Bottom Rung

Crayon has responded

The interesting thing about running a blog like this one is that sometimes when you speak your mind, people listen.

This week I’ve received two replies to my remarks about Crayon. One from Scott Monty, Relationship Director @ Crayon and Greg Verdino, Chief Strategy Officer @ Crayon. Both run popular blogs and are well respected in the industry. I appreciate receiving a comment from them.

Instead of responding to each individually, I thought it might be more practical to respond to both directly; hopefully leading to a more meaningful debate about online communities like Second Life. I love a good discussion as much as anyone else. (that’s what the blogosphere is all about, right?)

First things first, the message from Scott:

“As long as you treat these properties as trends rather than as communities, you’re always going to be looking for the next one. Facebook is the latest craze for connecting people, but there will always be alternatives.

The key is - and I think you began to touch on it when you suggested “learn about it” - spending time in the community and getting to know how the members interact. Then and only then, as a marketer, will you be able to effectively interact within the space.

Second Life is not dead; it’s just that companies found that old media approaches - creating a location and requiring people to show up - do not work so well. Companies are succeeding when they find a way to integrate into avatars’ existence. And let’s not forget that there are many alternate virtual worlds to consider. Each one is unique and each one may deserve your attention, depending on your audience.

Oh, BTW - how’s that tree working out for you?”

Scott, I agree that marketers need to spend time in the community before they start spending money there. Communities like Facebook, Myspace and Second Life all have unique environments and it is obvious when a big company comes in and tries to play ball. But I think you would agree with me on that.

I was glad to hear you mention that some companies are actually learning to do good work in this medium. It’s about damn time. I do disagree, however, that Second Life is not dead.

The concept of having a virtual self and interacting with friends and strangers alike is a brand new and exciting opportunity for everyone. I see it as the future for gaming, instant messaging and doing business as it brings communication to a whole new level. But Second Life, the application, is dead. Why? The graphics are bad, the interface is bad, it is slow loading… the list goes on.

I have recently spoken to a few of my peers about Second Life. The consensus is, it’s nerdy. Thanks to programs like World of Warcraft and Counterstrike, people think that all online experiences like these are for geeks. I think society’s view of the online world will have to change before these applications become widely accepted. In addition, we need a program that is as easy to use as MSN to aid that process. Second life doesn’t have a future in it’s current form, but other’s might.

Oh and the tree is doing just fine thanks. Not quite sure what it does to be honest…

And now for the message from Greg:

“Hey there - Thanks for including 93 Colors in your list here, but fake agency how? Actually, we’re not an agency at all - we’re a social media consultancy and some of our best clients are agencies. Glad you found some useful content at our corporate blog, though as it stands the “real action” is at our personal blogs.

And for the record (I’m referring now to your previous post at the Leo blog), our little band of 30-somethings aren’t particularly focused on being cool, we’re focused on helping clients make sense of new channels and social media marketing so that they DON’T do something stupid like slap nasty old ad messages all over virtual worlds, blogs and socnets - and Coffee with Crayon is a weekly networking event where we discuss new marketing and goings-on in the business of media - you should join us some time.

Peace. G”

I may not have done enough research on your company before I opened my big yap. When I heard about you guys starting up, I figured it was just a group of people capitalizing on and buying into a fad that wouldn’t last. However, as you are keeping the man from slapping, “nasty old ad messages all over virtual worlds, blogs and socnets,” I applaud your efforts and thank you for providing that clarification of your business objective.

My number one pet peeve (not actually, but it’s in the top 10) is marketers throwing clutter into an environment they don’t understand to make themselves feel cool. It’s like the old saying, “measure twice, cut once.” But it seems most marketers just jump in with both feet and then ask why their efforts are rejected by the community.

But I digress. I’m the last person who should be talking about doing research before taking action.

I’ll see you for coffee.