Why?… you may ask. Because I want to be connected. Or, scratch that. I need to be connected.

So I asked myself, does everyone else feel this way? Or at least a majority of the people that may read this blog (all seven or eight of you)? And I don’t mean connected in a way that you can call someone, but rather, connected that you can share, post, rant or rave anything at any given moment — whether it be 1. a snapshot of a delectable dish you are in the process of consuming or 2. a nugget of wisdom from the extremely insightful speaker at the conference you are attending or 3. a frustration / FTW situation you want to share with the rest of the world (or your network, at the very least).

If you could relate [to any of the situations], you may find the rest of the article worth reading.

Given the world of real time reporting — of national importance or otherwise — I began to ask myself, has social media changed our rules of etiquette? To help illustrate this point, let me give an example…

Imagine yourself in a business conference. Everyone in the room is attentively listening to the speaker that has flown in from the other side of the globe. During the keynote presentation, you have an epiphany — a point of revelation that the resource speaker is dishing out a lot of valuable information. Being a social media junkie, your first instinct is to grab your phone and click on Twitter or Plurk to share the wisdom… in 140 characters or less. But, this being a “serious” business brouhaha, conventional etiquette calls for prim and proper decorum. Back straight, eyes up front and full attentiveness.

However, during recent trips to numerous conventions, seminars, talks as well as blog events, I realized that the rules just may have changed a bit. Staring at your mobile phone or punching away at your keys during any presentation, nowadays, is an accepted social norm. No longer is it frowned upon or are you viewed as rude — now, you are sharing with the world, in real-time. Hashtag it, Tweet it, Plurk it, Facebook status it, take a photo. The important thing is you share what you find interesting or relevant. And in doing so, your smartphone or mobile device is now the gateway to a much broader audience, transcending spatial boundaries and time differences.

So the next time you find yourself in a formal occasion, you don’t really have to think twice about pulling out your mobile phone. With the new social rules and etiquette, it has become quite acceptable, perhaps, even encouraged. Of course, this may not always work — especially if you are in an intimate group, or in a classroom. So use discretion wisely. If you do get into a spot of trouble, at least you have an argument in your favor — you’re sharing the events with the rest of the world.

What do you think?

In more recent times, we have also seen another global phenomenon making its way to our shores — Social Media. And being such easy adopters, we have seen the rise of users — from the tech savvy bloggers to the ordinary housewife to even our household help. Everyone has a Facebook account, a Multiply account, perhaps a Flickr or Youtube, a Twitter or a Plurk… and yes, even Friendster is alive and well (though some would disagree). It’s not an uncommon phenomenon nowadays to hear the phrase “add me up in Facebook” or “i-Friendster mo ako.” Some would even go as far as to say that the social networks have now replaced the most commonly used form of communication (as opposed to text messaging).

Would I go as far as saying that the Philippines has become the social media capital of the world? Probably not. But, we could be heading in that direction. In the recent Wave 4 study done by Universal McCann, these are some internet usage stats that were discovered:

• 67.51% of online Pinoys have uploaded videos to a video sharing site
• while 98.1% have watched videos online

… and more stats from the Wave 3 study:

• 83% of online Filipinos are part of a social network
• 86.4% have uploaded photos
• 90% of online Pinoys have read a blog

Along with the rise in popularity of Microblogging in the Philippines, I will place my money on Social Media to be around for quite some time. And just today, I came across this article. Needless to say, we have learned to utilize the internet and a lot of its offerings — for the mundane to the life-changing. And in the coming years, I can only see our usage of these new mediums to increase, as we find more and more ways to connect, share and let people know what we are up to. Social media capital? Not just yet.

But in the meantime, i-Facebook niyo ako.

And this was good. Instead of reading a biased write-up or review or being spoon fed a brand marketers message, we could now get all kinds of information from people that included their personal opinions on whatever subject matter that was relevant. And therein lay the power of the blogger — the ability to give personal views without reservation, while remaining unbiased and without vested interest.

Of course, a lot of brands noticed this; the ability of a blogger to get his message across to potentially millions of customers. A few brave, early adopters experimented with this. And the localized blog event was born. Back in the day (read a few years ago), bloggers were lucky to get invited to one blog event a week, as they came few and far between. But as we have all seen, one event a day is the new norm. In fact, for others, one a day is a dry spell in their calendar.

As I have stated numerous times to clients, and oftentimes during speaking commitments, over this short span of three to four years, there has been a lot engagement between brands and bloggers. And during this same time, there has been a “feeling out each other” sort of courtship. As both sets of parties have gone with the flow, there has been a constant evolution on both sides, from the simple, smaller things to the much bigger issues that underlie the relationship.

As a median to both parties (bloggers and clients), I have been privileged to get a glimpse into both worlds. I have run through the gamut of concerns, listened to the issues of both, and addressed their wants and needs. But as the slow evolution and learning process of both parties goes on, I have come to realize that one thing seems to stick out like a sore thumb: etiquette.

Okay, great. Another litany on blogger etiquette.

Well, yes and no.

Yes, because there are just some things that have to be said. Some bloggers may feel that they wield enough clout to skirt certain rules of etiquette. No, because this also applies to those companies that hold these blog events.

Let me stress this point, before I continue: my aim is not to finger point. I enjoy this business of meeting bloggers and participating in events. I want them to continue. Therefore, my main objective is to make both parties realize that there are certain unsaid rules that make for a better relationship.

For Bloggers

1. RSVP is not only a French acronym. There is a reason organizers send out invitations and eagerly await your replies. Oftentimes, clients inform organizers how many bloggers can be accommodated. This may be due to budget constraints, facilitation of the program flow or various other reasons. The RSVP helps determine who is going to attend and how many people will show up, allowing for a smooth event. This of course, leads me to the next point:
2. Gatecrashing. Again, there is a reason why you are invited to certain events. Perhaps it’s because your blog is relevant to the clients product or service, or maybe you have built a good relationship with the organizers. But for whatever rational, you are invited for a specific reason. Never assume that you should be there or that it is your right.
3. Mass Inviting. Yay. I was invited to Event A. Who’s gonna be there? Nobody I know or like. I’ll invite some of my friends. In this situation, a few problems arise. A guest list was made for a specific reason. So if you do decide to invite other people, refer to #1. And if you find yourself being invited to an event by an invitee, refer to #2. Be considerate enough to contact the organizer and ask for permission to invite (insert # here) of bloggers.
4. Observe guidelines. So you make it to the event you’ve been eagerly anticipating. You get so giddy with excitement that you forget your manners. More often than not, organizers prepare a program flow for the events proceedings, and parameters are usually set beforehand, either by the organizer or by the client. Questioning these guidelines is just plain rude.
   

For Clients

1. You can’t dictate if, when and what blogger will write. A common client question is “When will the bloggers write about the event or the product / service?” The short and fast answer: when they feel like it. As a follow up: “Can we make sure they write nice things?” Again, the short and fast answer: no.  You cannot expect these things from bloggers. The appeal of utilizing the new media is heavily rooted in the fact that bloggers are honest reporters — in what they see, hear and, ultimately feel about your brand. Asking them to go against this code is a strict no-no. Which leads me to point number two.
2. Go all in. Doing things half-baked will always result in less than pleasing consequences. We always advise our clients to make sure their communication to the bloggers is clear and concise. As a corporation / brand, it is your job to effectively communicate what it is you want to impart to the blogger. The event is held to facilitate and make the experience more enjoyable, and to show appreciation and validity of these bloggers. However, ultimately, the effectiveness falls squarely on your shoulders. If the bloggers takeaway is somewhat cloudy, then you can pretty much expect output of the same. Worse still, if the event bombs and you produce a communication fail, you may find yourself with a party bill and nothing to show for it.
3. Do not ask for ROI. There have been occasions when we have heard the clients say to the blogger: “Please email us the link of your blog when you are done with the write-up”. While this may seem like a reasonable request to some, it also comes off as ‘I just fed you and entertained you. I expect a write up in return.’ First off, please refer to #1. Secondly, let the organizers compile these entries for you, while you let the natural course of these events take place.

As a final word (and semi-disclaimer), these rules on etiquette are ever changing. As bloggers, clients and event organizers evolve, the basic rules of engagement alter. This article doesn’t claim to address all of the problems both parties face; these are just some of the latest concerns that have been presented.  And again, this is an effort to shed some light on both parties to ensure a longer and more fruitful relationship, with  better understanding of each others concerns.

It’s funny, I created this blog a couple of months ago on an inspiration induced whim. I had something I wanted to write about. In fact, I had a few things that I really wanted to write about. But, as we all need to keep our day jobs to pay our bills, I got swamped with a whole lot of other stuff. Add the fact that I don’t have internet where I reside… and you now have a great formula for procrastination.

But all jokes aside, if you haven’t read the About page, I can pretty much fill you in on what this blog is going to be about.

Ideally, I’d really like to share any thought and ideas on our growing tech world — whether it be on hardware, software, social networking, digital marketing or any news we would deem worthy. Of course, I’d rather not just rehash some PR articles and do away with the bylines… I aim to put more insight and share personal views in the coming months… or however long this love affair lasts.

So until the next post, cheers!