How many nobodies amount to something

I have never been so proud to be a NOBODY!!!

In an Editor's Letter in the Journal of Employee Communication Management, David Murray has this to say of blogger Allan Jenkins of Desirable Roasted Coffee:

"One day I was reading his stupidly-named blog, “Desirable Roasted Coffee.” I read his blog a lot, despite the fact that Jenkins is pretty much a nobody in the communication business. I read it because he’s smart and unpredictable and rude sometimes. I like it when he’s rude. In a vaguely kinky way, I even like it when Jenkins is rude to me."

Well if Jenkins,  who has served on the IABC executive board and has alomost 300 links to his blog ,is a nobody, then what must I be? I don't even have a freakin office for goodness sakes.

Yet here I am participating in conversations everyday with people around the world. Sure, a lot of the blogosphere involves us getting on our soapboxes and shouting at each other about the revolution. However, I am not doing this for my health. I am doing this to learn. I am doing this to develop skills. I am doing this so that I can give the best possible counsel to my clients.

It is not about the "Next Big Thing," it is about being able to provide the best thing for each situation. Some times that will be social media, sometimes it wont, but I'd rather have all the tools in my belt.

In his letter, Murray asks:
"Is social media The Next Big Thing in our business? I know you’ll let me know by answering this urgent call for essays. Please, readers. Please try to succeed where Allan Jenkins has failed: teaching me (and your colleagues) about how social media can make for better internal communications."

Well David:
- How about how IBM is utilizing blogs and social bookmarking to facilitate knowledge sharing
- How about how GM's FastLane blog has developed a tone of responsiveness and inclusiveness in a organization criticised for being old and slow
- How about how Google uses a technology called Sparrow as a project management tool to enable quicker innovation
- How about how Coke is using blogs to help employees live the organizations' mission, vision and values

Check out others in the Nobody Club and proclaim your anonymity! (get in touch with Ike Pigott for the nifty button):
Allan Jenkins
Shel Holtz
Eric Eggertson
Andrea Weckerle
Lee Hopkins

If a bunch of nobodies blog about social media, does it make a sound?

 

Comments

[Eric Eggertson]

Welcome Jeffrey. We lowly practitioners of the communications arts who don't aspire to Somebodiness welcome you to our midst.

I definitely believe it makes a sound. And I'm looking forward to hearing from other Nobodies as we move forward with the International Assocation of Nobodies.

[John Pospisil]

The whole point of the Blogosphere is that you don't need to be somebody in order to be heard. The power of an idea in a blog can be just as compelling as identity of the blogger. Long live the nobodies I say!

[Jeffrey Treem]

John,

You are a nobody to me, and I love you for it.

I love that everyday I am confronted with ideas from people all over the world that I have never met. I love that I learn from these nobodies, I love that I, as a nobody, can have my voice heard.

Watch out though, you start introducing yourself to me, and all the sudden you risk becoming somebody ;-)

[Gary Goldhammer]

Jeffrey, I'm proud to be associated with a nobody like yourself. :-)