmoGIRL! magazine and Raw Digital, a Raw Media Network company, today announced a partnership to launch an online soap opera series set in a suburban high school. The announcement was made by CosmoGIRL! Editor-in-Chief Susan Schulz and Raw Digital CEO Johnny Boston.

The three to four minute webisodes will air three times per week for five weeks. The soap opera series will live on cosmogirl.com and will follow best friends Jaime and Anna as they navigate through the trials and tribulations of their junior year of high school. Set in a small town in Michigan , the antithesis of The OC, the two heroines will be faced with hard times that will leave viewers questioning whether or not their perfect world will crumble before they graduate.

If yesterday’s link to the AdAge.com (reg. required) story about how sponsors are flocking to Kate Modern is any indication, a successful online video series could be a boon for teen mag websites or at least be a digital product that they can monetize. It will be interesting to see if they sell sponsorships separately or as a value add to advertising in print magazine. I kind of think these magazines have to begin seeing their digital products as the core product…I also think part of the reason Kate Modern is successful, just as Prom Queen and LG15 have been successful, is because they live on large social networking sites (Bebo, MySpace). The press release only says “the series will live on Cosmogirl.com.”

Check the article here

STANDING at the crowded bar in New York’s Soho House, Johnny Boston looks very uncomfortable. The 5ft 9in president of New York film production company Raw Films Inc has his head tipped back at an angle more usually associated with the victims of car accidents as he chats with 6ft 7in Jim Buckmaster.

Buckmaster, chief executive of Craigslist, is in New York for a question and answer session to a select audience of the new wave of digital entrepreneurs and media types. “I wish I was that tall,” says Boston. “Be careful what you wish for,” says Buckmaster. It is his theme for the evening.

Buckmaster was invited to talk by the Glasshouse, a talking shop for the digerati started in London during the last dotcom boom back in 1998.

Eight years on, most of the first wave of web businesses have gone to the wall. But not Craigslist, the world’s most used classified ad service. The site started in 1995 and now attracts more than 7 million new ads each month, operating in 190 cities and 35 countries. It’s the seventh most visited website on the planet and attracts 3 billion page views per month. The majority of the ads are free — the company makes its money charging for job postings in big cities such as San Francisco and New York. Its been profitable since 1998 and employs just 19 people.

The crowd know all this. What they want to know more about is money. Unlike nearly all of its successful contemporaries, craigslist has eschewed cashing in with an IPO or sale despite a flood of offers. “So why haven’t you sold out?” asks the Glasshouse’s Judith Clegg.

“We do hear that a lot,” says Buckmaster. “We make a good living and we are not interested in selling. (Gasps from the crowd). You should be careful what you wish for. Do you really want to have to walk around with bodyguards?” There are cries of “Yes, yes” and “I do” from the back.

Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar sits on Craigslist’s board. According to Forbes, Omidyar is the 35th richest man in the world with a fortune of $9.9 billion.

“The problem with insane wealth is that not all of it is good,” says Buckmaster. Someone in the audience laughs insanely.

Buckmaster argues that the secret of the site’s success has been that it has not had to chase for extra dollars. Craigslist has no banner ads, no pop-ups: “Customers never ask for them,” he drawls.

The website doesn’t even have to think about what the competition is doing: “We just work on our project list. We don’t have the staff even if we wanted to mount some great response.”

And what about the future, asks one guest. “Aaah. I don’t really have a grand vision,” says Buckmaster.

Sitting at the front of the room, Buckmaster seems almost normal height. Most of his length appears to be leg. He has that casual, laid-back West Coast vibe off pat. Buckmaster’s voice is low and slow and he has the quiet confidence of someone who knows he has little to prove. His microphone keeps cutting out. He doesn’t seem too fussed. He likes New York, likes seeing celebrities on the street. Samuel L Jackson was in his hotel. He’s a rock star, but not the front man.

Think Dave Grohl in Nirvana.

But for this crowd, all natural-born sellouts, Buckmaster’s tune is a little hard to hear.

“What would you do if Arthur Sulzberger (New York Times publisher) offered you $1 billion for Craigslist? Tomorrow!” asks someone who sounds like she’s describing a daydream she has had many times.

“Well it hasn’t happened as often recently,” says Buckmaster. “But we’re not interested.”

“Jesus,” sighs a woman at the back.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article729844.ece