Blake Dowling
This week, Tallahassee ABC affiliate WTXL27 stopped by the office to chat on one of my favorite topics — social media posts, specifically video content.
If I were to critique my own social media use, one might say I post too much. However, I try and stick to a once daily max for most platforms (Twitter being the exception).
I think one post a day is entirely reasonable.
In fact, I am merely trying to share things that were intended to be shared: columns, branding my company and (of course) very important pictures from our football tailgate.
Speaking of football, did you know if you asked Siri yesterday morning who is the worst team in college football, she said the Florida State Seminoles?
Very strange, as I think they are only last in FBS schools’ average points per game (5) they are not actually last in the rankings. Who knows where Siri gets her info.
The race for worst team in the state is on with the Seminoles currently in the lead, but that could change fast as the Hurricanes, Gators or Knights could catch up at any time.
We will see if Willie Wonka and the Warchant Factory can turn it around.
My chat with ABC started with kids and irresponsible online behavior, before moving to some more responsible use of video, and then corporations, celebrities and, of course, politicians.
We began the conversation with a local story about a man with a gun and some local youths. As of this writing, the man with the gun is still on the loose.
The youths were using video to defend themselves, documenting a situation where someone pulled a gun on them, and good for them, in other cases, people are using video very poorly. For example, this security guard was fired after his employer found this ridiculous video online.
Really? Paul Flart?
Meanwhile, a Florida Taco Bell refused service to a guest because she didn’t speak Spanish. The guest could have driven off and never said a thing.
Instead, they filmed the entire encounter to document what they were dealing with and shared it.
So, by way of the video, the story speaks for itself.
The woman did have a great sense of humor about it: “Isn’t Quesadilla, in Spanish, Quesadilla?”
Well isn’t it?
Politicians love their videos too. And not just pricey TV spots, but online content that gets a fine-tuned message out to the public.
Check out Brian Kemp for Georgia Governor; he combines his beliefs with some humor in this clip:
In Florida, Andrew Gillum’s team produced a more serious message about family and his childhood experiences.
I also chatted with Steve from ABC about the fact that instead all-day handful of news outlets, we now have literally millions. Everyone with a phone is a reporter and might have a story or (in the context of this article) video.
According to The New York Times … “People are broadening their definitions of what political leaders can look like,” said Teddy Goff, a co-founder of the agency Precision Strategies, a Democratic consulting firm, and President Barack Obama’s former digital director.
“A political leader,” he added, “can be a 17-year-old from Parkland or a 28-year-old who was a bartender until last year.”
The internet and video content can share the greatness in our society like with Phil, the homeless man who needed a shave and his positive experiences with the Tallahassee Police Department. Or it shares the ugly, as in the case of the aforementioned man with a gun.
And, of course, Paul Flart.
It can also propel political messages like never before. This idea is not new, but we are seeing more depth than ever its use and how messages are crafted.
Cheers to Kemp and Gillum for their creativity with video content.
And regarding Mr. Flart: “C’mon on Man” (to quote ESPN).
Thank you to Steve and ABC27 for visiting Aegis, and thanks to Florida Politics for publishing this piece.
Have a good one, and thank you for reading.
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Blake Dowling is CEO of Aegis Business Technologies. He can be reached at [email protected].
