Sharpening the Edge

by Ron Daly 

This blog was started to bring our insights to the world. In May 2008, we got going with some articles about email marketing and SPAM and mobile banking.

Since then, we've been doing our part to help you, our dear reader, understand the world wide web and its myriad uses as a communication and sales channel. 

Which is why I was surprised to read this article from MediaPost Publications. It seems that there are certain buzzwords that nobody wants to hear anymore. The top ten can be found below: 

Top 10 Buzzwords Tired of Hearing (% of Respondents)
Rank	Buzzword	2009 Report	2008 Report
1	Web 2.0	19.4%	9.1%
2	Social Networking	12.2%	6.0%
3	Social Media	11.3%	0.8%
4	Blog	7.9%	0.0%
5	Viral Marketing	6.2%	6.3%
6	Synergy	5.8%	5.6%
7	Branding	5.1%	3.2%
8	ROI	4.9%	4.8%
9	Green	4.9%	0.0%
10	SEO	3.8%	1.8%
Source: MENG & Anderson Analytics, January 2009

Well, isn't that something. 

But the really stunning thing is the fact that most marketing execs/CEOs don't know anything about the subjects in question. From the same article: 

Twice as many marketers are "sick" of hearing about Web 2.0 and related buzzwords such as "blogs" and "social networking" compared to last year's survey; however, marketers still admit they don't know enough about it. This was evident in the results of a social media study MENG released on November 6, 2008 showing 67% of executive marketers consider themselves beginners when it comes to using social media for marketing purposes.

I think it's time we here at the C.C.C.Blog change that. 

From this day forward, this blog will be working to inform the Credit Union and Financial Services Industries about the things they're having trouble understanding. Should we be afraid of the web? Not at all. It's only going to get bigger and better and more integral to the way people live their lives.

So here's your call to action: 

1) Spread the word.

Sign up for the RSS feed, send articles to friends who might need to shed some light on a subject, sign up for email updates. 

2) Tell us what we need to cover. 

You folks have thoughts of your own. Let's hear it! Guest authors welcome here, if you've got a hum-dinger article. 

3) Help us make the web better. 

We're hoping to make strides forward. Join us as we make the effort to enhance the online world.