photo by the u.s. national archives
Why do we create so much crap communication? You know what I mean. The inane press release no one reads. The badly composed photo of people standing around, doing nothing of interest. The ad apparently created solely because a deadline had arrived and something was needed to fill the space. Email so dull based on the subject line that it’s deleted without being opened. Annual reports that follow the same tired formula year after year because (wait for it) “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Websites whose only purpose is to remind us that you exist (and barely succeeding at that).
At the same time, we now have these amazing tools and technologies at our disposal, just aching to be used to push the boundaries of what we mean by effective communication. Instead we use them to deliver the same old crap with ever-increasing flair and pinpoint accuracy (think Predator drone armed with cow dung missile). We have wikis and blogs and micro-blogs and social networks and virtual communities and social bookmarking and content sharing and … we use it to deliver grip-and-grin photos, bad writing and spam marketing.
We’ve got the most phenomenal content delivery systems imaginable, and yet we fill them with crap. It’s a craptastrophe of epic proportions. Please, god, save me from bad photos of guys in suits awkwardly shaking hands. And stories of meetings that even the five people at the meeting don’t want to read.
It’s time to start living up to the potential of the tools at our disposal rather than dragging them down into the sludge of our old, tired ways. There no longer are any excuses for bad content.
Can’t write? Hire a writer … there must be a million out-of-work journalists who will work cheap for you. Can’t take a picture to save your life? Take 20 minutes and read one of the thousands of blog posts that explain how to stage a shot that won’t embarrass you. Or buy a really cheap, really good stock shot. Can’t afford a graphic designer? We’re in a recession, folks. When times are tight, rates are negotiable. Or do I dare mention the wealth of design templates out there that can make your publication halfway presentable?
The point, friends, is that there’s no excuse for crap anymore. Hallelujah. If you’re still producing crap, it must mean you’re either ignorant, lazy or incompetent. Or you’ve just given up. If that’s the case, please step aside and let others who still care do the work.
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{ 8 comments }
Love the photo of Nixon and Elvis.
Your article reminds me of when a company has a Facebook page, but does nothing with it. It sits there collecting dust. What a waste.
From what I’ve seen there’s a lot of dust accumulating out there. It’s what happens when people jump directly to a marketing tactic like a Facebook page, newsletter or some other thing without thinking through the little things. Like goals and objectives. And developing a real strategy. And a content strategy. And who’s going to develop/maintain/refresh content. Etc.
I second this! So many tools out there, but so many admins and leaders still manage to not communicate well. That is, effectively exchange information successfully!
In-house is fine as long as you’ve got in-house talent. The problem is that many organizations don’t. Or they’re overwhelmed with other projects. Or they just don’t care enough about a particular project. Then crap ensues. Maybe if we had everyone sign a pledge: No More Crap!
Boy I wish I had the guts to say that. Companies mid-size and larger should look to communications firms as an extension of their own team. All too often, I hear “We’re handling that in-house.” When I see the results, I am not surprised that the objective wasn’t met. Thank you for laying it on the line Dan!
craptastrophe of epic proportions. i love it. f
I agree! We have all the resources now and if you are not providing what others expected you to deliver then it is your fault. Hiring a professional is the best option.
So is this meta-crap?
Just kidding. Pretty good thoughts.
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