AainaA

A ‘younger’ person has suddenly informed me, that I’m old, and need to get off the Internet because old people are a nuisance for being outright smarter {than them!}.

Insulted, shocked for a minute because he had literally put an age to my mugshot, I reiterated that age has nothing to do with expertise. I know many people much ‘older’ than me who are as clueless as him when it comes to being online. Humans have an uncanny way of making you feel uncomfortable — online or otherwise. The other thing I noted recently was when an online friend said in response to my lamentation on Facebook, “that I was already getting bored of the Web” – to which her response was ‘Life is not all about the Web!’ Of course she is not connected 24/24… and so she has a life, offline! When you’re working online for the past fifteen odd years, you’d think the world too would connect themselves to the electrifying glitzy world you’re in.

I mean who wouldn’t want to?

There’s a plethora of things one could easily tame themselves to like, starting off with their fanciful ideas about how great their lives are now, then before the Internet came into their lives; like how much more they communicate and gossip within the grapevine then they were did before; and how they’re literally rubbing shoulders with the who’s who {virtually bien sur!} making them a tad popular then they were just three minutes ago.

In 1995 when everyone who was anyone had to have an USA.net account just so they can show off their email addresses to me, I was smiling away. I was one of the very few amongst friends, and professional colleagues who had theirs with their own domain. And then these ‘I don’t wanna be common’ people came to me and asked how much easier would it be for them to have one of theirs.

These days, if you’re not connected to social networks irrespective your age, the size of your bank account, or your affiliation with such a such society or even government agency you’re considered ‘ancient’ and petrified you know like those found in icebergs waiting to melt and drown South Pacific within hours.

“If content is king, then conversion is queen.” – John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka

Working in tandem with a friend who’s Advisor to President Obama, she had asked if I could get social media contacts of a certain who’s who from this part of the world. I smiled. I so know how tardy agencies in Malaysia are when it comes to being on Facebook, or even signed-up with Twitter, least alone, Xing or LinkedIn. It’s not, apparently a Malaysian culture some might add – bullocks! If being online can make your lives and your business better why not? Worst comes to the worst, they could easily hire an Online Mobilizer or a Social Media Consultant – I could do with some pocket money you know!

Social media is not a media. {The key is to listen, engage, and build relationships.} – David Alston

So I had a chat with the who’s who this afternoon, and mind you he’s not just anyone in the Prime Minister’s department — He’s someone in high office. And no, apparently neither he nor his personal assistant is connected on Facebook or Twitter. So when being online means getting to you in real-time 24/24 to solve a global problem or some pressing issue the likes of major world calamity or terrorism, with some we might just need to do it the old fashion way – by phone, fax email {assuming emails are read, and replied to within minutes} or even snail-mail.

In order for a Nation to be at par, or at least be atop of issues within or on the global scale, Governments and agencies need to be connected online. It is crucial in the twenty-first century.

Notes:

• Blogs are powerful. Social media is powerful. It’s a matter of trust. People trust their friends, but not necessarily billboards or ads. Getting someone to talk about your product is the best thing that could happen to your brand.
• When people “hide” behind organizational brands, it reduces the authenticity and transparency that people — citizens, customers, fans — have become accustomed to seeing in the Web 2.0 world.
• Government & Social Media: Attract new audiences for government information and service; Put a human face on government; & Open up a conversation.
• Governments around the world desperately need to wrest control of their dialogue with the community away from factional interest groups. Online engagement holds the solution.
• As hostile entities become more adept at using social media for propaganda, it is imperative that governments familiarize themselves with social technologies.
• There’s still plenty of potential to use social media as a way to gather ideas and data, spread messages, and provide more tactile citizen engagement.