Here comes Everybody by Clay Shirky was published in 2008. Given that it’s primarily about social media, it is already somewhat out of date. That said, it is a good read about group activities made possible by social media. He talks about sharing, collaboration and collective action.
What struck me while reading the book is that for a channel so challenged by social media we continue to miss an opportunity to truly embrace it. Sure, some newsagents are using Twitter, facebook and other social media platforms, we as a channel are not using social media to create an online channel equivalent to presence and connection as we have in the bricks and mortar world.
It’s not too late as Shirky says: one of the things I most hope readers get out of it, is an excitement about how much experimentation is still possible, and how many new uses of our social tools are waiting to be invented.
I have been helping some newsagents embrace social media at the store level. What I’d really like to do is engage in a channel wide project which leverages social media platforms and our physical local presence to improve our relevance in a changed media world.
Social media and other online strategies present opportunities for newsagents to promote their businesses and connect with communities outside our four walls.
We see our newsagency businesses as community focused. Community usually means within a relatively short distance to our shops. The community Shirky speaks of is geographically further apart but still close in terms of connection to the business.
I see newsagencies, in part, as special interest retailers. Special interests can draw people from far away if the interest is dear to their heart and if you have what they want. We have found this with volcano calendars, train magazines and other product. In these cases, word of mouth is our social media. Social media sites can be used to supplement this word of mouth. This is an opportunity for us.