Comments on: Colleen Coplick presents to CPRS on "Beyond Blogs", but someone didn’t get the point

By: Valerie Chanson

Valerie Chanson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:22:12 +0000

I have heard from people who attended the social media presentation on April 11 and I think that the issue here is not about how to present to a diverse crowd with varying levels of familiarity. The comments I have heard address the speaker’s apparent lack of preparedness and the value of her content to a professional audience who was looking for more depth and substance. I have heard from university students and seasoned professionals alike about the presentation and the feedback was the same – they were disappointed at the quality of the information shared as it is a very interesting topic to many of us who work in the field.

By: Tris Hussey

Tris Hussey — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:42:07 +0000

You’re bang on Michael. People just have to be patient, IMHO. Unless it’s SM for newbies … you’re got to really do a shotgun approach to the presentation and put a little in for everyone.

By: Michael Allison

Michael Allison — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:45:24 +0000

I agree with Tony. Some people attending these are starting from a baseline of no knowledge while others are social media peers, and some are somewhere in between with advanced knowledge of some aspects and little knowledge of others.

They say “know your audience” but maybe social media presentations…at least for now…are unique in that these audiences are so diverse?

By: Tris Hussey

Tris Hussey — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:42:00 +0000

I didn’t even subscribe to the blog…now I’m just going to have to read now.

Great points Tony!

By: Tony Hung

Tony Hung — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:38:33 +0000

I totally agree — its hard to create a presentation that’s appropriate for a group with diversified backgrounds and levels of experience.

In the next post, said critic waxes poetic about the things he or she learned in SEO in a subsequent talk that others may have found (as I put it in condofire’s comments) basic and mundane.

I think its hard to criticize a talk fairly if its *goal* had been to address people who don’t know very much about social media in the first place.

Cheers
t @ dji

By: Dave Traynor

Dave Traynor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:37:00 +0000

Hey Tris — Interesting post. I agree that PR folks (of which I’m one) are struggling to know how to respond to social media as part of their mix. But that’s not unlike most other innovations that have come forward in the tech biz. We have early adopters and those who are happy with status quo. But I’d say the sands are shifting and I’m seeing a lot more interest from my colleagues in learning how to join in the conversation.