Comments on: Don’t Quit the Day Job http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/ web 2.0, blogs and social media Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:03:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Ian Delaney http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11650 Ian Delaney Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:01:03 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11650 I know someone who works for Hackett and I can assure you that the chav effect is causing them a lot of sleepless nights... But they really don't know the right way to tackle that??? It's tricky - their goods are already expensive, sophisticated, etc. But the Great British Public have adopted them - for exactly the same reasons - as a symbol of adherence to "Ingerlund". But, yes, aftersales service is a great example of where loads of companies fall to pieces if they *really* care about about their brand. Their failure to understand Word-Of-Mouth as their most important marketing asset or deficit seems bizarre. I know someone who works for Hackett and I can assure you that the chav effect is causing them a lot of sleepless nights… But they really don’t know the right way to tackle that??? It’s tricky - their goods are already expensive, sophisticated, etc. But the Great British Public have adopted them - for exactly the same reasons - as a symbol of adherence to “Ingerlund”.

But, yes, aftersales service is a great example of where loads of companies fall to pieces if they *really* care about about their brand. Their failure to understand Word-Of-Mouth as their most important marketing asset or deficit seems bizarre.

]]> By: alan p http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11649 alan p Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:54:03 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11649 The thing I've never understood about the brands' attitudes is that they spend all the time manicuring the brand until point of sale, and then spend no time worrying about the impression their customers give. Hackett being the Chav's brand of choice for e.g, or BMW standing for Brash Mouthy Wanker :) Anyway, you get the picture...methinks they protest too much. As Will says, the oiks what buy the brands will say and do all sorts of things in the real world, and a blog is really just a manifestation of that in print. The thing I’ve never understood about the brands’ attitudes is that they spend all the time manicuring the brand until point of sale, and then spend no time worrying about the impression their customers give. Hackett being the Chav’s brand of choice for e.g, or BMW standing for Brash Mouthy Wanker :)

Anyway, you get the picture…methinks they protest too much. As Will says, the oiks what buy the brands will say and do all sorts of things in the real world, and a blog is really just a manifestation of that in print.

]]> By: Ian Delaney http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11643 Ian Delaney Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:36:27 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11643 Excellent responses, chaps, from three very different perspectives. Will, I expect you're right, but if it was my livelihood, I expect I'd be thinking more along the lines of Sam and Lloyd. Sam - I missed Chinwag's lists off my survey (not being a blog) but yes - I can imagine that it's not the cheapest route, and that people can't see the value until something goes wrong. Hang on... it <b>is</b> my day job, in a way! Excellent responses, chaps, from three very different perspectives. Will, I expect you’re right, but if it was my livelihood, I expect I’d be thinking more along the lines of Sam and Lloyd.

Sam - I missed Chinwag’s lists off my survey (not being a blog) but yes - I can imagine that it’s not the cheapest route, and that people can’t see the value until something goes wrong.

Hang on… it is my day job, in a way!

]]> By: Will McInnes http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11641 Will McInnes Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:45:18 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11641 The majority of advertisers are still thinking like worried medieval fools hiding behind the fortress walls. 'We don't want no risk, ooo noo - I'm only going outside if them nasties in the woods promise not to come get me'... What a load of self-denial / ignorant bollocks. It's a big scary world out there, but grow up, accept risk, and get out and about in it. What does it matter what the readers or commenters say? They can and will and DO say whatever they want: 1) in the REAL WORLD 2) on their own online properties Control doesn't exist like it used to, remember? Big brands can't hide from negativity. Remember Dell, Landrover, HSBC, and every other notable case study of the last 24 months. The quicker they (or we, as a community of business people) learn to listen, and then act on what they hear and feed it into product and service development, the quicker they'll generate more and more positive feedback. This is more old skool fear logic applied to a world where the fundamentals are - ahem - fundamentally different. The best thing we can all do to help this is not separate comments from content or whatever other paper-thin protectionist technique, but instead help educate, coax and tease those same advertisers to understand the new world that they operate in. The majority of advertisers are still thinking like worried medieval fools hiding behind the fortress walls. ‘We don’t want no risk, ooo noo - I’m only going outside if them nasties in the woods promise not to come get me’…

What a load of self-denial / ignorant bollocks.
It’s a big scary world out there, but grow up, accept risk, and get out and about in it.

What does it matter what the readers or commenters say?
They can and will and DO say whatever they want:
1) in the REAL WORLD
2) on their own online properties

Control doesn’t exist like it used to, remember?
Big brands can’t hide from negativity.
Remember Dell, Landrover, HSBC, and every other notable case study of the last 24 months.
The quicker they (or we, as a community of business people) learn to listen, and then act on what they hear and feed it into product and service development, the quicker they’ll generate more and more positive feedback.

This is more old skool fear logic applied to a world where the fundamentals are - ahem - fundamentally different.

The best thing we can all do to help this is not separate comments from content or whatever other paper-thin protectionist technique, but instead help educate, coax and tease those same advertisers to understand the new world that they operate in.

]]> By: Sam Michel http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11639 Sam Michel Sun, 14 Oct 2007 12:01:23 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11639 Interesting piece Ian and good comment from Lloyd. The only 100% reliable way to route round the problem is to pre-moderate everything, which definitely slows down the interaction. On the other hand, it protects the blog brand and allows some pre-warning if things are about to get sticky for an advertiser. Chinwag's used this method for over 10 years now and I still think it's the best route, although it's regularly discussed both internally and externally. It can be hard to justify the resource required to properly manage pre-moderation. Interesting piece Ian and good comment from Lloyd. The only 100% reliable way to route round the problem is to pre-moderate everything, which definitely slows down the interaction.

On the other hand, it protects the blog brand and allows some pre-warning if things are about to get sticky for an advertiser.

Chinwag’s used this method for over 10 years now and I still think it’s the best route, although it’s regularly discussed both internally and externally. It can be hard to justify the resource required to properly manage pre-moderation.

]]> By: Lloyd http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11638 Lloyd Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:08:59 +0000 http://twopointouch.com/2007/10/14/dont-quit-the-day-job/#comment-11638 Interesting points, Ian. From our perspective, it's very much a matter of getting comments going and then deciding when and how to introduce pre-moderation or invites. Trouble is, British users are far, far less enthusiastic about commenting on new titles than American (or even French) users. So we've got to get the audience in, get them engaged, get them commenting, and then choose the right moment to start putting in barriers. But if you put the barriers up first, and put them too high, things can get messy (arf) quickly. Interesting points, Ian. From our perspective, it’s very much a matter of getting comments going and then deciding when and how to introduce pre-moderation or invites. Trouble is, British users are far, far less enthusiastic about commenting on new titles than American (or even French) users. So we’ve got to get the audience in, get them engaged, get them commenting, and then choose the right moment to start putting in barriers. But if you put the barriers up first, and put them too high, things can get messy (arf) quickly.

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