But is it marketing?

Marketing has historically been about communications...a one directional communications highway with a few service roads. Companies would direct their message ( pitch without content) to their customers and prospects through all available media vehicles. The service roads allowed communications to the organization by chosen customers and primarily through those pesky dinnertime survey calls. And those consumers that took it upon themselves to communicate with the company via letters of complaint were usually rewarded (bought off?) with coupons and special offers to consume more of the product about which they complained. Companies were listening... but on their terms. In short, marketing communications dictated the demographic, the means, the message and the offering.

Enter the two way highway and all the avenues leading off it... blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, email, listservs, forums, podcasts, youtube. The communication now is from the self-selected consumer to the corporation and as marketers we've begun to listen making our heretofor audience the storyteller.