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by Fi Bendall

on Apr 9

Why do we need Social Media Club?

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Warning: The tone of this post has a healthy degree of cynicism and sarcastic undertones. As a result of tone and content, expect a healthy degree of negative comments and sideswipes. Let the fun begin...

Over the last few weeks we have seen the casual get together of the social media coffee mornings now generate the US originating brand 'Social Media Club' in Australia.

So what about this club?

From www.socialmediaclub.org/about I gleaned that:

"Social Media Club is being organised for the purpose of sharing best practices, establishing ethics and standards, and promoting media literacy around the emerging area of Social Media. This is the beginning of a global conversation about building an organisation and a community where the many diverse groups of people who care about social media can come together to discover, connect, share, and learn."

Pity no one mentioned the users in this. On the web, the best, best practice is determined by the users not the channel or the medium or the ethical standards, or the media literacy or even the technology.

I will watch with interest, because these guys might have something interesting to say, but I won't have to join to benefit from that. However, I will also reserve a decree of cynicism. Social Media took off with kids, talking directly to each other, sharing their thoughts, pictures, hobbies, music, etc. None of them joined a club; they were drawn to it – what needs fixing about that. Commercial infiltration is what's going on here. But, commercial infiltration of the social media space is anathema to these people. Think of it like a park. Nice place to hang out with your friends and share in activities with others. As soon as the place gets filled with advertising hoardings, burger vans and park wardens telling you not to tread on the grass, you just move on because the place is no fun any more.

Social Media Club is now an organisational structure that has currently been set up in all the metro areas of Australia and seems to be run by self-designated individuals who have decided they are there to lead the rest of us minions in social media, with the best benefit being, we can get together and talk to each! We can listen to a speech by a self-appointed 'social guru', the guy that set the club up and next month, you can listen to one his mates, if you are very lucky. We don’t have to pay for the privilege here in Australia (at the moment) isn’t that just bloody marvelous value.

Initially I actually thought the concept could be good. I submitted ideas for speaking topics, etc. Then I started to see the manifestation of it and like Gavin Heaton who withdrew from nomination on the Social Media Club board, I ditched the idea as a bad one. I actually joined Social Media Club Canberra on Facebook as opposed to SMC Sydney, as a bit of dig, as I won’t be attending any events in Canberra as I live in Sydney!

Jye Smith stated on his blog:

"I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of creating social media clubs. I smell rules and policy."

I actually smell a PR sell to clients, 'Oh yes Mr. Client I set up the Social Media Club and chair the board'.

What we need is to leave social media to evolve through test and learn techniques and strategies with our respective clients. I don’t believe that clients and their agencies want to have open debate on their evolving social marketing practices. It is hard enough everyone getting his or her head around this channel. If there is something to share then that’s what case studies are for.

When it comes to networking with my peers, I can pop along for coffee on a Friday (although I rarely do, as I am not a morning person). But get this novel way I want to share with you, when I need help and insights from my peers in the social media space, I pick up the phone.

Why do I need a club?

Social Media Club I envisage will soon be publishing industry guidelines, then charging and telling us of all the benefits of paying to join their club and to follow their pre-determined rules to enforce us to behave in the way they want us to. Pre-program the masses to behave, there is loads of money in it, and just wait for the pay-to-attend SMC Conference, the regional Chapters of Social Media, it is like a setting up a religion and I believe there is loads of money in that too!.

Back in 2008 Laurel Papworth questioned the policy of WOMMA (The Word of Mouth Association) 'policy'. This policy WOMMA said was only to accept membership from organisations not individuals. Totally farcical, given that the social media landscape that generates WOM (Word of Mouth) is individuals. Maybe that’s why the 'new leaders' of Social Media Club in Sydney, slammed this entrepreneurial social media practitioner, she may dare to question the forthcoming rules that they, our self-appointed leaders, have in mind for us.

The web is very fluid. I picture it a bit like a lava lamp. Initiatives like social media emerge, take off, take shape and grow and then fade and disappear as another bubble comes along. Sir Tim Berners-Lee put the www together to be open, free and unregulated. Creating rules for any facet of it is going to be like herding bubbles. These bubbles have a short life of their own and defy regulation. Governments from America to China have tried to regulate, but ultimately they fail because the users choose not to be regulated. And so it is with social media. Everything, including the users, are too fluid. As soon as you have it all organised, documented, certified and protocoled, you will wake up to find that it has faded and the users have moved on to the next disposable web-thing and then your club is a bit pointless.

So, I guess you realise 'The Club' is just not for me, granted it maybe for you. Now off to meet a few of my peers for some chilled unstructured sharing time!

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17 Comments

The Marketer
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 02:57PM
Fi, you're absolutely right.

Social Media is not about organisations, its about the individual and best practices, ethics and standards are determined by the millions of people within the millions of little or big communities that exist on the Internet.

I'm sticking with coffee....
doyston
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 03:04PM
The Canberra SM club is not even anything remotely like what you describe. Instead, it is just a group of people meeting new people and socialising over coffee and a feed.

There is no real structure, no agenda and no speeches or talks. I went to the Melbourne one and it is just the same.

I recon you should have left your post at the heading (the question). Why do we need social media club? Or, reworded the heading to read why we don’t need one.

You asked and answered the question. Not really fair is it? It would be better to let those who are members answer the question because they are the ones who assumingly are getting value out of being in the club. If not, the club dies.

Your analogy of the park is too lopsided. Playing devil’s advocate, it should have read, “Think of it like a park. Nice place to hang out with your friends and share in activities with others. As soon as the place gets filled up it turns to (BAD WORD FILTERED) because no one takes their rubbish with them and there are dogs crapping everywhere. You go there for a nice chilled out picnic and some boofhead wants to kick the footy near you”
trib
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 03:31PM
Fi, you (or anyone) doesn't need SMC. But were a fun bunch. And nobody is any kind of guru - self-appointed or otherwise. As one of the first SMCers in Oz (I think Des Walsh was the first), all were about is making friends, helping out people with learning and enjoying time with anyone who shares an interest with us.

The Americans take themselves a little more seriously (but not much). And if you look at the people involved, it's some of the smartest people in social media around.

In Canberra, its about nothing more than breakfast and coffee, much like Sydney's coffee mornings. The SMC folks in Sydney are working hard to have events where people can come and hear an interesting speaker or two and enjoy a beer. There's a little bit of organisation involved in that, and they're using their own time and connections to make it happen.

Did you call or email any of the (pretty easily contacted) Aussies to ask what we are about? I'm pretty trivial to contact, as is Des or any of the Sydney folks. Or even ask any of the Americans?

Nobody is looking to be anything more than social and friendly, and by making some pretty big assumptions, you're choosing to crap all over those efforts. That's pretty bad form.

I think you've fired before thinking here.
trib
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 03:58PM
And I think I may be one of less than 10 people in Australia who are actual *members* of SMC. Everyone else just shows up and talks. So, its hardly the exclusive, closed thing you imagine it to be.
smperris
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 04:04PM
I just thought I would give a perspective of someone who is interested in, and has 'joined' SMC Sydney.

The mere fact that SMC Sydney has a couple of appointed contacts in nominal positions makes it easier to approach and be involved. I find it more open and more inviting - an approach that says 'if you want more information, please ask one of these people who will be glad to help', rather than having to guess who has the information, who is welcome, where the social boundaries are (there are always boundaries, no matter how loose or free a community thinks it is).

I'm new in Sydney, having only arrived late January. For various reasons I havent been able to get out and about as much so I'm still very much an outsider. As an outsider, when I see informal groups gathering today 'to fix it', as you say, I see an in-club, an echo chamber, something unapproachable unless you know the right people or work in the right place. Im not suggesting that any informal gatherings are intentionally this way but Its very intimidating if youre not already on the inside.

Also, can I just say that having to register just to leave a comment was very nearly enough to make me not bother engaging at all (outside of back channel conversations that add nothing here). Also, talk about a UX hassle to have to re-enter _all_ information just because my chosen username was already taken. Once again, I very nearly didn't bother at all.
Editor | Kate
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 04:33PM
@smperris Thanks for the feedback. We are humans who work here – and yes, our product isn't perfect... yet. We're not a massive organisation with a billion developers at our call but your suggestions have been noted. Thank you for bothering and welcome to the community.
Yaddah
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 08:32PM
hmmm .... this author digs at the Chair of the SMC for using the role as a client positioning device. Given they are in the same profession I have to wonder whether this article is more a case of I DIDN'T set up the Social Media Club and I DON'T chair the board?
Also, these sorts of groups live or die by the value they add ... if it is well attended kind of speaks for itself doesn't it? I'm going to hang out at one and see for myself.
daveyates
  • Wrote on 9 Apr, at 09:43PM
What a lot of vitriol. Some on here, some on Mumbrella and loads all over Twitter

I'm with Groucho Marx "I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member"

In this case I don't care - full stop. It really doesn't matter whether this is a cosy fun bunch or something more sinister, e.g. a kind of controlling force for corporate social media suppliers. It does not matter because ultimately the users will decide where to go, what to read and how to behave. You follow the money on the web, you don't demand that it follows you. This determines a marketing strategy and it always will.

"Pity no one mentioned the users in this. On the web, the best, best-practice is determined by the users not the channel or the medium or the ethical standards, or the media literacy or even the technology." Hard to disagree with this. Nothing screws your web standards up like no one being bothered about them at all.

As far as this spat goes, do marketing agencies usually join fun bunch clubs? I kind of wonder about the motives of an agency seeking to control such a fun bunch club and I cannot help but notice how defensive they are about their fun bunch club. If someone rubbished my guitar club, Id probably just buy them a drink. If they rubbished my business, I'd probably throw it over them. There's a lot of beer hitting the walls right now.
Ben
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 09:22AM
theres room for everyone to play Fi
kristiewells
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 10:38AM
Fi, I responded in pretty good detail over at http://mumbrella.com.au/social-media-club-sydney-accused-of-commercial-infiltration-4493#comments as I read that post first, but feel it important to say something here too.

I started SMC with my husband, Chris Heuer, three years ago to promote four core missions: Expand Media Literacy, Share Lessons Learned Among Practitioners, Encourage Adoption of Industry Standards, and Promote Ethical Practices through Discussion and Actions. All this can be found at http://www.socialmediaclub.org/projects/. We do not receive any compensation from SMC.

There is a baseline structure to SMC (has to be to ensure we survive) and we try to provide guidance to each chapter on topics, speakers, who to reach out to, etc. to help them succeed. Each city is run a little differently from one another, and is solely based on what the local community wants it to be. This is a very important item to note. The local community has direct say in what happens in and around their group.

Another strength of SMC is we bring together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators (essentially the people who create and consume media who have an interest in seeing the ‘media industry’ evolve for everyone’s benefit) to talk about what works, what doesnt, who can fix it, etc. Some people attend every month, others float in and out depending on the topic being discussed or the speaker/panel presenting. You participate as much or as little as you wish. So yes, USERS are always top of mind as we are ALL users of some service or application and we are there to share what we know.

Side note: I do find the fact that you joined the Canberra Facebook group just to spite the Sydney group extremely odd. Why join at all? Why put the effort into this - just unjoin the group and be done with it.

Also, if SMC is not meeting a need you have - you, as an individual, have the power to help change it, but you have to do so in a constructive way. We believe that everyone who wants to help shape a SMC chapter should be able to (we have local organizational teams around the world consisting of 1 person all the way up to 45 people). Everyone can participate as deeply or as little as they wish. The only real requirement of SMC is to engage in a respectful dialogue. Blog posts tinged with negativity about something you know little about seems highly unproductive for everyone involved.

For more information on SMC, please go to http://www.socialmediaclub.org/. I also welcome any and everyone to contact me directly at kristie [at] socialmediaclub.org or via skype at kristiewells.
FiBendall
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 11:35AM
It is great to see such passion and that I am sure will bode well for SMC. As you all say we can share thoughts and ideas. I have a view and I understand it may not suit everyone or sit well with everyone. I prefer the casual get togethers as opposed to an organized club and I personally think that suits the fluidity of the evolvement of social media. I obviously knew this would stir up debate, and that is cool. Kristie, I had no idea Mumbrella picked up on this until I read your post, but there you go, more debate. I have had both the positive and negative feedback to my view, it is par for the course. I understand SMC defending their position it is only natural and putting your proposition forward. People can think it is for them or not. I am entitled to my view.
smperris
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 02:02PM
@Kate

I understand its a small team and I appreciate no one is perfect (least of all me!). I was just struck by the awkwardness of the process and how hard it was to contribute, especially given that the nature of the article seemed deliberately framed in such a way as to provoke comment (both positive and negative).

Of course, now Ive gone to the effort I guess Im going to have to make it worth my while :-)
tooparker@gmail
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 03:49PM
Fi.Always read your stuff and have to say most times I agree but as a very very old some would say antiquated dinnosaur of the marketing industry this is one you have missinterpreted. For years forums of any kind are there to joined or not.Manadatory is not part of the thinking, broadening the logic base of understanding is in first place .For people of little or know unerstanding of social Media isnt letting them learn the real point.are we saying someone is abetter teacher than another surely members will evaluate that and choose to stay or leave .I am sure people will use it as a orum to spruik their whares nothing knew in that half of any associating is mad up of sharks looking for a cheap feed
FiBendall
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 04:54PM
As I posted I expected this article to create debate and also expected the negative as well as positive feedback. Kate, editor of this blog, who has set up the Melbourne SMC was interested in these views to suggest a piece and publish this article, which is great for openness of the debate of the role of SMC. SMC has presented their case heartily and shared their views most candidly which is what this is all about. It is great that everyone feels they can contribute whether in agreement or not with the SMC approach. On the negative post backs, thanks for sharing your most negative views of this blog post as it certainly has provided me with lots of insights into the roles of associations / clubs for an emerging social media channel. A media channel that has it unique place in openness and candid debate / feedback from individual users on the net about any issues they want to discuss or lobby for.
Ben
  • Wrote on 10 Apr, at 05:34PM
not sure I would agree that attacking others or accusing people of having an agenda without actually taking the time to find out where they might be coming from is in the interests of fair debate or professional journalism. This blog on SMC would never have passed the test for fair journalism in a traditional publication. The editor would have sent it back to get another view for balance.
SallyMills
  • Wrote on 20 Apr, at 07:39AM
Well you've certainly stirred up the pot Fi, which I'm sure was your intentions!
liuhui
  • Wrote on 23 Jan, at 01:48PM
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