My friends' nine-year-old girl asked me quite seriously yesterday what I did for a living. It took me by surprise. How do I explain to a child that I do high-tech publicity, when often I have difficulty explaining what I do to grown-ups? We had just completed a walk along Berkeley's Inspiration Point, along a ridge in Tilden Park, and the girl had written her bicycle along a four-mile stretch of the hilly road.
I told her I'd get a famous local cyclist, Freddie Rodriguez, who has been promoting a pro bono client of mine (the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League) to come up and ride his bike with her, and then invite the media along with photographers to shoot her ride along Inspiration Point. "Nine-Year-Old First to Conquer Inspiration Point," the headlines in the local papers would scream.
She pondered that for all of a moment, then asked me how I would publicize a book she's thought of writing. For a nine-year-old to write and publish a book would be a feat worthy of media attention in itself, I thought.
I asked her what the book was about, and she said she'd had an idea but forgot what it was.
Do you keep a journal? I asked.
She said she wrote down things on her web site.
I suggested she turn her website into a blog, so other people could read her stories and she could share them without having to publish an actual book. It's only a matter of time before some company comes up with a platform for children's blogs.
As to what I do for a living, I realize it's helping people let the world know what they're doing and thinking. In the past I've been getting the message out through traditional media, but nowadays, there's no reason people can't get the word out themselves...with a little help from a professional communicator. Or not. Often, people become communication pros in the very process of self promotion, like Dave Winer, who's used the very tools he's invented to become a very fine commentator and reporter on the next wave in journalism and many aspects of technology as well.
My 10-year-old son has the same aspirations of writing and publishing a book. He's written quite a few creative stories, complete with illustrations, and bound the pages together with staples. He's wanted to start the self-promotion, so that he can sell his stories.
His self promotion consists of handwritten flyers, and some tape or tacks. He's wanted to hang them up around town, but I wouldn't let him.
Instead, I suggested a blog, which I installed for him and showed him how to use. He's written a couple things, there, but I still don't allow the blog to notify any update services.
I've thought about a service for children's blogs, but then I start running into the problems of privacy and disclosure with children. There's not a fool-proof way to stop them from including personal information.
Posted by: Tom Simpson | August 21, 2005 at 11:32 AM