how to choose the right new media web channel
Here’s what I tell people when I advise someone about which web tool they should use. Summary:
- Choose twitter if you like to text
- Choose blogging if you like to write
- Choose audio podcasting if you like to talk
- Choose video if you like to talk with your hands
When it comes to having an active online presence, it’s basically about content generation. It’s your personal voice. We’re not talking about having a website – which is more of a brochure, or an interactive one. We’re talking about how to get your voice out there, your ideas, your experiences, your thoughts, your questions, your desire to help make a difference in the world.
As twitter and facebook have become more mainstream, and I hear them talked about everywhere, or overhear it, and it’s not me bringing it up. I’m learning to avoid talking about work-related subjects, which is hard to do, when that work closely aligns with the things I love to do and dream about and think about. I’m avoiding an overused word that begins with “P”. Yes, that’s another blog series in the hopper that I hope to get online soon. Might do some during vacation next week. I am not doing an offline unplugged vacation. Oh, so that was off track rambling.
My elevator pitch executive summary is currently this: what is your most comfortable way of expressing yourself? Your favorite way of communicating? Granted, content generation is work, and we don’t need to make it any harder than it needs to be. So choose the easiest way for you, and that will be the more effective one for you. And you do have the option of using these web communication channels as a one-way broadcast or as a two-way conversation. You get to set your own rules, though some people do have strong preferences if you want to fit in with a particular tribe.
If you like to text, twitter is great for that. What you tweet about, you can be a bit smarter about that.
If you like to write, and in this case, it’d be keyboarding/ typing, then blogging may be a good fit. Blogging is great because you get to see what you’re writing and you can edit and make links. The printed word has been a popular mode of communicating for centuries, even the digital printed word.
If you like to talk, turn on a digital recorder and hit record, or record right onto your computer via a mic. It takes a bit more work to get that audio uploaded somewhere to host it, and then to link it up into an RSS feed for iTunes, so if you have someone techie near you, let them do it for you. Alternatively, I’ve used tumblr to call in an audio post, and it’s done near real time! Call it in, and tumblr digitizes and posts it online. Voila. Hear my quick audio post from yesterday.
If you like to talk with your hands, video is the way to go. The majority of computers now have a webcam built in. And with web apps like tokbox.com and youtube.com, you cna record a video through your web browser. And you’re done. Let your thoughts flow, and may your words be wonderful.
Remember, which ever way you go, web communication is instant, global, and permanent. Near impossible to take your words back.
