Our blog
It is all about communication and information transfer
06 February 2009
Even for the technically disinclined, it’s hard to avoid the many new communication avenues opening up for us on an almost daily basis. Websites, applications and functionality like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and RSS seem to be in the news on almost daily basis. It’s easy to get spun around with all the latest techo-craze and gadgetry.
But what is it all about from a business or company standpoint?
With the development of Web 2.0, there was a fundamental shift in the nature of internet usage. The older approach of information transfer was one-way. Websites put information online for visitors to view. There wasn’t a great way for visitors to communicate with the owners of websites. Nor was there a personal way for website owners (like companies and organisations) to communicate with their audiences (like customers and donors).
A key reason for this one-way traffic was the nature of how information was posted online. In recent years, there have been significant advancements in how that is done – the majority of which make it easier for non-techies upload their own content in the comfort of their own offices or homes. Hence, with this great reduction in the technical knowledge required to publish online came the growth of personal websites and blogging. From blogging comes Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. This online connectivity to friends, colleagues and other contacts is often called ‘social networking’.
But don’t worry if you don’t know what all those sites are specifically about. New social networking websites launch and fail on a regular basis. Generally speaking, we can wait until a particular site starts to get major press coverage before we really have to understand that site.
What is important to know is that all these social networking tools and website are avenues to reach out to visitors, to communicate in meaningful and engaging ways. Blogs, Twitter and other similar internet tools are economic and highly functional tools to chat with our audiences. They are of great use in delivering our messages to them, in the avenue of their choice.