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I started my career in the great city of London where I would spend my Sunday mornings at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park.  For someone with little money, it was great, free entertainment to listen to the array of speakers stand on their soapboxes, some with great skill and interesting topics, and others without either.  Equally entertaining was the audience that was comprised of ‘professional hecklers’ and the occasional infuriated tourist that would exchange barbs with the speakers and other audience members.

The analogy to today’s world of social media is an interesting one and I think one that we can learn from.  Similar to Speakers Corner, social media can provide a platform for discourse and also a format for audiences to provide feedback though ratings and comments.  Speakers’ Corner is also a perfect reflection of online community behavior with most of the audience just watching and a few participating and one or two who can’t be quiet. However, what really kept me returning to Speakers’ Corner was the back and forth between the ‘speaker’ and audience members, where good ideas were defended well and the audience would crowd around to see what would happen next.  

Similar to the Speakers on milk crates at Speaker’s Corner, bloggers have a powerful platform.  Over the past year, an array of technologies have enabled the audience to engage bloggers in more powerful ways.  Friendfeed, Twitter and others allow audiences an opportunity to shout back or agree – even if there are no comments allowed on the blog.  If used well, these can help a blogger achieve greater visibility and capture a wider audience. Bloggers to follow for best practices: Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang and Robert Scoble

 - Colin