A Practical Guide to Implementing Social Networking in Your Organization

by jtcobb on June 3, 2009

I’m in the midst of very busy couple of weeks, which makes blogging more difficult than usual. Fortunately, one of the big upsides of producing content in the social Web is, well, you’re not alone. So, when these times  come along, one great option is to point to other bloggers out there who are doing excellent work - like Dave Pollard, who has recently posted “A Practical Guide to Implementing Web 2.0 (aka Social Networking Tools) in Your Organization.”

—
Social Networking Lemons - Dave Pollard

—

You may want to brew a cup of coffee before sitting down with this one. Dave’s posts tend to be long, thoughtful, and very good. Take the time to savor it.

Jeff Cobb
Hedgehog & Fox

P.S. - If you enjoy what you read here on Hedgehog & Fox, I encourage you to subscribe to the feed or use the form at the upper right corner to subscribe by e-mail.

{ 2 comments }

Easy is the new hard

by jtcobb on May 28, 2009

One thing that is remarkable about blogging is that pretty much anyone can do it. Just go to Wordpress.com or Blogger, set up a free account, and start writing.

And pretty much anyone can post a document to share or sell using a service like Scribd…

…or a video using YouTube or a service like MindBites

…or set up an AdWords account,

…or even outsource production of a product or delivery of a service.

And have you noticed how easy – and increasingly less costly - it is these days to set up a corporation and offload any number of the rote administrative and technical tasks that go with running a business?

It’s easy. Pretty much anyone can do it. [click to continue…]

{ 0 comments }

MindBites Digital Marketplace

by jtcobb on May 21, 2009

In my previous post, I highlighted the new Scribd store, where authors can sell documents they publish on the Scribd social publishing platform. This is just one of the many digital marketplaces that have popped over over the past few years making it possible for individuals and small organizations to cost-effectively compete with more established media and training publishers. Another one I mention often when speaking is MindBites.

MindBites provides a platform for publishing and selling how-to lessons and video tutorials. The model is pretty straightforward:

  • Create an instructional video by using a basic video camera, like the ultra-easy Flip camera, or a screen casting tool like Camtasia
  • Upload it into the MindBites system, where it will automatically be optimized for Web delivery
  • Categorize it and provide a good title and description (to help make sure you get found and clicked on in the search engines)
  • Name your price - which can be from zero to whatever you want. You can even specify that the proceeds go to a favorite charity.

That’s pretty much it, though MindBites does also offer a range of guidance to help authors produce high quality instruction and market it effectively.

In case it is not obvious, a service like this really revolutionizes what it is possible for an individual subject matter expert or small organization to do by providing easy access to three essential components of Web publishing:

  • Technology that transforms your content for user-friendly delivery
  • A distribution platform that is geared to attract traffic and promote publishers
  • An e-commerce engine that handles all of the financial transactions

For providing this, MindBites takes a maximum of 35 percent. Some authors may balk at the percentage, but when you look closely at the time and money you would otherwise invest to publish and sell on the Web, this is not a bad deal. (And it is much better than the terms authors often get on traditional publishing deals.)

If you are a speaker, an author, a trainer, or some other type of individual subject matter expert, MindBites is really worth a look. Likewise if you are a small organization trying to figure out a strategy for publishing and selling content on the Web. Even larger organizations may want to consider it, but at a minimum, they should be sure to take a look at MindBites and understand that this type of site opens up new strategic options for potential competitors.

Jeff Cobb
Hedgehog & Fox

P.S. - You may also want to check out my podcast with MindBites CEO Jason Reneau on the Radio Free Learning podcast

{ 2 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →