Just how relevant are you?

Locally, I've had the conversation about perceived authority. Which is more reliable, a trained journalist? Or a blogger?

It all depends on who you ask, because of different beliefs.

Baby Boomers were raised with authority.

Gen X-ers questioned authority.

Gen Y said "What is authority?"

This is the fundamental reason that it is important to know your audience. Changing influences affect where and how they get their information.

Baby Boomers may find a story important to the community if it is written in a certain journalistic style, and printed in the local newspaper.

It only takes 140 characters (at tweet / text) to get an important message across to Gen Y.

A recommendation from a journalist will carry a lot more weight with Baby Boomers... But a recommendation from a friend is going to influence Gen Y. Don't discount this as 'group think' or 'peer pressure'.

With so many digital influences being thrown at us, it is impossible to absorb it all. Gey Y is used to the information stream because they sort it by what is relevant.

You can trust a recommendation from your friend (at least most friends), because they know who you are... your likes... your dislikes... your style...

So, how does this translate into the future of journalism, social media, and marketing?

First - Your audience skims headlines for specific information. They will judge your relevance and importance from your headline. Guess what, you have 2.7 seconds... or 140 characters to catch them or lose them forever.

Second - You have to provide timely, relevant, interesting information tailored to your audience.

Third - Relevant or not, you have to be "IN" their information stream to even get noticed... This is where social media platforms come into play.

These principles hold true if you are a journalist writing an article, a blogger posting or a business selling a product.

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