Content vs. Conversation

There is a debate in the social media world about the importance of content vs. conversation.  People feel strongly about the topic and emotions run high when they defend their stances.  The debate is regarding the importance of content and conversation and which one is “king.”  Ironically, both arguments admit the critical importance of the opposing view.  Those who feel that content is king argue that without good content, there is nothing to talk about.  Conversation enthusiasts acknowledge that it takes good content to spark conversation.

Content is King.

This side of the argument feels that content is what matters most; the rest will follow as long as the content is good enough.  “First, social marketing efforts need to be driven by content, not vice versa. Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about (Greenberg, 2009).”

Conversation is King; content is just something to talk about.

People on this side of the debate feel that the importance of conversation triumphs over that of content.  “Content without conversation is just broadcasting, or just advertising.  It goes to the listener/reader/viewer/visitor… and stops there.  If the sender is lucky, it may lodge as a piece of information in the receiver’s consciousness, and they may act on it someday.  If the sender is luckier, or perhaps more engaging, it may be something that the receiver wants to talk about. And then the message gets a whole new burst of energy. The energy behind the message is what gives it meaning, and a life of its own. That happens because we humans like to communicate with each other (Novak, 2010).”

My Opinion

Both content and conversation are equally important.  Content is the first building block of successful social media; however the conversation is what actually choreographs the delicate dance that is social media.  When producing a movie, the first building block is a screenplay.  That screenplay needs to be powerful; it should evoke an emotional response from the actors who will bring it to life as well as from the audience once it has been transformed into an active art by the actors.  Conversation plays a similar role to that of the actors in this example.  The actors bring the screenplay to life in the same way conversation brings content to life.  If you spend all of your effort trying to create conversation around inadequate content, then the end result will be the same as a movie with great actors but a terrible screenplay.  Either situation leads to a work of art that the audience is unable to relate to and simply doesn’t care much about.

Example of Content Driving Conversation

MTV's response to an unexpected revelation by Beyoncé Knowles at 2011’s Video Music Awards is an example of how quick thinking and great content drives conversation and engagement.  “The R&B superstar gestured on the red carpet before the event that she was expecting a baby, and a quick-witted member of MTV's social team down in the ’press pit’ took a photo and tweeted it, meaning that MTV was the first to break the news.  MTV then focused its efforts on amplifying that bomb drop by creating content around it, tailored to each social platform, all of which was designed to build on the virality of this news snippet.  By the time Beyoncé took to the stage at the VMAs, a huge global audience had gathered and saw her unbutton her jacket after her performance to point at her stomach and again indicate that her and husband Jay-Z were expecting (MTV, 2012).”

In this example, MTV created content around an event, and that content spurred conversation.  This is a great example of the equality of content and conversation.

References

Dictionary.com.  (n.d.)  Retrieved June 11, 2012, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/king?s=t

Greenberg, M.  (2009, October 20).  Content is king of social marketing.  Multichannel Merchant.  Retrieved June 11, from https://reserves.lib.wvu.edu/engineIncludes/download.php?id=1136401237

MTV: Social media can't make bad content good, but it can make good content great.  (2012, March 20).  ipTVnews.  Retrieved June 11, 2012, from http://squiz.informatm.com/iptv_news/iptv_news/march_2012_2/mtv_social_media_cant_make_bad_content_good,_but_it_can_make_good_content_great

Novack, C.  (2010, July 27).  Why conversation, not content, is king.  Social Media Today.  Retreived June 11, 2012, from https://reserves.lib.wvu.edu/engineIncludes/download.php?id=264628065