Or try to be the next Old Spice guy. Or the next.. anything.
This question came up at a meeting this week, where a business contact asked, “How do I become the next Stephen Clark?”
And I said.. you don’t.
And the air went out of the room. I didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. (I do that a lot, by the way).
(For context to my national readers, Stephen is a television news broadcaster here in Detroit who has been in the news himself for his efforts around the #backchannel community on Twitter around the newscast).
Why? The world already has a Stephen Clark and a TV News “#backchannel.” The world already has an Old Spice guy. And frankly, Isaiah Mustafa is that guy. It won’t be you. The most interesting man in the world? Taken, too. And no one will ever say “fine Corinthian leather” like Ricardo Montalban.
The key isn’t to be the next anything. It’s to be the best you, and that’s not accomplished by trying to exactly copy someone else. In this emerging new world, the link economy means do what you do best, and link to the rest (a Jeff Jarvis line).
Sure, there were tweeting newscasters before Stephen – and fragrance pitchmen before Isaiah. But each person or character put their own spin and connected in a unique way and most of all had the right timing. It’s a complex series of events that create a star – or a recognized name – or a big brand.
And not all of those events and/or factors are in your control.
It’s also not always immediately fair how that timing shakes out, but what I’ve learned over the years is the arrows you took by being the first one up the hill come to serve you later. And rarely are those arrows fatal; if anything they make you stronger.
Admittedly, it’s hard work to take this path. It requires innovation, and living your career like everywhere there is a “no standing at any time” sign. And I know what I propose may be scary to some. But in a flat world, where there’s low barriers to entry, and everyone can and will copy your idea, innovation and moving quickly may be your only unique advantage. But the rewards are obviously there to be the first and only you.
I am against wholly third party managed Twitter, Facebook and other accounts. Because they simply don’t work as well.
There was a time when one could, to some degree, ignore the power of the people who use online tools. Now, it seems, there is more power in them than ever. In recent weeks, that power has helped grease the wheels to overthrow an Egyptian government. Locally, it’s funded an oft-discussed statue of Robocop, which has opened a passionate Pandora’s box of feelings on both sides of the issue here.
2) It is a different kind of community of shared knowledge. It gives people something easy to talk about — their interests. Facebook is built around your friends, and GetGlue is built around your topics of interest. It found a different spin on connection. It didn’t try to reinvent Facebook; it’s doing something different.
Twitter is a real-time medium, and if there was a “really real-time” online social tool Twitter would be it. It is anchored in random observations, life happenings, links, and humor.
