Ears are not new. What’s new is channel proliferation, lost attentiveness, and the many new ways to listen. Listening has been reborn.



We don’t just listen in person any more. We can automate our listening (via Google Alerts for example, Chris Brogan’s famous post explains on “Bigger Ears” that really well [1], but we’ve advanced on so many fronts)



Listening / Conversations can be:

• Synchronous or asynchronous
• Dynamic, interactive and fast
• Slow, fragmented and spread across different channels
• Joined-in and abandoned by one of more people
• Anything in between

It may sound odd, but a single person can keep a conversation alive, nurturing it, building it, sharing it, fanning it. I know this only too well, he says smiling. Conversation can linger like smouldering camp fires. Perfect for sharing. Sitting around. Noodling. And the smoke signals can be read from miles away, well pretty much from anywhere around the globe. We live in one integrated village.



People don’t always say what they mean (I call this “listening between the lines”). You need to hone your skills to hear the real nuggets, to extract your best insights.



Today listening takes on many forms:

• real people in person face to face or via phone/video conferencing
• blogs & reviews (and the comment flow / link sharing via Facebook, LinkedIn etc) – for you and your competition blogs/products
• competitors and their conversations (You’ll only get a partial view, but you can listen in all the same)
• email, text messages, Facebook messages, Tweets & DM’s
• alerts [1]
• inbound SMS shortcode and other forms of polling (think American Idol voting)
• QR codes and other means of offline to online integtration
• voice mails or video mails
• video

I’m bound to have missed something.



We can also listen with our eyes. We can observe a whole gamut of information from a persons face [2] and the voice in your head.



But beyond visuals clues, we can ask harder questions, like

• What can’t you see?
• What’s stopped happening?
• What hasn’t happened yet?

That’s where the real gems are buried (or is it the bodies). For a Phd in listening you’ve got to work all the angles. Learn how do dig!



Conversations are a fluid concept that we all seem to know how to use. We’ve learned from repetition. Be smart – Rethink how your company listens – conversation won’t stop evolving.



Today, there are newer more subtle forms of listening, going beyond Google Analytics. The Business Intelligence component of social media is often overlooked. Perhaps you’ve not thought of it as listening. You can apply metrics and intelligence to almost all of these channels. There’s always something you can’t measure. And there’s always some startup working on fixing that. We live in a fast changing world.



Yes, you can even listen to how people watch video (that’s what HusTream does). You can learn how your videos are consumed. Video has it’s own unique challenges/philosophies. That’s not the topic of the post, but here’s a few questions to ponder:

• Are people watching or even really listening to your video? Is the sound turned down? Have they walked away? Are they busy doing something else? Know how to answers these questions?
• How well does your current video listen? Not well I’d dare to say. Google Analytics (or what ever you use), can’t do such a good job with video in general. It’s an architecture problem. If your video is architected to be linear, you are stuck.
  
  
  
  With linear video, viewers can’t effectively fast-forward through video (and extract meaning). It’s a frustrating process for your viewer. Hence viewers abandon. It’s not like skimming text. Few online video-platforms can effectively track how it’s been consumed or enjoyed. Both viewer and provider experiences are broken.
  
  
  
  For better listening try shorter videos. It’s a philosophical change that makes sense. Just like a conversation, split your video into small chunks. It makes for way better insight into how your content is consumed. You remove the need to skim.
  
  
  
  We strongly believe each clip should be 45 seconds or less. Reality is not as simple as that, but that’s the highlight.

Why is this important? Have you asked about the relative cost/interaction across the different channels. How does Face to Face compare to a Call Center to a Video? When you realize your choices, you can formulate a listening policy – a strategy.

• How much does it cost you to engage in conversation?
• How much does it cost you to listen?
• Which is the most effective way to progress sales?
• Are you creating new leads by sharing conversations for many people to join in?
• Are you ready to manage your conversational mix across channels and drive down cost/interaction?

Conversations have changed to much.So have the economics. It’s a balancing exercise. In the short to medium term, you can reallocate time and resources differently to different channels.

1. The first step is recognizing the change, the new channels/choices.
2. The next step is to have a listening strategy – a listening policy.

Have you noticed “Conversation” is the Social Media metaphor of choice? Conversation spans all forms of communication or media – Radio, TV, Websites and Social Media. Then there’s conversations via Email, Voice Mail, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & even Video and Video Messaging. While there are many ways to listen to, there’s a bigger change impacting business.



The way society perceives conversation has evolved. You can safely bet any new fangled gizmo you haven’t yet grasped, will be riding the social conversation wave. The big question is, have you adapted your business to truly leverage every dimension, every element of both conversation and listening?



To help you grasps the potential, I’d suggest a new way to think about listening. Try listening in three dimensions. Listening has gone social and you can be heard. Question is are you leveraging that as an asset or hiding and locking down your sales cycles like a old-school control freak?



Listening has been reinvented/repurposed. Are you listening in three dimensions? Are you listening and being listened to? Have you let go of control the conversation, in a good way?







So why should you care as a Business? Where’s the bottom line impact. Simple:

• Conversations lead to attention.
• Attention leads to understanding.
• Understanding leads to trust.
• Trust leads to sales.
• Done right sales leads happy customers and referrals.
• And listening is the glue that holds it all together. It’s the cycle of life.

So there’s nothing new there, right? Wrong!



We’ve risen from earlier times, living in caves, where we use to tell stories, go on hunting expeditions, drawing on walls (the old powerpoint). We we’re born social. That’s the essence of being human. Telling stories around a camp fire. Technology has taken us full circle, back to tribal behavior. Today much of our socialization and hunting is done online.



We hunt online for customers! Equally moderns man hunts online for products. Or to think of it another way Social Sales Cycles & Social purchasing Cycles. Is this news to you? Were certainly accustomed to sharing reviews on Amazon.

By really listening and letting others listen to your conversations, you can tap into the new economics of social selling and social sales cycles. You can he heard a litte or a lot. It’s your call. The question is will the control freak in you let go enough to benefit from the new economics?



Today Attention is our scarcest resource. We guard it well. For our own sanity we give Attention in very small measures.



Listening is the only way into your brain. Your prospects are no different, right! So how do you get them to listen? Well what makes you listen? A good conversation takes a least two listeners. You can lead by example. Begin by listening. Begin by asking questions:

• Don’t assume people need to know everything.
• Don’t assume people know nothing.
• Don’t assume people care.

What does that mean? It simply means match what you have to say to what your customer needs. Their needs, not yours. It’s their sales cycle, not yours. Too bad. You can complain or embrace the change. Where are you?



So conversations are good. Listening is good. They should go hand in hand, but the tongue is a poweful beast and holding it still can be real hard. Sadly listening often gets relegated to second place. Be smart and get it right and more people can listen to you and the same time as you listen to more people. The economics of listening have changed.



Let’s explore what listening in 3D really means.

So where now?

This post is connected to four other short hyper-linked posts. It’s more like a conversation. You are in control. It kinds of emulates conversational video, but via a blog post using text. You choose how and what you consume. So let’s explore, but on your terms. Where next? What do you want to know next? You choose?

1. Intro – Tribes Share, Conversations Engage. Listening’s Social Dimensions – Channels x Attention x Reach
   
2. Channels – Listening across all Media (opening your mind to listening everywhere)
3. Attention – Listening to grow the time your audience spend watching/reading
4. Reach/Sharing – Listening inside social sales cycles. Creating customer tornados via open sharing
5. Dummies Guide to Creating Interactive Conversational Video from Linear Video Clips

Have you noticed “Conversation” is the Social Media metaphor of choice? Conversation spans all forms of communication or media – Radio, TV, Websites and Social Media. Then there’s conversations via Email, Voice Mail, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & even Video and Video Messaging. While there are many ways to listen to, there’s a bigger change impacting business.



The way society perceives conversation has evolved. You can safely bet any new fangled gizmo you haven’t yet grasped, will be riding the social conversation wave. The big question is, have you adapted your business to truly leverage every dimension, every element of both conversation and listening?



To help you grasps the potential, I’d suggest a new way to think about listening. Try listening in three dimensions. Listening has gone social and you can be heard. Question is are you leveraging that as an asset or hiding and locking down your sales cycles like a old-school control freak?



Listening has been reinvented/repurposed. Are you listening in three dimensions? Are you listening and being listened to? Have you let go of control the conversation, in a good way?







So why should you care as a Business? Where’s the bottom line impact. Simple:

• Conversations lead to attention.
• Attention leads to understanding.
• Understanding leads to trust.
• Trust leads to sales.
• Done right sales leads happy customers and referrals.
• And listening is the glue that holds it all together. It’s the cycle of life.

So there’s nothing new there, right? Wrong!



We’ve risen from earlier times, living in caves, where we use to tell stories, go on hunting expeditions, drawing on walls (the old powerpoint). We we’re born social. That’s the essence of being human. Telling stories around a camp fire. Technology has taken us full circle, back to tribal behavior. Today much of our socialization and hunting is done online.



We hunt online for customers! Equally moderns man hunts online for products. Or to think of it another way Social Sales Cycles & Social purchasing Cycles. Is this news to you? Were certainly accustomed to sharing reviews on Amazon.

By really listening and letting others listen to your conversations, you can tap into the new economics of social selling and social sales cycles. You can he heard a litte or a lot. It’s your call. The question is will the control freak in you let go enough to benefit from the new economics?



Today Attention is our scarcest resource. We guard it well. For our own sanity we give Attention in very small measures.



Listening is the only way into your brain. Your prospects are no different, right! So how do you get them to listen? Well what makes you listen? A good conversation takes a least two listeners. You can lead by example. Begin by listening. Begin by asking questions:

• Don’t assume people need to know everything.
• Don’t assume people know nothing.
• Don’t assume people care.

What does that mean? It simply means match what you have to say to what your customer needs. Their needs, not yours. It’s their sales cycle, not yours. Too bad. You can complain or embrace the change. Where are you?



So conversations are good. Listening is good. They should go hand in hand, but the tongue is a poweful beast and holding it still can be real hard. Sadly listening often gets relegated to second place. Be smart and get it right and more people can listen to you and the same time as you listen to more people. The economics of listening have changed.



Let’s explore what listening in 3D really means.

So where now?

This post is connected to four other short hyper-linked posts. It’s more like a conversation. You are in control. It kinds of emulates conversational video, but via a blog post using text. You choose how and what you consume. So let’s explore, but on your terms. Where next? What do you want to know next? You choose?

1. Intro – Tribes Share, Conversations Engage. Listening’s Social Dimensions – Channels x Attention x Reach
   
2. Channels – Listening across all Media (opening your mind to listening everywhere)
3. Attention – Listening to grow the time your audience spend watching/reading
4. Reach/Sharing – Listening inside social sales cycles. Creating customer tornados via open sharing
5. Dummies Guide to Creating Interactive Conversational Video from Linear Video Clips

I got really frustrated with this video yesterday. It was wasting my time. It was being disrespectful. Don’t TrendHunder know the people have short attention spans. Don’t Trendhunter know video audiences have exponentially decaying half lives? Did Jeremy Gutsche miss that trend? Trendhunter how can you miss that? Sack the Editor!



It has a rambling self-congratulatory honking 1 minute and 20 second preroll trying to tell you how good TrendHunter is. I so nearly tuned out. 80 second with no meat, just fluff. I just happen to love innovation, so I pushed on, ignoring the voice in my head. I’m glad I did. So I’m pre-warning you. Skip the first 80 seconds.



Rant aside I think the content is great, awesome in fact. Speaking a lifelong innovator, I can see Jeremy gets the mechanics of innovation. I couldn’t resist not ribbing Jeremy Gutsche and Trendhunter for the self indulgent puff piece. The main course was way better that the starters.







And then I thought, why can’t you do that in YouTube out of the box. Let me start at 80 seconds, for example.



And then I thought how this could be generalized to support video quoting. To allow you to pick a small segment of a video clip so you can ensure your audience goes straight to your point, but you can also allow them to view the full context of the original video.



This may seem off, for me or for HuStream to be suggesting features to YouTube. I have a simple answer, I’m a “bigger-pie” guy. We don’t competete with YouTUBE in any real sense. YouTube as a platform is are much of a communication channel or medium as Twitterl. We are at opposite ends of the cultural dichotomy.



I comment frequently on features and frustration with Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and less so on random tools like Klout, Peerindex, Tweetlevel or Hashable and ipad Apps like Pulse. Flipboard or Draft.



I live and experience technology. I experiment. I love to share my thoughts and to have them both quashed and ratified (hopefully not at the same time). I wrote a blog post on how I leverage Twitter and #usguys to do that [1] – in case you missed it. So maybe in 2011 you’ll see more of these sorts of obsevations from me. I guess it goes under the cliche of finding your voice.



As an aside, I loved this video and I’m I’m going to blog about that separately, but I didnt want this point to get lost in that post.



That’s one of my simple rules. One point per post. Let’s get back to video quoting. Wouldn’t that be cool and social? Heck, wouldn’t you want – to post video quotes in your blogs, without the need to download and edit (aka shorten the content), with all the copyright issues that that may entail? It begs a really good question. How easy is your stuff shareable? How much of a friction barrier do you put between you idea and the whole world?

As a parting note, this contenti s way to good for it’s low 31k views. The take away. People who watch are abandoning. They are not getting to the sharing point. What’s your sharing point? And what are you doing to stop people getting there?

I’m fascinated by the Hyper-Loccal space for the last 2+ years. I’ve tracked lots of startups in the space and watched AOL acquire Patch and Going.com and more besides. I’m totally curious about online/offline fusion and such hybrid business models.


So now in the wake of Groupon/Google’s failed talks comes news of Groupon raising $960m – a billion dollars and change! Mind-blowing Web 2.0 hubble bubble toil and trouble. Or is it?


I was deeply relieved to read this article interviewing Paul Kedrosky in AdAge [1] but am I missing something?


For now I just want to ask a few questions. Can you help me answer them?


Positive Questions. The Pros:

1. This is a lot of money. Can this much cash act as a magnet? Ignoring flaws in Groupon’s model, by executing well, can Groupon simply acquire any idea or company that serves as an obstacle to their success?
2. Will enough free promotion help Groupon drives down cost of sale to make it work. Twitter achieved this, but it was much more granular. It also worked for Twitter because they became part of the media. Will this keep Groupon in the news for long enough to make it work? Can Groupon become part of the news?
3. Funding on this scale and the questions it raises could help Groupon crowd-source the solution for Groupon to executue on. Will the idea be valuable? Can Groupon listen and act intelligently on the advice the crowd is giving them?
4. Groupon is the counter to the centralized model that is Google. It’s all that Google isn’t. That said is that really a positive for Groupon? Is being the oppostive of Google a sustainable alternative?

Negative Questions. The Cons:

5. Is One Deal a Day a Day Sustainable?
6. Do we really care about deals that much? Many other “Coupon” or “Deal” based companies have tried and failed. Can Groupon really carry this off. Will is simply become an aggregators problem putting the ball back in Google’s court?
7. Do these sort of deals acquire long term customers and change buyer behaviour? It worked forHagen Daaz as deep promotions encouraged trial of an expensive product, that led to repeat purchase a full price. Will Groupon retailers come back for more? Will consumers repeat buy at list price? Can either afford to repeat the deal?
8. Is it defensible? Will Groupon forge the way, but simply not be able to defend themselves, given its a local/distributed model vs a centralized Google model?
9. It’s expensive to build a sales team and client-base (and when you have, what locks them in). Competitors can find Groupon clients for way-less cost per clients. Is there anything in Groupon’s model that I’m missing that a) locks in their staff and b) locks in their clients?
10. Twitter broke the specialization trend in Web 2.0 – it became the swiss army knife of social media. Groupon marks a returns to the specialize model. Do we, the consumer want a specialized deal site and specilized Location-basd sites? Are these sites simply alternatives. Will consolidation occur? Is deals different than LBS in the eyes of the consumer? Will one generalist win ? Or is specialized best?
11. Is Hyperlocal real? Can a Billion Dollars of VC make it so? I can see what AOL is building, with Patch being valuable becasuse it’s built on real local knowledge, but is Groupon really local in a way that matters to the people who live there?
12. Do excessive discounts simply teach consumers to expect massive discounts. Is that good for the retailer, the consumer, for Groupon?
13. Few Business Can Afford the 75% margin, so are Groupon Deals for loss leaders and job lot clearances? Am I missing something? Is this sustainable? Is Groupon a real business model for a thriving economy? What happens in an economic upturn?
14. Does Groupon’s team possess the intellect, the forward thinking and the passion to really succeed? Are the a Facebook, a Twitter, a Google? Or a Yahoo? Can they really spend that much money effectively?

I defintley feel a Groupon Movie coming on! Will is be as good as the Social Network? Will tickets be 50% off retail? Time will tell. What do you think? Am I missing any questions? Have you tried Groupon? Will you?


Here’s a couple of interesting links on Groupon’s history [2] [3] and one on social shopping [4]

An Apple / Skype combo is a potent cocktail. The idea has been running round my head for a while now.

• With their IPO pending, Skype is for sale.
• Apple has plenty of cash reserves to acquire Skype, but there could be other suitors in the form of Google, or even Microsfoft (with a thought to Mobile)

So why would Apple make this move? Simple. For Apple to succeed with FaceTime, Apple needs more faces, ie not just iPhone users. Skype checks that box bigtime. Apple’s userbase are passive in the most part, listening to music, playing games. By way of contrast Skype users do one thing – they create conversations at work and at play. Skype’s new multi-person video conferencing is major proof of the socialbase. It’s also a source of significant revenue – its. All that’s video content that can be recorded and shared. That’s social. That’s valuable. Done rights, that’s game changing.


The way I see it Apple are already deeply positioned in the communications/entertainment space:

• With iPhone 4.0, iPod Touch and iTunes.
• It’s commonly understood that iPad 2.0 will have a 2-way camera, opening the way for the iPad to become the conferencing device of choice [1, 2]
• There’s also a rumour that Apple will releease a “Johnny Ives” designed gaming console [3]. This console device will likely have at least one camera to support the drive into home communications and distributed gaming in the vein of Microsoft Kinnect. Video Games takes on a whole new meaning! The connected media room is coming, maybe even 3d video phones [4]
• 40% of all Skype calls are Video based. This number blew me away. Combine with with the fact only 20% of people have experienced a video conference call and you have lots of upside. Lots.
  
  
  
  I’m not the first to make this prediction. I won’t be the last, but in this post I go a little deeper and a little broader into Apple/Skype potential.
  [5] [6] [7]
• Apple already explored a relationship with Facebook that didn’t pan out. Skype is rumored to be exploring deep facebook integration. [8]
• A Skype acquisition gives Apple something of the “Social DNA” that so many companies strive for.

Here’s some more reasons why I think it makes sense:

• Apple is deeply committed to FaceTime’s success. If I was sceptical, I could say building FaceTime was Apple’s backup plan to not being able to acquire Skype for a sensible price. The existence of FaceTime and iChat are serious bargaining chips. I suspect FaceTime has it’s own origins deep in the heart of iPhone, but it’s more that as iPhone grew the Skpe/FaceTime value became more obvious. From an M&A perspective, you always need a backup plan unless you want to overpay. Beyond a backup plan, the synergy is obvious. Dominance in music and internet video phones is huge.
  
  
  
  By way of contrast Google has built Google Talk and Google Voice, but they are missing the social connection. Google, Microsoft and a few more besides could get into a bidding war here. Let’s not forget Cisco and. Amazon.
• Changing habits is hard. Skype is a habit that is as yet unbeaten. That’s worth buying.
• Skype boasts a massive 20-22 million active calls at peak times each day. That’s a seriously active crowd. With a nice mix of socializing and business. There is only one Skype. The same Skype we use at work and at home. Unlike Facebook, Skype has a clear mandate to cross work/play boundaries. Apple is a work/play company. Few businesses fit that bill.
• Apple already has iChat as an instant messaging tool, but iChat is limited to Mac. Connections to other platforms is via Jabber, Aim and now GoogleTalk. iChat is also uncharacteristically Apple. Where is the cool?
• Let’s also not forget Apple also has Photobooth, which is cool. Note the many Video effects, now found in iChat. Photobooth is a fun app for utilizing your webcam. Imagine if physical internet connected iPhotoBooths began to appear in Apple Stores and Malls around the world. Printing and video books to follow. Would that be social? Digital photobooths are proving a great money spinner right now for video production companies [9] [10] [11]
• Today I look at the products from Apple and I’m confused. This is not Apple’s style.. They are normally first to simplify. iChat, Photobooth and Facetime are ripe for consolidation. I’m curious why this is the case. I don’t see it persisting. That’s an observation that’s not connected to Skype, except it is.
• Apple also want to make Ping successful and with iTunes Apple already has a distribution and install vehible for PC’s.
  
  
  
  They could add PC-based Facetime. Many people think this is unlikely, but the fact iTunes is on PC makes this viable and within Apple’s current modus operandi. What would be a shocker would Apple offering FaceTime for Android. Crazy right? Very UnApple!
• Ping needs a crowd to make it work, to attract bands and finally kill off MySpace. Does your phone/video call need background music? Is there musical monetization potential if Skype were in Apple’s grasp? I think so. For one I’d look at Oovoo and WeToku and VYou for ideas. Non paying Skype customers should expect more ads. Skype is feeling tired to me. It needs a new lease of life and some more reasons to pay. Agree?
• It’s often forgotten, but, even with FaceTime, Apple committed to making it an “open” platform – no dout that will be an Apple style “Open

Well it’s that time of year. So here’s part 1 of my Video/Technology predictions for 2011. Part 2 is here



I’ve focussed on Business Video with the odd dip into humanity and life at home. For me, I know there is just one Nick. A Nick that works and plays with the same tools, the same intensity and often the same people. So I blend work and play without even noticing.



I strongly sense this blending of Work and Play is a trend that will reach us all in time. I work when I play and I play when I work. I don’t keep score. I just want to have fun – that way I don’t notice the work. Hence I’m finishing this off at home on Sunday while chatting on Twitter as I eat Egg and Soliders.



I’d love to hear your reactions – both positive and negative. Be honest. Tell me what you really think!

1. Human Presence Rises / Human Travel Falls
   
   
   
   I believe in humanity and man’s desire/need to share life with other humans and connect with all possible senses. I predict a rise in human presence in any/all situations where that is not yet the case. Think beyond phone-calls and conference calls. It’s all part of a bigger trend to re-humanize our lives and de-technify the web. Technology finally has come full circle to allow us to become seriously connected. Presence is hot.
   
   
   
   Pressure on travel expenses will drive up video adoption (eg multi-person conferencing). We still want/need the right guy in the right place. They will always close deals better. Just having “him/her” physically “present” is going to be become an impractical luxury. It’s going to need an ROI – a justification for physical over video presence. Video won’t kill he radio star, it will kill Airlines. It may just save the planet.
   
   
   
   Expect the number of people to have experienced the likes of person to person Skype / Video Conferencing to rise dramatically. I believe it’s currently only 20%. Have you ever recorded a Skype Video call? Did you know you can? Don’t you think that is really valuable?
   
   
   
   All I know if every time I don’t record a call, I kick myself. You can’t recapture lost moments.
   
   
   
   There are many others besides skype with an eye on this space. Check out Oovoo, Wetoku, VPanel and even VYou. Don’t not forget Apple with Facetime – next step PC and Android. The battle for our faces on video will be hard fought. There’s also the Telepresence crowd led by Cisco’s acquisition of Tandberg.
   
   
   

2. Video goes Operational – Outsourcing Shifts – Offshore to Video
   
   
   
   My prior post “Hey, Salesforce, What happened to the automation?” was a clue this trend. In an interest to drive down costs and increase human connection businesses will begin to place video right in the heart of operations. Right in the heart of processes.
   
   
   
   We will see true automation. Human experiences will be automated, by humans on video.
   
   
   
   This has many facets beyond a human desire to interact visually with other humans:
   • To share knowledge (more quickly and to learn what’s useful/needed)
   • To enhance to the customer experience (and be respectful and save time)
   • To leverage your best people (and to save $$$ and to maintain higher morale by expecting your key people to travel less – who doesn’t want that – travel should be fun and saved for holidays)

   Expect to see text and voice based interaction to be replaced by video. For an explanation I’d suggest watching this on-demand Webinar. The days of voice-only switch boards are numbered (they were a stop gap pending technology advance.). Expect to see Videophonists – think pre-recorded, self-navigated video experiences. Think Video FAQ. Customers crave a more human connection and business will begin to learn they can offer these types of solutions for very low cost.
   
   
   
   The cost of producing such self-service apps via video will give give India & China a run for their money. Experience trumps Switchboard. Local people on video trumps cheap people in the wrong location with the wrong accent. We want to see faces we can trust and connect to.
   
   
   
   Business Intelligence applications for analyzing video consumption and video app usage will explode and become a massive source of business insight. Think ClickStream 2.0 in the vein of WebTrends.
   
   
   

3. Recording & Editing of Business Video Content to Explode
   
   
   
   So far, Viral video that has driven video adoption. It’s been consumer led. This will change. Workplace video will be enormous.
   
   
   
   Why will this outstrip viral and personal video? More people work. And we spend more time at work. It’s simply a numbers game. Sharing content at work is really valuable. This facilitates collaboration, improved communication and it reduces travel and saves cost.
   
   
   
   With it will come new challenges and new solutions. Indexing video, transcribing, translating being just a few examples of challenges this will bring. You should never worry about these challenges. That’s the software company’s job.
   
   
   
   Expect to see more video recording studios at work, but don’t think expensive and slick. Think simple, small & practical. Think Video-booths with built in Webcams, good lighting, sound and simple access to tools to record, edit & share . In-place editing will reduce the need for post production, but not eliminate it.
   
   
   
   We will all learn that different content demands different levels of quality and post production. The first lesson will be shoot first, edit later. You can’t record a meeting you missed. I can’t say this often enough.
   
   
   
   Recording Skype calls and recording multi-person, multi-location meetings will also be a huge driver of Business Video Creation. Think of the sharing potential and think of the value to compliance. And think of the savings.
   
   
   
   Perhaps every meeting room will have optional recording facilities, with intelligence built into to pick the active camera.
   
   
   
   To recap – We will begin recording and sharing much more content in the workplace.
   
   
   

4. Remote Video Communication Coaching Services to Emerge
   
   
   
   Initially this was a thought about purely video direction and human communication via video. Teaching people to be more self-aware of how they appear via video. It was triggered by our experiences coaching people remotely via Skype to record deeper more connected, more authentic video.
   
   
   
   This still is totally valid and I see this as a trend. The outsourcing of Video Communication coaching, but on reflection it seems that the whole remote coaching opportunity is much bigger. You can remote coach pretty much anything.
   
   
   
   I have not data to back this up, but I just sense this could be a really interesting category. We’ve seen the rise of Virtual assistants. So what’s next – Virtual Coaches – virtually everywhere. Got any examples to share?

So I’m standing in a bar in a ski resort playing pool and I overhear a very interesting story that I simply had to share. Like many good bar stories it featured four young Australians. It tells an invaluable business communication lesson. Ask First. Teach Later.



The story that went pretty much like this, let’s call the guy Ben.



So Ben apparently got a job (that’s what young Aussies do in ski-resorts in Canada).



The first 25 minutes of Ben’s “on the job” training was on the use of box cutters. Excuse any incorrect terminology – this story was told in Australian. Perhaps it was a job in a warehouse or a supermarket. I missed the beginning.



So Ben was 25 minutes into being trained for his new job, when the excited trainer finally turned to Ben and said, “So what do you do?”



Ben answered proudly “I’m an electrician”. “Oh” said the instructor sheepishly, “I guess you already know this”. Ben grinned and nodded. Turns our Ben was pretty good with a box cutter. The four Aussies laughed out loud. I’m sure the trainer would not have been laughing if he’d overheard this conversation.



Simple Rule. Don’t assume what your already audience knows or needs to know.

• Ask First
• Teach Later

Asking is easy. Next step is tailoring your content in response. It’s simply more human. That’s what interested people do – It’s sensible and respectful. Don’t waste time and credentials covering old ground. We do a lot of that with conversational video, but it’s always nicer to tell a story to share an idea.



I’m a huge fan of Persona-Based Marketing. The book “Tuned-In” is a great starter guide to targeting your message to a very specific audience. Knowing your audience is the first step.







If you want an idea to resonate, get Tuned-In. Are you using Buyer Personas? If not why not? I’d love to hear your thinking

I was probably 10, I can remember the experience like it was yesterday. My big sister took her little bro’ to pick our family Christmas tree. She was home from university, driving her funky two-tone pink VW Beatle – it was the 70′s. Our differing views on the perfect tree stick with me to this day. It didn’t end well!



On Sunday I took my 9 year old daughter to find our perfect tree, along with some friends and a chainsaw. As I recalled my childhood, I also connected with two videos I’d watched recently. What help could Malcolm Gladwell and Barry Schwartz bring to the task at hand?



According to Malcolm Gladwell’s Ted talk there is no such thing as the perfect tree. Some want drop free, some tall, some round, some man made.







According to Barry Schwartz we’re just not good at deciding when we have too much choice, hence the Paradox of Choice. Schwartz assembles his argument from a variety of fields of modern psychology that study how happiness is affected by success or failure of goal achievement. Here’s an awesome Google talk on how to retake control of choice. He offers some tips for managing excess choice. I love this book.







Notice nobody is arguing we shouldn’t choose. We live in world where we’re in control of our own adventure. What makes your perfect tree. What/how would you chose?



My life lesson – In every case experience trumps product. I’ve lived in Canada since 2004. Canadians are entitled to cut down their own trees, for free, from crown land (specific rules apply). I’d never done it, Neither had our friends. They were natural born Canadians.



Out of ignorance, laziness of just a lack of curiosity we’d alway bought our trees from big stores or small garden centres. They sell products, not experiences. I’d always thought “the experience” began with decorating the tree.



In the forest we had a TRUE experience. It was a lot of fun. We faced the ultimate challenge – infinite choice. What won was the experience, not the tree. I’m never going to buy a tree again. Next year I’ll take my wife, our three girls and the dog. And our friends will come too. We’ll make a day of it.



It reminded me just how much we all should focus on the experience we offer. For example

• With my board-game, GiftTRAP the product is a party game, the experience offers great conversation and a chance to build deeper connection with friends and family. People buy the product, but share the experience.
• With HuStream the product is an online video platform (OVP) focussed on interactivity, the experience is about engaging viewers. We help you, the business owner to come across as authentic and trustworthy. That’s harder than it seems. The oddity of video is, you become the experience, for your audience.
  
  
  
  Personally I think about this a lot. I’m always learning, questioning, seeking. How about you?

So what about your products, your experiences? What are your life-lessons? How well do you communicate your experience? Are you ready for experiential marketing?

Confession: I LOVE Sir Ken Robinson. I’m as much a Sir Ken Fanboy as much as I’m an Apple Fanboy. His content is riddled with gems and loaded with punchlines. He’s a master of timing/delivery.



If you like Education, Creativity and Comedy, then Sir Ken is your man.



So laugh & learn for 50 minutes. I’m sharing three videos I’ve watched many times. Savour them. Comeback for more.



Non-linear Educational-reinvention resonates with me – deeply – personally . As a creative, left-handed, right-brainer I’ve learned to love learning. I’ve learned to appreciate my education (with a great deal of reflection). Sir Ken explains it much better than me.



I believe Sir Ken’s ideas need implementing to help future generations unlock their destiny/passion. Learning about the way we learn (aka “meta-learning”) is essential , as it should be defining how we teach.



I blog a lot about changing the way you (business at large) communicates in response to the modern non-attentive info-snacking audience.



I’m usually talking about business. Education is no different. It’s time we changed to fit modern life. I will say no more. To be effective, simply persona match. Sit back and enjoy.



Ask yourself how this applies to your business. I’d love to hear your thoughts.



Sir Ken’s 1st Ted Talk







RSA Animated Cartoon of Sir Ken riffing on Industrialism and Education







Sir Ken’s 2nd Ted Talk

Man, it’s fun working with Millennial’s! Hence, it’s fun working for colleges and universities.



We just launched a recruitment App for Olds College, a college that leads real-life, hands-on education in Canada, based out of Olds, Alberta. They have quite the reputation.







When we first started developing Olds College’s conversational APP, we looked at the college’s main belief: “We help you explore your passion!”



What a great creative starting point! We wanted, as always, to find the real personality of the students and what it was about the college that made them decide to go there.

• We didn’t want the voice of the college
• We wanted the voice of its students.

Jeff Suderman, Director of Student Recruitment, was instantly hooked on how our apps can connect to students from seeing our Douglas College student services app:

• He was excited and energetic to create something fun and informative
• Most importantly he wanted REAL
• This made for a rewarding and amazing experience for us.

I love it when clients GET IT!

Because younger audiences live and breathe video more than anyone else, I knew that finding that passion would be easy – and it was! During the shoot I got the students to answer honest, truthful questions about their own feelings of the college. This “testimonial” technique not only made for pure and powerful performances, but also made it extremely easy from a production and post production standpoint. We threw away the script. We also featured lots of students. It all adds to the authenticity



These kids blew me away!



Please check out the app and tell us what you think about this “testimonial style”. We have started using it with every client now and the results are pure and real – we know their audiences will be surprised at the authenticity.