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We are moving into the “the post-media age,” says the always- interesting John Jarvis.

“Media made society one-way. But now the internet drains the one-way pipes… and pours us all in the same pond together. The internet enables conversation.”

I agree. Traditional media are being eclipsed by the amazing connectedness of the Internet, blogs, Skype, IM, mobile phones, etc. The conversation is already in full swing. The only ones who haven’t noticed seem to be traditional marketers, stuck in their fear and the Old Ways. Traditional marketing messages are being thoroughly and successfully ignored, thanks to time-shifting (and spot-skipping) Tivos, channel clickers, etc.

And what’s replacing one-way (talk-only) media? The joys of honest, two-way conversation. And as Jarvis notes, it’s only natural.

“The natural means of… sharing information is, of course, conversation, through the ability to ask and answer questions… When you listened to… the town crier, you could stick your head out the window and ask for details… Socrates said that education is a conversation… Luther said that prayer is a conversation, and Cluetrain says that markets are conversations, and (that’s) why I say that news is a conversation.”

So is marketing communications. Yelling at customers will yield to telling customers (info marketing) which will soon morph into honest two-way conversations. It has to. With plummeting viewership/ listenership/ readership, Big Media has to learn to listen.

Soon, more companies (and their marketers) will awaken to the fact that the old ways are simply failing. People hate hype and hard sell. They hunger for honest one-to-one conversation. And now they have the power to turn one off and the other on.

Want your company to survive in a post-cluetrain world? Better brush up on your listening and conversational skills. After all, “marketing communications” simply means talking to your customers.

Oh — and listening. That’s what makes it a conversation.

“IBM joins podcast craze with audio think-pieces” blares the headline.

This is significant, I think — not because it’s a podcast, necessarily, but because it’s yet another example of something I believe is essential in 21st century marketing: “information marketing”.

What is info marketing? Freely sharing your knowledge with the world.

Smart companies like IBM have been doing it for years. Now small businesses, service professionals, consultants, writers, designers and other knowledge workers are discovering they can attract more clients, enhance their credibility and boost their visibility by using info-marketing to share their knowledge, experience and insights with interested members of the public (a/k/a prospects).

In some ways it’s like a blog, but with a much broader reach.

As a freelance marketing communications writer, I regularly help clients write and package choice nuggets from their knowledge base. These might morph into 20-minute lunchtime talks, full-length magazine articles or columns, white papers, op-ed pieces, even letters to the editor.

Then of course there are news releases, case histories, success stories, presentations, speeches — not to mention the company web site and blog (of course!)

I just posted a full-length article that might help you see the advantages of sharing your valuable business intelligence with prospects. Take a look if you’re interested.

Afterward, I’d love to hear what you think. Come on back and post your comments here.

Are you self-employed? Ever flirted with the idea? Freelance web designer Garrett Dimon considers the joys — and the terrors — in a blog entry called About Going Solo. Many would-be entrepreneurs expect a joyous and carefree lifestyle, he cautions. OK, there is some of that. But as he points out:

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as creating a web site and cashing checks. There’s a lot more to running a business that isn’t sexy or fun. Parts of owning your own business are downright boring, tedious, and expensive. Thanks to Lifehack for the link.

Then Garrett provides a variety of links to info about taxes, accounting, sales, marketing, pricing your work, health insurance… (Sheesh! No wonder he’s bummed out!)

Hey, in spite of all Garrett’s “sad but true” facts, self-employment is a lifestyle with fabulous perks. My favorites: good coffee, flexible hours, private (corner) office with (not one but two!) windows, and a Golden Retriever at my feet who’s ready to go whenever I need to take a break and clear my head. Try and get THAT in cubicle land!

As I commented on his blog:

Hey, if you love what you do and treasure your independence, I think solo is the only way to fly…

BTW, I’m writing a book about the joys and pitfalls of self- employment. So I’d love to hear from any of you who want to share your stories. Preferably the triumphs, but I can take the truth. Thanks!

From those wacky folks who brought you Overheard in New York, come Cyranet greeting cards.

OK, the artwork leaves a little to be desired. But these are funny, hip cards!

Examples:

Your Joycean email style never fails to stimulate but you may want to throw in some commas and capitals for the guys upstairs.

I only know how to torment you so effectively because we have such a special bond.

Good luck with the interview. For your weakness, be sure not to mention your utter contempt for people less intelligent than you.

OK, maybe this is a teeny bit off-topic. (The line for refunds starts over there.)

As much as I love Firefox, I’ve noticed that it occasionally lets a pop-up slip through. Or pop up. And we all hate hate hate popups, don’t we. And nobody reading this should ever use them, OK? They are literally the Numero Uno complaint from web users.

Well, leave it to the good souls at Lifehacker to find a fix that’s easy and quick (like, literally, 30 seconds). A big tip of the chapeau to Pete Bevin of Write Only Media for discovering it (or at least bringing it to lh’s attention).

Hey, you’re not still using IE, are you? Get the fox, baby. You’ll never look back.

Hizzoner has stepped in and refereed a settlement to the Great Sausage Smackdown. See below Marketing communications lesson #76: Don’t make a jerk of yourself

“A dispute between two boys hawking lemonade and a rival vendor who forced police to shut down their unlicensed stand was resolved Wednesday after the mayor orchestrated what he called ‘a corporate merger.’ Mayor Stanley Usovicz said sausage stand owner Kevin Kefalas agreed to allow Dominic Serino, 9, and Ryan Decker, 11, to operate as subcontractors under his vending license following an impromptu outdoor meeting initiated by the mayor.” Link

Whew. Now let’s hope he doesn’t try to slip the kids any undercooked sausages…

Drat. It’s just like the techies always say:

Marketing dept to blame for website crashes: official | The Register (UK): “The marketing department is responsible for around a quarter of the overloads and crashes your poor company website suffers. Website testing firm, SciVisum… found that 26 per cent don’t ever mention planned online promotions to the guys and gals in the tech boiler room. More than half admit they forget to provide a warning at least some of the time…” Thanks, Lifehacker!

Hey, wait a minute. That only explains about one-quarter of the site crashes. Who’s responsible for the other 74%? Eh?

Beware of geeks bearing gifts. Or playing with matches. Or something like that.