Realizing Dreams

In an earlier post, I mentioned that social media belongs to our age group, that we are the ones who know it best, so we should be the ones to utilize and manipulate it. Well, it seems as though my opinions have turned into reality.

invite media, an online video advertising startup company, came out of the brilliant minds of four University of Pennsylvania students. Seniors Zachary Weinberg, Nathaniel Turner, Scott Becker, and Michael Provenzano started with an application for Facebook, but have now changed their game plan to a full-on online display optimization company with a social network component. The last few months have seen them move from a small studio apartment in North Philadelphia to an office building at the heart of the city. A management team, board of directors, statistics team and engineering team combine to create the brain-power needed to pull off such an impressive project. With the help of angel investors, venture capitalists, and a 2007 Wharton Business School Venture Award, the guys have been working hard to get the company off and running.

Such determined and skillful college guys don’t come around too often, so check back for updates on their progress – I expect great things to come out of that small studio apartment.

Back in the USSR?

Although China has been the main focus of debates on Internet censorship, it does not stand alone. There are many countries currently employing and exploring censorship of the World Wide Web and they offer many excuses to rationalize this infringement on basic human rights.

Rumors of Russian censorship of the Internet started back in 2000, when Vladimir Putin became the acting president of the newly democratic country. This article from early 2000 describes Putin’s use of secret service to monitor the Web, complete with the “stopping crime and corruption” excuse given for the crack-down. A Freedom House article also from 2000, talks of the Russian government’s apparent restriction of Internet use in the name of protecting the public. In 2002, Johnson’s Russia List portrayed a denial issued by the Russian Interior Ministry in response to an article about censorship published in a Russian daily. The author of the Russian article stands by his source and story and describes it as a “warning sign” of impending abuse. As the years go by, the censorship rumors have not waned. 2005 brought with it numerous articles on the debate, ranging from Russian newspaper Pravda to Radio Free Europe, both regarding censorship as a problem for the country.

But the biggest concern comes out of an article published in 2007 on the Russian News and Information Agency website. This short article quotes President Putin as he denies Internet censorship in Russia, but then explains that law enforcement officers should monitor the Internet to make sure laws are observed and crimes not committed. This glaring contradiction is the root of the censorship problem. Governments consistently declare that censorship is an act of protecting its citizens, and refuse to refer to it as censorship, per se. As in Putin’s case, he sugar-coats the problem by describing it as a “law enforcement” issue. Just last month, a Russian blog compared its Internet censorship to that of China; earlier this month, another blogger was quoted on Radio Free Europe as saying he believed censorship would continue into Medvedev’s term.

The problem with censorship is obvious: it undermines people’s rights in an undemocratic way. But Russia’s case goes deeper than that. Two decades have not yet passed since the end of Communist rule in the country, and democracy is still fresh in the land. This censorship, however, reminds the world of what Russian government is capable of doing. During Communism, censorship ran rampant and this new democracy doesn’t seem to be doing anything to stop that. It almost seems that little by little, Russia is reverting back to a time of oppression and unconstitutional rule. If its government wants to earn respect as a democratic nation, it should start by opening up channels of communication. Even the slightest bit of censorship reminds the world of what once was. In Russia’s case then, its censorship is hurting more than just its citizens, but what can be done to stop it in the face of great excuses reminiscent of the Big Lie?

Something to Think About..

Today I read this very interesting post on the PR Squared website dealing with Social Media News Releases. The story includes links to some of the more prominent companies that have put out news releases online and commends them on their techno-savvy attempts. The greatest part about these releases, according to PR Squared, is the two-way communication between the company and its customers.

But this raises a controversial point - how do the customers know for sure that the news release is actual news and not just fluff that is commonplace on blog posts? We have heard stories of Coca-Cola and other companies writing fake blogs to promote a product or company, so how are we to know for sure that these SMNR's are coming straight from the source and telling us useful information?

Our Turn

Last week, Brandweek posted this article on its website, proving once and for all that the Millenials may actually be good for something. A recent TNS Media Intelligence /Cymfony study concluded that agencies (including advertising, public relations, design and creative) lack expertise in social media. They consistently come up short when their clients want to take advantage of new online tools and maximize their technological potential.

Many agencies continue to apply traditional models to social media when they should be seeking new models to fit these novel forms of communication; they need to move beyond the closed media model and implement strategies that fit the ever-open world. These days, clients need more than just representation, they demand professionals who can evolve with technology and agencies who will stay on top of trends.

What the article doesn't mention, but seems obvious to me is that aging agencies may be the problem. Sure, college grads are pouring into agencies of all kinds, but the execs keep getting older. Leadership roles demand experience (and lots of it comes with age), but our generation holds the key to a whole new level of experience - natural born gurus. Well, maybe not born, but definitely innate. We've grown up directly inside the milestones and advancements - our peers are the ones coming up with these things, including social media. So as scary as it may be, I think it's time that we take over.