As I was reading the latest issue of Fast Company this morning, I came across a quick comment from a reader in California. He mentioned the phrase that ecologists use to describe the options that a species has when a forcing function, such as climate change, is imminent.

"Species faced with climate change have three choices - adapt, migrate, or die. If the climate changes faster than organisms can adapt or move, then it is likely that they will become extinct."

I've been trying to think of a concise way to explain the options that marketers have to choose from in the world of blogs and the ever-increasing proliferation of consumer generated media. I'm convinced that the choices lie in our study of thousands of years of ecology and biology. Adapt, migrate or die.

Adapt: Adapt by being first to market in your industry to embrace things like RSS, weblogs, engaging more deeply with consumers on the web and taking advantage of these new media for all of the advantages they offer.

Migrate: You can migrate to a lesser position in the market. By ignoring the cacophony of voices that are your customers on the Internet, your migration is nearly assured. Also, as a marketer you could migrate to another area of an organization or to an organization that 'gets it', as your current organization may become extinct. (Incidentally, I had a great conversation the other day about the TWO paths that marketers have - Distinction or Extinction. This was relating to higher ed... You can strive for Distinction, or fall into Extinction. Your choice.)

Die: Self explanatory...mostly. Die in terms of a market leadership position...or...die in terms of relevancy (or lack thereof) to your target market.

While you're all thinking about Adapting. Think about the different perspectives that both Bill Flitter and Rick Short have about the "Ps of blogging"... ( 1) point (purpose), 2) passion, 3) personality, 4) perseverance )