Collision Media

Intel Launches its Community - Open Port

This week Intel's community site launches under the guidance of Intel'ers like Bob Duffy.  I applaud this extension of Intel's blogging site.  It has gotten over 650 "members" in a few short days.

The on-line press has also started to pick these efforts up with articles in The Inquirer (a site that my former company, VNU, owns) but I think and hope that The Inquirer is missing the big picture.

I am not a technie or system admin.  I am in the publishing and now rich media world of webcasting.  Intel is extremely relevant to me since "Intel is Inside" (not my quote by the way) nearly everything that I do, touch and experience.  I use Intel-powered computers everyday or some knowledge by-product of Intel's computing power - I am sure this green tea I am sipping now got to me by some global logistics system powered by Intel.

My point is - don't limit this community to technies.   Intel is bigger than that and my hope for this community is that it grows outside the sys admin realm into my world. 

B2B User Generated Content - Let's Call it VGC.

There is much talk and real evidence of the important of User Generated Content, "UGC" to those in the know.  The list of sites seems endless these days -   YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Craig's List, Yelp! and on and on and on.  These are extremely popular and many times useful sites.  If you are in a strange city and bored, look no farther then your laptop or mobile phone to fill the void.

What doesn't get alot of attention is the content coming from vendors.  There are 3 types of content, that I value as a business (and consumer) buyer.

1. Independent reviews from the likes of media firms (PC Mag and CNet) and analysts (Gartner and Forrester).

2. Peer reviews from the likes of Amazon.

3. Vendor information like datasheets, whitepapers and of course webcasts.

I have just created a new acronym for the last type - "VGC", Vendor Generated Content.  I might even post it on Wikipedia this weekend before BBQ and beach action.  Vendors from Microsoft to mini-nobody create hordes of their own content.  It is a must have for their sales teams.  This content is often posted on their sites with minimial promotional support.

But for all the time, effort and cash that these companies spend on creating their VGC (catchy eh?!), they are not getting the most out of it.  To often it is tucked away on their website and forgotten about after the quarterly lead gen budget is spent on small AdWords campaign or lead gen programs from Ziff Davis and KnowledgeStorm.  Marketers are constantly moving to the next datasheet or whitepaper because their next product release is just around the corner.  Everyone is counting on version whatever to keep the company growing or save it from obscurity.

Marketers unite!  Your content, your VGC, is valuable to many buyers for awhile to come.  It simply needs to be nurtured.  You must find ways to make it interesting and inviting.  For example: a press release becomes webcast which begets a whitepaper which moves you to an evaluation tool which could lead you to a very informed prospect and wait......a SALE!! Yes, a sale. 

Just because you ran a webcast once or wrote a 20 page whitepaper that blew the socks off your CTO, buyers will be buyers.  As Miller Heiman says, buyers are not trying to buy your product, I mean "solution".  Buyers are solving their own problems: fixing something, avoiding something or accomplishing something.  Give them more content, make it appealing and they will value you, your brand and your products.

I just ran across this nice example of a series webcasts by Nevis Networks (full disclosure, they are a BrightTALK customer). It is so simple and so useful in learning more about this company.  Check out these case study and ISC2 examples:

http://brighttalk.com/comm/Nevisnetworks/7747e567c9-4423-983-4146

http://brighttalk.com/comm/Nevisnetworks/093f88af41-4539-983-4255

http://brighttalk.com/comm/esymposium/ecc5824812-4259-1014-3915

Welcome Back Collision Media

OK.  I am back.  It has been over 6 weeks since my last post - not very 2.0!

Anyway, I am back on-line and glad to be here.  So much has happened in the last few weeks with me so here is a brief update.

1. I left VNU after 13 years.  With the break-up of VNU Business Media Europe, the VNU Global Media US office is being shut down.  Watch this space for updates on the new sales agents.  It was a great run at VNU but the timing is perfect for me to jump head first into a brave new world of tech media.

2. I joined BrightTALK, Europe's leading rich media webcasting company and the global leader online conferences with our e-Symposium series.  Alot more on this later ;-)

3. I have been educating myself like mad to learn the language of this new world - APIs, Akami, Open Source programming, Jive, Extensible and more and more and more...but while there is a whole new language, the game hasn't really changed.  Stay close to your customer and your readers, be open to change and lead (or closely follow).

4. I have branched out in my spare time with a start-up called TechChex where I am on their Advisory Council.   More news here next week but look out SMB media and tech services, a change is coming.

5. On a personal note.  I just turned 40 so of course I had to go on a massive diet - 40 is the new 30, right?!.  I did lose 50 lbs in the last 8 weeks so least my clothes fit.  No surgery, booze, fat or junk food.  My doctor is happy and so am I ;-)

OK.  I am back so keep watching and posting.....