Notes - Communication

Uh Oh. Disconnectedness, personal style notetaking ahead. Here's where I'm just talking to myself, trying to pin out some ideas.

Broadcast v. Network
Two systems interrelated. Blogging as a combination of the two? Particularly for institutional blogs? Or all internet as both? Certainly there is the need to put your stuff out there, but also the opportunity to create a network around said stuff. So Network is an extension of broadcast. Not nesc. the Second Media Age. It's more like Media Age 4.0 (printing, telecommunications, tv, internet). Just a continuation, an upgrade that does not supercede the previous.

Generation Gap
Younger folks get Media Age 4.0. Older folks not always. Mmmm... Tasty sweeping generalizations. Generally older folks control institutions. Thus not always getting how CMC (computer mediated communications) is a part of life for many younger folks.

Text and Interactivity
See this earlier entry and the relationship article. Text based stuff with feedback options is more useful to younger users than masses of multimedia glitz. Razzle Dazzle 'em and they'll still notice that you ain't got no content.

Are we going to reach as many people through our blogs as through our radio spots? Probably not. Unless we're doing something really great and special - which some museums have managed to do. But even if we're not reaching as many people, the quality of the interaction is higher, the consistent blog reader is more likely to feel invested in and related to the blog author/organization. (Is there anything to back this up? Just personal experience? Gotta be something. Maybe Naked Conversations has something. Look into Cluetrain.)