Staying Out of The Woods So I Can See The Trees.
Posted by Anthony LaFauce on March 25th, 2008 9:26 PMWow, the past few post I have written have generated some amazing traffic. People have been reading my post and talking amongst themselves. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing I have started a discussion to help people think about social media.
Recently a blog post I wrote about twitter sparked a discussion on The District of Corruption, an audio blog hosted by Geoff Livingston and Aaron Brazell that I love, about the tone that The Social Times writes in.
To be honest Geoff and Aaron were spot on when they said that I write with a certain level of indifference and I think I do it for the good of all who read this blog. I have been a PR professional for a few years now, and before that I was a sailor in the Untied States Navy.
If anything those two professions have taught me one thing, playing the devils advocate is a good thing. Having a moment of pause can mean the difference between failure and utter successes. I try to be as objective as possible to allow others to think before they leap.
While in the Navy I found that everyone quickly jumped on board to a good idea. One person has a spark and everyone falls inline. I was successful in the military, very successful, by offering my shipmates a second opinion; a chance to think before they swam. I was never objective to be out of line and I think my thoughts were appreciated.
While working in PR I have found that everyone thinks their idea or business venture is the greatest thing in the world. As a communications specialist I remind them to take a moment before they commit to anything, I offer an objective opinion.
For the last few months that is what I have done with this blog. Many of you have meet me in person at social events and as a professionals. I absolutely love the technology scene is Washington, DC and social media in general. I offer my opinions as an alternate opinion.
Too often I see professionals jumping the bandwagon because it is easy. I offer my opinions as a chance to see your world from the outside. Ask me about your business model, ask me about the great tool you have created; I will provide you with something you will not find anywhere else… The cold honest truth.
My opinion is here to help create a community and is as valuable as all of the yes men out there. We all serve our purpose and all are equally important. If everyone in the room says yes I feel it is my duty to offer a simple and concise no, just to get everyone talking.
I could be wrong, but I think offering an outside opinion is one of the most valuable services I can provide. I could be wrong, do any of you out there think I am being overly critical of social media?
I think this is a very exciting time for DC, the convergence of technology and people gives us a chance to not only cover but shape the future of media, social technology, and what services we might be using 5 years from now.
March 26th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Great post, Nick.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:36 am
@Aaron,
I didn’t write this … Anthony did
March 26th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Irreverance is good, but it’s not always right.
So for example, that still doesn’t tell me why you guys don’t cross-link. I see that as anti-community, anti-social. Where’s the skeptical reason behind that? If you shut down all criticism, you are not part of the community, and you are not open to gain information.