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If you read marketing blogs, you couldn’t have missed the recent buzz on MediaSnackers.
MediaSnackers are (mostly young) people who snack on media, or consume it in small chunks. The 90 sec video on the MediaSnackers website serves as a good introduction to the idea. While the idea itself is not a new one, the packaging – and the catchphrase – is great, and has been rewarded with a meme dedicated to it.
The “Do you respect MediaSnackers?” meme started by Jeremiah Owyang asks bloggers how they are dealing with the low attention spans of their audiences. The meme has spread wide with the participation of many marketing and PR bloggers.
Here are my three quick thoughts on MediaSnackers:
- First, MediaSnacking is about attitude, not about age.
We snack for various reasons: because we don’t have time for a full meal, because snacks are easier to digest, because we simply like snacking. While MediaSnacking may come more naturally to the young, older people who are starved for time and weighed down with information are as likely to turn to it.
- Second, MediaSnackers want it served their way.
MediaSnackers want their fill when they want it, where they want it, in whichever way they want it. If you want them to consume your content, you need to serve it to them their way: as podcasts, vodcasts, photostreams, micro-blogs, or regular old-fashioned blogs.
- Third, even MediaSnackers sometimes want something more substantial.
I’m a MediaSnacker myself, but, after a few nibbles on Twitter/ Facebook/ YouTube/ Google Reader, I always find myself longing for something substantial and curl up with an old-fashioned book. I believe that the same is true for even the most voracious MediaSnackers. My approach on my own blog, therefore, is to write many snack-size posts as asides, but intersperse them regularly with substantial meal-size full posts.
Here is a list of blogs that have participated in the MediaSnackers meme – Deborah Shultz, Chris Brogan, Steve Hodson, Connie Bensen, Geoff Livingston, David Yeo, Kyle Flaherty, Lee Hopkins, Todd Defren, Connie Reece, Valeria Maltoni, John Johnston, Clay Newton, Cathleen Ritt, Drew McLellan, Andrea Vascellari, Gavin Heaton, Kevin Dugan, Mark Cahill, Kami Huyse, Jane Quigley, Sarah Wurrey, Beth Kanter, Ike Piggott, Jason Falls, Rob La Gesse, Doug Meacham, Chris Wilson, Meg Tsiamis, Elizabeth Dunn, Colin McKay, Tamar Weinberg, Martin Koser, Mark Goren, Angela Penny, Heather Yaxley, Sherri Lynne, Luis Suarez and Patrix.
Kami Huyse has also done a detailed analysis of the meme using the Radian 6 social network monitoring tool and posted a cloud of terms that are being used most often in the meme –
And now for the yummy part: the tags. Daniel, Patrix, Amit, Ajay and Michael: how do you feed MediaSnackers on your own blogs?
I think this is correct and resonates very well:
“- First, MediaSnacking is about attitude, not about age.”
Does anyone know any other training courses on social media like the ones found on xTrain.com?
Yep, being nearly 49 I’d agree with you and Jeremiah on that point!
Funny coincidence that I would write about attitude and sliding doors (split paths after choices) in my snack culture post. You’ve split your online blogging into thinking and feeling. Great about page, one of the most inventive I’ve read in a long time!
Thanks for joining the meme and for highlighting MediaSnackers (our org).
I have added your name to the growing list where you will find our response as well:
http://tinyurl.com/39ohf5
Peace
DK
MediaSnackers Founder
I link back to what commented by Jeremiah and Lee about the ‘attitude’…
Really nice post!
Andrea
Thanks for citing my post. Hope to continue the conversation
Hey Gaurav,
Excellent addition to the conversation. Point No. 1 is absolutely true, and of most labels we like to apply to groups of people. Nice work.
Nicely laid out. I agree that media snackers can be any age, and that it’s a mindset more than a birthright.
@Valeria: Many thanks. Splitting blogs (and personalities) is often painful, but what has to be done has to be done…
@Connie: Thanks for tagging me. I totally love memes. I’ll try to answer the question of social media measurement from a brand manager’s perspective.