Visualizing the Threads

I just submitted my "chapter" for The Age of Conversation E-book. I wanted to bring the idea of visual, visceral, emotional design into the conversation and did so by bringing the threads of our online communications into the foreground.

I can't share the whole thing, but thought an excerpt may entice:

In the beginning, advertising was a conversation. In the early 1920’s, manufacturers created characters to humanize their brands. Betty Crocker was a fictionalization, invented so that women could relate to and interact with the brand. Her radio show was the highest rated in the land. Betty spoke to consumers and they spoke to her. They asked questions, she answered them. Together, these threads invented the brand.

But as we became infatuated with new mass media channels and the idea of mass markets (efficiency! Hurrah!), we turned away from conversation and started a series of monologues…the rise of push. Messages delivered via broadcast to massive demographic segments (M/F 18-54!) enabled companies to tell their stories in their own words - loudly, efficiently, and without interruption – whether or not anyone was listening. One thread, no conversation.

I'll post info when the e-book is ready for purchase. It's being written
by 100 social media bloggers and thought leaders - a very cool,
very smart crowd that I'm honored to be a part of. Proceeds go to Variety, the children's charity.