3. Tim reminded us that a medium is just a “means of human communication.” Media include everything from printed newspapers and blogs to smoke signals and church sermons (Courtesy of Tim Walker, Social Media Breakfast Austin).
I love this statement, it’s simple, to the point and something that is rooted in my own ideology. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamor of the tools. There are lots of them, but the tools won’t magically work by themselves, they need to be directed in a thoughtful manner. As a communicator, marketer, consumer, or other, you have a responsibility to determine if the methods of communication are appropriate to the task, goal or audience.
Miscommunication occurs all the time. There’s an art to communication, to understanding the recipient and how 500+ other factors can play with or against the message you are offering. Perception and interpretation are paradoxical, even more so with the onset of so many new means of communication. It’s easy to be persuaded by the shinier offerings, but sometimes the most effective means of communication is found in the most simple acts, a phone call, note, hand shake or cup of coffee.
So before you get drawn into the bright light, think about what you’re trying to achieve, who you’re trying to reach, how they prefer to be conversed with and lastly, what you want that interaction to say about you, because the definition of your own reputation is inevitably wrapped up within the method(s) and means selected.
Good points, Vanessa — and I’m glad you found my thoughts in this vein helpful.
I think that one of the key problems (some) businesspeople have with the new social media is that they misperceive them — they think it’s appropriate to use them like a carnival barker, or a double-page ad in Vanity Fair, rather than using them like you would a friendly conversation over a cup of coffee.
The difference is profound, but it’s taking a lot of people a long time to catch on about it.
Thanks Tim! It’s wonderful to be reaffirmed in an idea that I’ve been committed to for sometime. It’s amazing how many people don’t get such a simplistic notion, and it’s even more amazing how challenging it can be to convert them – but then again, that’s the fun part.