Compression of Time and Space

Another personal example of Networked Media (as opposed to "new" media) from this past weekend's events with our own Paul Petrino. Head coach Bobby Petrino's brother, and UA's offensive coordinator/receivers coach, met with officials at Western Kentucky about their head coach opening Saturday evening following our Miss State game.

We all participated in his comings and goings from the Bowling Green, Ky., airport thanks to the network. The student newspaper at WKU, the Herald, had photos and video of the arrival and departure, plus the usual no comments and unnamed sources.

All came as a surprise in Arkansas, a little irony from the home of private airplane tail number tracking among the participatory and social media. Of course, it prompted questions, calls and statements, and by about 9 a.m. on Monday morning, Paul withdrew his name from consideration.

What happens next is unclear. Either Paul's decision prompted WKU to move in another direction, or Paul was given the courtesy of removing his name before word of WKU's choice got out. Regardless, there was a networked collision as a leak from Western about the new head coach hits the internet at almost the same time Paul releases his statement.

We see several takeaways here, many of them as old as PR itself.

When more than one person knows something, it isn't a secret. What changes with the message distribution enabling power of Networked Media is you best operate as if everyone knows. Not too many years ago, this visit would have transpired without the faintest of evidence it happened for several reasons. First and foremost, the local student paper would not have shifted to an on-line cycle (the Herald just did, like many student papers) and likely would not have paid that much attention to a weekend event. Even if the paper had the story, the print edition in Bowling Green would not appear for a couple of days, then required the mailing, faxing or phoning back to Arkansas of the news. By this time, it likely is judged to be no longer news worthy (hold that thought for later).

I write that past paragraph in full knowledge that I'm repeating the obvious today. We've lived that since about 2002 here with a competitive local media, an engaged participatory media fan base and a reasonably front-edge blogger contingent.

I assume in this that Western played it old school to the hilt. Someone tips the student paper, and they put their technology to work to track the story by staking out the airport (let me emphasize, you don't just happen out to the Bowling Green airport on a Saturday night). Later, WKU used the traditional "unnamed source" that was "close" to the process to get early word out they had selected a head coach. Officially, there was no comment until the media event in the afternoon, but the Associated Press did their work for them in creating interest in the press conference. As an aside, nothing fails like a press conference that none one really knows what it is about.

Back to the newsworthiness of Paul's interview. Assistant coaches that are upwardly mobile get interviews all the time. If they don't, you may not have the kind of guys you really want on your staff. That, as we say, is old news. Ten years ago, the media finds out that Paul's made this little side trip, at best it is a small note in the paper a week, maybe two weeks, after it happened thanks in part to the amount of time that has passed.

College sports remain the only truly unscripted reality show left in the American culture (certainly, the outcome of major pro sports keeps that unpredictability alive, but they're trying very, very hard to get a handle on all the other frabba jabba behind the scenes). As such, when we can all participate, we all become interested. The factors of time and space are gone -- I can be driving down I-40 in the Arkansas River valley and see pictures of our assistant coach getting off a plane in western Kentucky in near real time (frankly, going the next step to live video is nothing).

For the strategic communicator, understanding that is vital to protecting your people and/or brand.

Or, to be little more glib, keep your head on a swivel and stay frosty out there.