4th edition of “Blogs. The Conversation”
Ideas4all was present at the 4th edition of “Blogs. The Conversation” which took place on November 11th at the School of Advanced Telecommunications Engineering (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación) in Madrid’s Polytechnic University.
“Blogs. The Conversation” promotes the creation of Internet content in blogs, social networks and video-blogs, the latter through the organization of the newly created Ibero-American Video-blog Awards.
We witnessed an interesting conversation between Manuel Luque (Advertising), Ignacio Villoch (Communication and Brand Management at BBVA’s Center for Innovation), Iván Pino, Roberto Carreras,and Octavio Rojas (moderator), covering the subject of PR in a hyper-connected world.
Some of the questions brought up were: What is the role of brands in social networks, how must communications be carried out in this environment, how can their effectiveness be measured and, above all, how can this medium be made profitable? These are the top issues begging for an answer.
The speakers warmed up to the task of handing out the freshest of information, making up a succulent menu of extremely interesting content.
Ignacio Villoch joined the conversation to tell us of the process he set in motion at BBVA, along with Fernando Summers and José Antonio Gallego. His presence in blogs (planta 29), Twitter (capitán Cook), comunidad Activa and successive initiatives were tactical more than strategic actions. He describes them passionately as a means to “cross oceans, map and explore new territories in search for treasures, among unknown tribes”. BBVA allowed them to act freely, provided the conversation did not make its way to traditional media. That is the advantage of this channel… once the information begins generating a conversation, the magnitude and relevance of the discoveries made become apparent, something that does not go unnoticed for the company’s management.
Roberto Carreras agrees there was no defined strategy in the case of Hombres G, as he placed the product in the Internet. There was simply an intuition that this was not merely a trend but something it was worth being a part of. He considers the generation of new content through prior content to be truly revolutionary. This he describes as a real revolution in journalism.
Iván Pino believes in experimenting. The Enterprise begins with variable tactics (the company must be present in the Internet), and a process of trial and error is carried out until the company defines its strategies.
On-line experiences are now becoming customizable, relevant and social, in Ignacio’s words.
They all agree that “this thing called Internet” is here to stay. It is becoming easier than ever for users to generate content and share it.
According to Iván, the Internet is begging for platforms that are ever more convergent and integrated, while Nacho believes there will be one or two large networks. There is still the issue of managing their hyperinflation, something which ends up making us feel like net-zombies.
Real-time communication is the trend that can affect a company the most.
Iván mentions -very rightly- that companies are not positioning themselves in the Internet because they lack the mechanisms necessary for a correct response. He insists on the importance of defining a strategy. A well-founded strategy entails losing the fear of listening.
Applying social media to the business as a whole should be the way to go. The Internet is transversal, it permeates the entire organization. Laying strategic foundations from the off-line world that are adapted to the new environment is vital. On the other hand, the Internet has achieved a true democratization where small and medium enterprises have the capacity to compete with larger companies.
Ignacio Villoch stresses the importance of elaborating new ways to measure quality rather than quantity. Quantitative data makes up only a 1st layer of information (number of sessions, of friends, followers, etc…) which is insufficient.
Social networks proudly exercise the tyranny of transparency. Creating something that is fictitious has little future.
Are clients ready for this? They will definitely need guidance. Ignacio recommends us not to trust “over-promises”, fake campaigns, and false conversations.
It remains unclear who the players are: PR agencies, consultants, journalists? These are all people who base their activity on PR. They generate inter-personal relations and create public opinion. The Internet has closed a circle and sent out a call for action, operability.
“Is the profession being reinvented?” Most think it is not. The relationship used to be created with an audience, but is now being created with individuals. Ignacio insists on the importance of working on correct analysis and focus. Audience, message and channels are being reconsidered. Let us make our way from tactics to strategy.
Iván asks for time in this type of communication, which undoubtedly requires a period of maturation, and much work.
The next round table revolved around the subject of the Political Revolution taking place in the Internet. Guest speakers were: Karim Hauser (Ex BBC correspondent in the Middle East), Gumersindo Lafuente (Soitu.es), Joshua Novick (Antevenio), Nagore de los Ríos (Director of Civic Participation, multimedia content and 2.0 for the Basque Autonomous Government) Moderator: Juan Varela (Periodistas 21)
All speakers agreed that the Internet will bring about a revolution in Politics. Administrations should provide citizens with the tools they need to express their opinions, thus giving way to a period of profound disintervention, affecting the communication between citizens and the powers that be, and above all, the way political systems are organized. As a tool for transparency and social control, we should demand that all documents and information be available on the Internet in real-time.
We still don’t know what the future of Politics in the Internet will be, but all speakers consider transparency to be the best guarantee. Internet use in Politics is minimal: Politicians must first be trained in using this channel with an eye on depoliticizing the Administration and favoring citizen participation, while citizen intervention on the Internet will begin having legal repercussions.
Alejandro Arranz (General Director of Innovation and Technology in Madrid’s City Council) gave out the award for the best video-blog in the First Ibero-American Video-blog Awards to Malvidiendo.com.
Rocío Bravo from Ideas4all
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