Say It With Flowers

I'm currently reading Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (it's a very thorough and in-depth examination of social media marketing); I started this morning with their take on the rise of the the web's voice when it comes to a groundswell of opinion.

And coincidentally, we've seen this in action today with the support garnered by the veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas, who noted at a White House briefing yesterday, "that [George] Bush 'has admitted that he did sign off on torture' saying it damages 'the credibility of this country'." In the USA, this isn't the kind of talk that gets aired at the White House press briefings. It grabbed the attention of the liberal-leaning Reddit and Digg devotees, and made the front page on both.

And then today, Reddit commenter eddie964 started a thread asking for donations so they could send her flowers as a thank you. So far, six hours in, they've raised $2000. All because, in their eyes, Ms Thomas asked the right question, a question they feel had been missing from so many White House press briefings over the past few years. Again, it's risen up the front pages of both Reddit and Digg.

Ten years ago no common cause as small as this ("throw in some cash to buy Helen some flowers") could gain such an upsurge in popularity. Today it's commonplace.

Is this a thank you, or a bribe? Doesn't matter really. What matter is that it's genuine. And like the Streisand Effect, the Ron Paul donations, Jennifer Laycock and "Other White Milk", the George Allen Macaca incident, the Walmart blogging fiasco and more, the web is a conduit of power from the audience, the underdog and the wronged, and not from those in power.

The strategy you use the web for marketing and PR purposes is vital if you're to remain in control of your own destiny.

You don't tell lies.
You don't say one thing and do another.
You don't control the message.
You work with the communities.
You create trust and honest conversations.
You ask the right questions.
You listen.

Do that and you may get sent flowers sooner than you think.

Labels: digg, effect, flowers, helen, reddit, thomas