I enjoyed an interview Valeria Maltoni did with broadcast journalist and podcaster Albert Maruggi recently. The podcast and a short transcript of the interview are in a post on her "Conversation Agent" blog.

Albert is the host of the long-running (four years - an geologic era by Internet reckoning) podcast "Marketing Edge," He and Valeria discussed the changing new media landscape. Here are a few highlights that got me nodding in agreement, followed by a link to Valeria's full post.

The whole concept of being social. You and I meeting each other. There is DNA, we are wired as humans to connect - to say we share this planet. Let alone the fact that we are both Italian, writers, and work in marketing and all the other things we may have in common and have yet to find out. At the essence of social media is the need for the human spirit to connect.

Herein lies the challenge for marketers. They are struggling to live in this environment because their mindset is to sell something. And the social media mindset is tell something, share something. The struggle we will have as a profession, as marketers, and the struggle capitalism will have as a culture is how do I participate with a group of people that are of like mind without understanding the benefit to me? In some ways that is a selfish benefit to me.

And...

Anyone at any point in time can have an influential idea. Just because they don't have 10,000 people listening to them or reading, it doesn't mean that they can't have an influential idea. The ability to find that influential idea is important. Just be out there and participate. Jump in the pool so you can become part of the conversation.

New Media - from Radio Broadcasting to Podcasting - by Valeria Maltoni from Conversation Agent