Connecting the dots

If you haven't gotten the memo yet, (I'm pretty sure you have) here's a reminder: today, business as usual is steadily dying.

In just one corner of the market, the newspaper industry, is a shining example of the old guard passing away . Just to put a nail in the coffin, Warren Buffet mentioned in an article yesterday that the reeling industry may never recover because it lacks a sustainable business model. He further went on to say "For most newspapers in the United States, we would not buy them at any price," "They have the possibility of nearly unending losses. I do not see anything on the horizon that sees that erosion coming to an end." Ouch.

For those who 'understand', no big deal. We  got it. Get creative, innovate and keep it moving. But for many, they still just don't get it.

I was recently in a conversation with a friend of mine who saw a video spoof on Twitter (showing how silly twitter can be). Afterwards her comment about it was "This is exactly why I don't twitter and think the whole concept is pretty dumb", "I just don't see the point and wonder why it was ever created."

Wow. . . and I thought I was a harsh critic.

Now I am no Twitter fanatic but I do have an account and do use it. I am not on it posting hundreds of tweets like many are  but at the end of the day I 'get it'. Delving into twittering means you are exploring and trying to understand the next iteration of social media - which is only going to continue to grow and expand.  Now whether Twitter continues to thrive or goes down in flames is irrelevant.  The reality is that, at a minimum, it's an important experiment noteworthy of being investigated and paid attention to. 

The downfall of newspapers, the rise of blogs, the impact of Facebook and the birth of twitter are all interrelated. When you look at all four of these ideas and understand how they relate to each other and how they are impacting other aspects of the market, the light bulb should go off in your head. It'll become clearer how the dots connect and then, possibly, you'll see how twitter may not be so "dumb" after all.

Now I'm not saying become a twitter fanatic  or go promote it like its the best thing since sliced bread but supporting the other extreme and saying it's "pointless". . . hmmm not sure that's a valuable outlook either.

People bash or sing super high praises of twitter.  I say people are missing the point.  Don't miss the forest by looking at the trees.