Regarding the Pope

For my Emerson Social Media class, we were asked to compare and contrast Social Media/Blog superstars Chris Brogan and Ed Boches. They will probably get dozens of pings this week, so if either of you are reading this, that's why we are all writing about you. I've decided to spice up the comparison, though, by throwing the ultimate competitor into the ring...

Here is the Predator in his LinkedIn profile picture

Round 1
Target Audience
Boches and Brogan write to similar audiences. They both appeal to everyone from individuals trying to learn about marketing and huge companies that want to improve themselves in inexpensive ways. The two differ mostly in content. While Boches writes about trends, events, news and his opinions on social media, Brogan often does the same thing, but gives detailed instructions on how to one's improve social media presence. Boches is equally informative, but the lessons are learned from reading the stories of his posts, not through straight-up lessons, though he does do this from time-to-time. That isn't to say that Brogan is dumbing his blog down. His pieces are incredibly well written and feature information that many would pay large sums of money for. Basically, both blogs are informative, speak to people in marketing and/or social media, and are full of great information. People should try out both blogs, and whoever's opinion they most agree with should be their blog of choice. Of course, they could always read two blogs and get a balanced view. They have the technology to do that now.
The Predator could learn a lot from these two. His online presence is seriously hurt. He does not own his name as a Web site, he hardly blogs, and when he does, it is not in English, except when he includes audio clips of his victims. When it comes to Target Audience, it is like he doesn't even care. There seems to be more emphasis on actual targets.

This round goes to Brogan and Boches.



Round 2
Interesting Points

Boches had a recent post that wisely talked about social media as a tool, not a medium. I know this isn't an original idea, but the way he described it seemed to be a perfect way o explain it. Too often, I feel like companies simply use social media because they are supposed to. Social media has uses, and the post explains exactly what companies may be looking for, and why it would benefit them to use social media.
Brogan also wants companies to be smarter with their social media. He wrote that social media should not be one person's job, but rather a product of an entire staff or company. When everyone is on the same page, the results are much stronger.
The Predator also has some interesting points. Mostly, I agree with his views on respecting others. If you help him, he will help you, and he shows this by burning a symbol into you with acid.

Best Friends Forever

Round 3
Controversial Views
Boches wrote a recent piece that describes print ads as old. I understand what he is trying to say, but I feel like many times, social media mavens tend to see new media as the only worth-while media. Fewer people read magazines, but print media is not dead. The example he uses is a competition to make Detroit look hip by making a good print ad, but Boches sees this as counter-intuitive. I feel that depending on the creativity of the ad, it can be just as powerful as any other ad.
One of Brogan's articles that I take issue with is about how much time should be spent on social media and how it should be divided. He clearly states that it his his view on it, and it is for business, but that won't stop me from nit-picking! He clearly defends his opinion, but I feel that, seeing as social media is about interactions, it should vary depending on the conversations. Besides, if you want to interact, ask your followers what they want more or less of. One of the issues that social media is supposed to address is the authoritative tone of traditional media. There should not be a defined schedule for interacting, it should be natural.
My issue with the Predator is his distorted views on pride. We've all seen is trophy collection, he has far more skulls than I will ever have. So why, even though we all acknowledge that he is a great hunter, he feels the need to nuke himself and the surroundings if he is defeated. I think that is a little extreme, but who am I to question our cultural differences.

In conclusion, both Ed Boches and Chris Brogan are excellent bloggers with terrific insights to the world of online media, but are lousy hunters that would never hold their own in a battle with a Xenomorph. They seem like nice people, and I hope that they never have to fight off these alien beasts alone. Perhaps if they crowdsource, they will be able to take one down. I'd love to see them blog about that experience