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Can't wait to read your comments, there is a lot of new content waiting to be read.

Practice Makes Perfect

Ethnography: study of people in their natural or “native” environments


Through social media tools we are creating our own environment. An environment with fun activities such as iPhone applications, news alerts on our favorite topics (RSS), audio shows that fit our interests (podcasts), tabloids/magazines that fulfill our need for juicy information (blogs, and sharing information about our selves while learning about others (facebook, linedin, twitter, etc).


In his ebook, The Essential Guide to Social Media, Brian Solis states


Ethnographers are individuals who observe communities to learn the socio-cultural behavior and interaction to hopefully become accepted by the community and in turn, engage as a true member of the desired digital society


In this case- would we all be ethnographers? Observers of interactions through the digital world-- learning and practicing the norms, engaging in conversations, publishing our own work so that we may find acceptance within a certain digital community? My answer would have to be yes, to some extent we all practice ethnography. As do marketing research teams and public relations firms.


Marketers and PR people need to be aware of the environments of their audiences in order to communicate with them properly. If they want to achieve a certain level of success they have to rub elbows with their audiences, become one of them in a sense.


“People establish associations, friendships, and allegiances around content."


There is more work involved in the digital world for marketers and PR people. They can no longer “market at” people and expect them to jump on the bandwagon of fun- they have to become a part of the digital community and work for acceptance.


“You can’t manage a relationship, you need to be a part of it, fully engaged.”


This statement is one for everyone to read and re-read over and over again in order to understand their involvement and their place in the digital world. We all must be willing to put in the time, work, and effort to stay engaged. We all must bring value to our participation.