Thornley Fallis: THR podcast moves to #1 on iTunes

I confess I was not expecting this. The High Road podcast hit #1 today on the iTunes Literature hit parade. I’m really not sure what it all means but it sure is nice to see it sitting at the top...Thornley Fallis

Thornley Fallis: Flurry of coverage from THR podcast story

I was not expecting the news release McClelland & Stewart issued yesterday morning to attract as much media attention as it did. The idea was simply to announce that M&S would, for the first time, release a book (in this case, The High Road) in a serialized, chapter by chapter format, as a podcast, as I did with The Best Laid Plans back in 2007. And that it would be available for free. The President of M&S, Doug Pepper, was interviewed and the stories started rolling in from across Canada. In a spasm of self-indulgence, here’s a quick selection preserved on the blog for posterity’s sake. Please continue and view press stories here: Thornley Fallis

Thornley Fallis: Inside PR – Third Try Lucky

Finally, on the third try, Martin Waxman, Gini Dietrich and I managed to record an Inside PR episode with all three of us together live.

Try 1: Inside PR Episode 2.01: Gini discovered that she had erased the recording of her audio after we finished recording. Martin and Gini got together the next day to re-record the episode. I was unable to join them. So, our producer, Yasmine Kashefi, edited in my introduction and – 30 – segment.

Try 2: Inside PR Episode 2.02: I blew it in a spectacular way. I ran down the batteries in my Zoom H4 and then discovered that I didn’t really know how to operate it. Lesson here: Don’t use a recording device without reading the manual. (Something familiar here to the relationship of men and maps?) I was booked for meetings for the following two days. So Martin and Gini record the episode without me.

Try 3: Inside PR Episode 2.03: The gangs all here. Finally!

I’d welcome your comments on what we’ve discussed or your suggestions for future topics you’d like us to cover. Please view @ Thornley Fallis

Thornley Fallis: Inside PR 2.01: introducing your new hosts

Well, the torch has been passed and Inside PR’s two creators, Terry Fallis and Dave Jones have decided to hang up their Zoom recorders (well for this podcast, anyway). I think that for all the listeners of Inside PR (including me), this signaled the end of an era.

When Terry and Dave started in 2006, social media (and podcasting) was still quite new and many PR folks had yet to embrace it. Their chemistry, wit, caustic humour and insights helped guide us along the way.

Fast forward. Episode 101 featured three new co-hosts, Julie Rusciolelli, Keith McArthur and me.

Fast forward again. It’s episode 2.01 and now it’s time to introduce our new helmers: Joe Thornley and Gini Dietrich. Welcome!

I’m sure many of you already know Joe, he’s the founder of Thornley Fallis, the agency that created and produces the podcast. Joe is one of Canada’s social media pioneers and leading practitioners. He blogs at ProPR.

Gini is the CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago PR and social media agency. She’s a smart, outspoken strategist who blogs at Fight Against Destructive Spin blog (aka Spin Sucks) and never minces words.

We’re still looking at PR and social media from an agency perspective, and adding a tri-city POV.

What’s next? A lot of that is up to you. I hope you’ll listen to Episode 2.01 to get a preview (and our new voices).

Apologies if it sounds a bit disjointed – we had to record in two tries due to a glitch with one of the tracks.

We’d love to hear your ideas and hope you’ll continue to listen, find value in our discussions and share your thoughts. Thank you again for taking part!

And now: on with the show… Thornley Fallis

Thornley Fallis: The Social Media Content Creation Gap. Does it matter to you?

Is our view of the world distorted by the uneven distribution of content creators? And for those countries and groups who lag in creating content, do they risk invisibility and marginalization?

Social media has enabled anyone with access to the Internet to create and share content. And this makes it possible for us to see the world as we have never seen it before. Not through the eyes of elites, but through the eyes of ordinary people like you and me.

But there’s a problem. Some parts of the world are more visible than others. And some areas risk being marginalized.

There are significant variations in the rate at which people from different countries participate in the act of content creation. And the countries with the highest levels of participation may not be the ones you expect.

The Forrester Social Technographics country profiles vividly illustrate this issue. Forrester’s Social Technographics profiles demonstrate that people participate in social media in a range of ways and with varying degrees of engagement, from simply consuming through to actively creating content.

When you compare Technographics profiles on a national basis, a “content creation gap” can be seen between the most prolific content creators and the laggards. Most important is the proportion of the online population who self identify as Content Creators, the top rung of the Technographics ladder.

There’s a huge gap between the leaders and the laggards – ranging from over one third of people online creating content in South Korea, Metro China, Japan to less than one in five people creating content in countries like Canada, the UK, Spain and Sweden. And barely one in ten people who use social media in France and Germany create content.

Add to this the impact of search engine algorithms. Search engines return results that reflect content that is most popular, most linked to, and most read. That favours the most popular creators. It also favours those countries and regions that are most populous, most connected, and most prolific.

What happens to those creators who come from smaller countries and who reflect a more distinct perspective? Will they be found or will they be relegated to page 200 of the search results? A place that guarantees invisibility.

Should countries like Canada or the UK be concerned that the number of active content creators isn’t higher? Especially given that the means of content creation are accessible for free to anyone with a broadband connection?

Do we accept that 20% of people will create 80% of the content and that’s just the way things are?

Or by doing nothing, do we run the risk of losing sight of ourselves as other more prolific content creating countries generate ever more content?
Thornley Fallis

Thornley Fallis: Blue Heron “Books and Brunch” event

Last weekend, I spoke, read, and signed at a “Books and Brunch” event organized by Shelley Macbeth and Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge, Ontario. Unlike most of the readings I’ve done, this time it was more of an interview led by the prolific writer, journalist and broadcaster, Ted Barris. Ted and I shared the stage together in 2008 at an event in Barrie, Ontario. He presented his compelling book, Victory at Vimy, about the Canadian role in securing Vimy Ridge in the first world war. That day, it was my great pleasure to get to know Ted, and my great misfortune to speak directly after him. He is a riveting speaker. Our brunch together in Uxbridge was terrific, and the food at the Wyndance Golf Club was amazing. It was a sellout, with more than 100 in the audience, including my sister, Susan, my brother, Tim, who took these great shots, and several other family and friends. Ted and I conversed at the front and I read a couple of excerpts. Then the floor was opened for questions. Finally, I signed copies of TBLP.

It’s always nice to have a line-up at the signing table!
Thornley Fallis