Google now picks up streaming content from Facebook and Twitter. Isn't that terrific?
It might not be obvious, but it will make a big difference in the world. It is a momentous event. Why, you might ask? Three reasons:
1. It is democracy at its purist. Now anyone who has something to say can get the word out to more people. No more hiding behind the Twitter login wall. Hiding public opinion just got harder. You don't have to have a radio station or a TV station to have a shot at influencing people's opinions.
2. It will unlock more creativity. Just like the Internet changed the music business by letting artist go directly to the public with their music, other industries--and especially the media--is about to be hit by the same tidal wave. If you have shot at being heard, you're more likely to take the risk of speaking.
3. It levels the playing field a bit more. Everyone can join the big leagues now; the same tools that mega-companies use to advertise and persuade are available to businesses of all sizes. It's been that way for a while, but this just makes one more pass of the steamroller over the media landscape.
Of course, with this new exposure comes new (actually very old) responsibilities.
1. The whole world is a small town. If you grew up in a small town, you know what I mean. Everyone knows your business, everyone knows who you are, and if you misbehave, someone tells your mother. There is no hiding. And that's the way it is with your digital identity.
Talk long enough and everyone will figure out if you are a concerned citizen or a jerk. People who prove themselves as trustworthy on the Internet will have more opportunities to be heard and to be followed. Of course, there will be those who try to cheat--with false identities, phony emails and scams, but that has always been the case.
It is a new era. There are new rules, and they are just evolving.
Paige Miller,
MultiPlanet Marketing, Inc.
Twitter: MultiPlanet
Facebook: MultiPlanet
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