Social Media Talk

Slide 1: Participatory Media: The view from inside June 07, 2008 

Slide 2: about: self Who: Shyam Somanadh (aka codelust) What: Erratic writer/blogger since 1999 and a platform junkie Why: Economics grad, trained in journalism, fascinated by technology Where: With Network18 since 2005; job profile: principal enabler WWW: http://fatalerror.in http://twitter.com/codelust

Slide 3: about: scope • What: Participatory media • How: Our experience in participating in it • Where: On http://www.ibnlive.com • A bit about the product • Our learning • Problems we faced • End-user perspective • Your questions

Slide 4: But… We thought this event was about Social Media?

Slide 5: But… We thought this event was about Social Media? AND

Slide 6: But… We thought this event was about Social Media? AND What on earth is this participatory media?

Slide 7: I CAN HAS MY SOCIAL MEDIA PLZ?

Slide 8: First A fair warning * * Do not attempt this stunt at your Web 2.0 household

Slide 9: Because. This. Could. Hurt.

Slide 10: Brace for impact Ready?

Slide 11: Here we go There is nothing called social media

Slide 12: Once more, louder & clearer There is nothing called social media

Slide 13: WTF? BUT..

Slide 14: WTF? BUT…. WHY??

Slide 15: Social Media does not exist because • The converse would then have to hold true

Slide 16: Social Media does not exist because • The converse would then have to hold true • That rest of the media is asocial or antisocial

Slide 17: Social Media does not exist because • The converse would then have to hold true • That rest of the media is asocial or antisocial • Any media, by nature, is social

Slide 18: Social Media does not exist because • The converse would then have to hold true • That rest of the media is asocial or antisocial • Any media, by nature, is social • You write about people/events, which are consumed by more people

Slide 19: Social Media does not exist because • The converse would then have to hold true • That rest of the media is asocial or antisocial • Any media, by nature, is social • You write about people/events, which are consumed by more people • Ergo, something that is not social, is not media

Slide 20: Going Further… • There really is no ______ Media

Slide 21: Going Further… • There really is no ______ Media • There is only Media

Slide 22: Going Further… • There really is no ______ Media • There is only Media • Which delivers content created by someone - about someone or something

Slide 23: Going Further… • There really is no ______ Media • There is only Media • Which delivers content created by someone - about someone or something • That is finally consumed by an individual, group or groups

Slide 24: Going Further… • There really is no ______ Media • There is only Media • Which delivers content created by someone - about someone or something • That is finally consumed by an individual, group or groups • ______ Media is the classic Bollywood 'zara-hat-ke' (it is different) approach to product differentiation

Slide 25: What is Participatory Media? • It is about people being a part of the conversation

Slide 26: What is Participatory Media? • It is about people being a part of the conversation • It is something that widens the entry point for creation (blogger, wordpress, livejournal, tumblr) of content

Slide 27: What is Participatory Media? • It is about people being a part of the conversation • It is something that widens the entry point for creation (blogger, wordpress, livejournal, tumblr) of content • It is something that allows everyone to participate than the select few (comments, forums, blogs)

Slide 28: What is Participatory Media? • It is about people being a part of the conversation • It is something that widens the entry point for creation (blogger, wordpress, livejournal, tumblr) of content • It is something that allows everyone to participate than the select few (comments, forums, blogs) • It is something that amplifies your participation, mixes and mashes it up to create new contexts

Slide 29: Our Story: the bulleted version • IBNLive.com started in December 2005 as the online presence of CNN-IBN • We wanted it to be different: based both on belief and business necessities • The traditional television establishment did not 'grok' the Internet • But they realized it was the future and backed us fully and wholeheartedly • We have done a fair bit, but we still have a long way to go

Slide 30: Our Story: the product • Pushed user comments as a must-have, than as an optional extra • Introduced blogging (internal and external) from day one • Introduced podcasts • Your Voice: The news in your voice • Introduced topic/theme-based blogging • Flagship initiative: Citizen Journalism • Public Ka Kaptaan for cricket

Slide 31: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular

Slide 32: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular • If you are in it for the traffic, then get out and stick to the usual suspects

Slide 33: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular • If you are in it for the traffic, then get out and stick to the usual suspects • 20% contribute, 80% consume, 5% stinks up the whole place for the 100%

Slide 34: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular • If you are in it for the traffic, then get out and stick to the usual suspects • 20% contribute, 80% consume, 5% stinks up the whole place for the 100% • Brands matter a lot: Established names get excellent recall/repeat traffic

Slide 35: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular • If you are in it for the traffic, then get out and stick to the usual suspects • 20% contribute, 80% consume, 5% stinks up the whole place for the 100% • Brands matter a lot: Established names get excellent recall/repeat traffic • People matter a lot: Consuming news is a habit; switching that is hard to pull off

Slide 36: Our Story: the learning • Uptake has been good, but not spectacular • If you are in it for the traffic, then get out and stick to the usual suspects • 20% contribute, 80% consume, 5% stinks up the whole place for the 100% • Brands matter a lot: Established names get excellent recall/repeat traffic • People matter a lot: Consuming news is a habit; switching that is hard to pull off • Expect the unexpected: o In what will be said (good and bad) o In how much will be said (average comment length, regulars ) o In how it will be said (local language comments)

Slide 37: The users’ story • Remuneration: should we not get paid?

Slide 38: The users’ story • Remuneration: should we not get paid? • Copyright: should we not 'own' our content?

Slide 39: The users’ story • Remuneration: should we not get paid? • Copyright: should we not 'own' our content? • Liability: sites indemnify themselves, liability rests with the commenter

Slide 40: The Challenges • It is hard to scale participatory media (resource and time intensive)

Slide 41: The Challenges • It is hard to scale participatory media (resource and time intensive) • Advertisers don't like it too much (content can be very unpredictable)

Slide 42: The Challenges • It is hard to scale participatory media (resource and time intensive) • Advertisers don't like it too much (content can be very unpredictable) • Legal hassles: comments have generated legal notices and much ire at times

Slide 43: The Challenges • It is hard to scale participatory media (resource and time intensive) • Advertisers don't like it too much (content can be very unpredictable) • Legal hassles: comments have generated legal notices and much ire at times • Inconsistency: Both in terms of quality and quantity

Slide 44: The Challenges • It is hard to scale participatory media (resource and time intensive) • Advertisers don't like it too much (content can be very unpredictable) • Legal hassles: comments have generated legal notices and much ire at times • Inconsistency: Both in terms of quality and quantity • Next steps: Where do we go from here?

Slide 45: The greatest challenge for both ______ Media proponents and the non-believers is this:

Slide 46: The greatest challenge for both ______ Media proponents and the non-believers is this:

Slide 47: The greatest challenge for both ______ Media proponents and the non-believers is this: How do you – as an established media entity or otherwise – compete with funny speaking dogs and cats for prominence in the same space?

Slide 48: Questions? Thank you