There’s a certain degree of artistry involved with online communications

Posted at February 9, 2010

Mark Davidson

Step One: Learn all the rules

Step Two: Master all the rules through endless practice and repetition

Step Three: Proceed to break all the rules with accuracy and precision.

When I had originally written the above copy, I actually had jazz in mind but I found that it also applied to art and literature as well. I find that a lot of people don’t understand why Picasso is so famous to art history. “I can do that“. What they don’t realize is that Picasso was a technically proficient artist, long before he started innovating. Picasso was just as much an inventor as he was an artist. Prior to Picasso, the way he approached art had never been done before. We tend to take his art for granted now but in his time, his paintings were revolutionary… and he reinvented art over and over.

Oh, yes. When communicating online, it’s best to have an understanding of social dynamics and culture. However, to stand out from the crowd and have our message heard, we have to break the rules. It’s just best to know which communication rules and why we are breaking them. Otherwise, it’s probably likely for a PR meltdown to ensue. Even within the context of social communication, it’s important to innovate to capture attention, maintain interest, and help people to remember our message. Words are very powerful, they can shape perception and stir people’s emotions. But unless we can accurately predict how people will react or respond to our words, it’s best to play it safe.