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Jalopnik Doesn’t Get Social Media, Attacks Scott Monty

The Gawker network members and car lovers over at Jalopnik.com have posted a childish attack titled, “Scott Monty: Ford Social Media “Expert” a Bit of a Twit.”

Let’s forgo the glaring immaturity of the post’s title and explore Jalopnik’s argument. First, let me disclose that I’m a fan of Jalopnik (perhaps until now). I read it numerous times a day, follow Jalonik on Twitter (and now editor-in-cheif, Ray Wert, more on that below) and recommend the site to fellow car fans. Jalonik is fun to read and has a refreshing edge and honestly that makes them the best site on the web for auto news and reviews.

However, while Jalopnik is inherently part of the social media landscape, it’s readily apparent that the site (or its editor-in-chief) doesn’t understand social media. Here’s why:

Posting time. Jalopnik posted this at 11pm on a Friday night. If the editors really wanted to go after Scott this would be Monday morning news. Now, it’s the weekend and many won’t hear about this until Monday when it will be hopefully resolved. Posting any kind of attack at 11pm on a Friday night is cowardly and representative of the unwarranted nature of the post.

Twitter. As a site, Jalopnik uses Twitter almost exclusively to promote new posts. While more interaction may be ideal, I get their strategy, it makes sense for their site and I even follow. So then let’s take a look at editor-in-chief, Ray Wert’s, Twitter stream. This is the same guy who uses the phrase “navel-gazing” in his attack and who calls social media a “masturbatory echo chamber.”

Navel-gazing indeed.

Ray’s criticism represent the common stereotype against Twitter, “who cares what I’m doing and why do I care what others are doing.” Yet, his stream is a prime example of the mundane, useless details that sculpt that stereotype. Clearly, there is a lack of understanding.

Wert banned Monty from Jalopnik’s comments section. I really do not understand this move. If Monty is everything Jalopnik claims him to be, why not just let him publicly seal his own fate in the comments section? If he’s bullying and unprofessional there, surely Ford and the social media community will hear and see for themselves and react accordingly. Instead, Wert removed Monty from the conversation entirely, then attacked him without Monty being able to defend himself on the site. I’m interested to see how Monty reacts via his blog.

I’m an avid reader of Jalopnik as well as an avid beliver in social media’s potential and power. Wert and Jalopnik could very well be right about Monty, but I just don’t see it. Over the last few months, I’ve watched Monty present social media, read interviews with him and followed his blog and tweets. Everything I’ve heard leads me to believe that Monty understand his role at Ford and in social media. As I express above, the same can’t be said for Jalopnik. And while normally Jalopnik can’t be held to same standard of understanding, when the site sets out to attack Monty, they must be.

As of this posting, Monty has not responded, only tweeted, “Woke up this morning to this: http://tinyurl.com/ctmroq What do *you* think?” I hope to update this post throughout the weekend as this continues to develop.

Twitter’s Unused Celebrity Potential

Shaq on Twitter

Matt Rhodes over at SocialMediaToday.com wrote an interesting post asking, “Will 2009 be the Year of Twitter?” My initial reaction was, “Wasn’t 2008 the year of Twitter?” After all, Twitter has grown 752% in 2008.

But some think Twitter’s growth and popularity will stall. In their Marketing Over Coffee podcast, John Wall and Christopher Penn discussed whether or not Twitter is this year’s Second Life. There are plenty of people out there who still think Twitter is just full of people giving insignificant details of their daily activities.

So has Twitter run its course? No.

I get that there are other microblogging competitors out there and that Twitter lacks a business model, but Rhodes was right, Twitter has not yet reached it’s potential.

One key area that we haven’t seen explode yet is Twitter’s celebrity potential. Citing THE_REAL_SHAQ (the NY Observer proves its really him) and Obama, we can see how popular a celebrity’s 140-character messages can be. Twitter offers a unique and immediate satisfaction to a very celebrity obsessed country. Who wouldn’t love to see the small, unreported details of their favorite celebrity or athlete as they happen? Isn’t this why we read gossip magazines and visit Perez.com?

Imagine the possibilities. What if Christian Bale tweeted? What about Heath Ledger? See where I’m going with this?

Twitter is brand building tool and celebrities have their own brands to build. What separates most celebrates from most of us is that their professional brands are their personal brands.

I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface of celebrity Twitter use. If 2009 is in fact the year of Twitter, we’ll see more and more celebrities (and even politicians) use Twitter in a way unique to those in the public limelight.

Are You Well-Read 2.0?

Photo courtesy of Chaparral

What does Shakespeare, Plato and Seth Godin all have in common? You can read some of their best work for free on the internet.

With Web 2.0’s shift in transparency and idea-sharing comes a shift in what it means to be well-read. Until the internet’s rise to informational world domination, access to resources were limited to your relative location to the right texts or quality of education. Lived in middle of nowhere? Too bad, you’re stuck with knowing only what surrounds you.

Of course, that is no longer true. The playing field has been leveled. An 11-year old in small Kenyan village has access to the same resources as an MIT grad in Boston.

But are you making the most of all the internet has to offer? Regardless of your profession, niche or unique interest, you can find enough information online to keep you busy for years.

Remember all that time you spent in English class, asking how reading Dickens is going to help you in the real world? Well, now you have no excuse. Everything you need to succeed is out there 24 hours a day, for free. No more reading Cliffnotes the night before the essay test. No more pretending to know more than you really do.

Be honest with yourself and think about those topics you’ve been faking your way through in conversations with co-workers and friends (we’re all guilty). Learn how to change your brakes, take a course on eco-engineering, or become a more passionate kisser.

Open your browser, invest some time and contribute to the conversation. We’d love to hear what you have to say. But be warned, if we call on you during class, we’re going to know whether or not you did your homework.

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