The Technicalities of Communicating in in a Technological World

Is technology really ruining our face to face communication, or is it just changing the way we go about communicating? In many ways, advancements in communication technologies are allowing for more people to keep in touch with each other and in more diverse ways than ever before. The following video was put together as an english communications project by a group of students. While I dont' agree with all the aspects hinting about the distructions technology causes to communication, some of the messages conveyed are true. If one was to apply the implications this video suggests of the deterioration of fact-to-face communication to business practices, would the results be the same? If we take out the "social" link and replace it with the "business" model, is the constant reliance on computer mediated messages going to lead to a laps in the relationship building that goes on in business meetings and on the golf course? What do you think? Let us know on twitter.

Literature Review of "Your News in 140 Characters: Exploring the Role of Social Media in Journalism" by W. Stassen

APA Citation

Stassen, W. (2010). Your news in 140 characters: exploring the role of social media in journalism. Global Media Journal, 4. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.nuncio.cofc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=21&sid=f094e237-acdf-4c0b-a837-27cb89c63730%40sessionmgr12&vid=2

Overview

            In this article, Wilma Stassen analyzes social media and the effect it has on journalism and online news sites. Specific attention was paid to News24, a South African news organization. The context of the study is outlined by Stassen first giving a brief overview of the history of online news, Web 2.0, local online news websites in South Africa, News24, and social media. The social media that was analyzed in this study was blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Social bookmarking, and YouTube. The issue of the digital divide is also brought up when Stassen addressed the context of the study. The digital divide is described as the fact that social media is
reserved for a privileged minority who has access to the Internet, and who is somewhat computer-savvy (Stassen, 2010). Stassen pointed out that this divide is larger in South Africa where the study was conducted. The theoretical background of this research study was the information society (Fourie, 2001) and media evolution theories (Stöber, 2004). According to Fourie, the information society paradigm is concerned with new media, information and communication technology. Fourie says the central feature is two-way capability and new media offers more interactivity and sociability. Stöber’s theory of media evolution suggests that new media is not the consequence of invention, but from a two-stage process of inventing and social institutionalizing (Stassen, 2010).

Methodology

            The research question of this study was: “What role does social media play in News24’s interacting with its audience, with particular focus on Facebook and Twitter?” The study itself was aimed to “contribute to the body of knowledge on the topic of social media” (Stassen, 2010). According to Stassen, this study was relevant to conduct because of the growing popularity of social media within news organizations because of the interactivity and interconnectedness it creates. There is also very little research done on this topic in regards to South Africa, prompting Stassen to take action. A qualitative research method was utilized to conduct the study. For the research design, Stassen described it as “a case study into a South African online publication’s application of social networking tools”. Survey research was chosen under the qualitative research method to collect information. Stassen used the cross-sectional survey method, questionnaires, to collect data. The sample chosen for this study included three staff members at News24 and a former staff member of 24.com to complete the survey. The three staff members chosen were the chief editor, community editor, and the news editor. The last participant was the former Social Media Manager at 24.com. They were chosen because they were involved in the decision-making and practice of social media for News24. The survey was sent to participants via e-mail and then sent back to the researcher.

Findings

            The questionnaire was focused solely on the digital news service in South Africa, News24, concerning the role of social media in journalism. Each participant gave their opinion on different aspects. On the topic of social media, the news editor saw it as serving as a platform of communication. The chief editor viewed it as something that will become a fact of day-to-day life in the media. When asked how News24 applied Facebook and Twitter, the chief editor said it was used to communicate with the audience even when they are not browsing the News24 website. According to the chief editor, this is constantly building the brand. The other participants agreed that brand building was a main reason for using the social media platforms, but it also helps to build community among the readers and help them to participate in the telling of the story. The participants were asked what the advantages of social media were for News24. Brand and community building was the response from two participants, while one said that the formation and availability of stories and news is faster. One participant also included story generation, content promotion, customer service, and a way to gain attention. Participants agreed that social networking is important to journalism because it can be constantly updated and feedback is constant. As for the future of social media in journalism, participants talked about social media as a powerful tool and about competition increasing online. The final conclusion made was that the study showed what an important role social media will play in the future of journalism and the fear of it replacing traditional journalism is unfounded. Stassen concluded that news organizations would better succeed by embracing social media to their advantage, such as News24¸ instead of competing for the attention of the readers.

Critique

            As a whole, I thought Stassen’s article was really well written and very informative. The subject was interesting, but the study itself was not very extensive. First, the sample size was very small. Stassen chose to focus on a local South African news organization, but only used participants involved from that side of the spectrum. By only choosing staff members of News24, Stassen did not gain any sort of knowledge from those who are using the social media site and the News24 site consistently from a user-basis. Secondly, the staff members could be seen as a biased sample. The participants work with social media and work for News24, so they are more inclined to give positive feedback concerning the usage of Facebook and Twitter for the news organization. The participants were chosen, instead of randomly picked, resulting in more filtered responses. Lastly, the study was only done in South Africa. This is not representative of all news organizations using social media or the way that other organizations may utilize social media.

Final Project

            In relation to our final group project, I thought this article was very fitting. Since our group is studying the effects of changing technology for businesses, the effect of social media on any business is a topic we will be addressing. We are asking professionals in the communication field to write a blog post concerning technology changes in their particular area of study and we will interview some of the participants about the same topic. Social media is definitely one of the largest areas of technology used by businesses and after reading this study, I am more convinced that a journalist should be included in this group of communication professionals. We did not have one originally included on our rough draft of whom we would want to interview, but I feel that they are probably one of the most affected areas in the communication field. This study gives an idea of what kind of questions we could ask the participants and how we should conduct the research. It also raises the question of what the future may look like for these professionals, which is something I had not yet considered. 

Interview with @ginidietrich of Arment Dietrich

Gini Dietrich

The following is an interview with Gini Dietrich, founder and chief executive officer of Arment Dietrich, blogger extraordinaire, and recognized communication professional on soical media network sites. So thank you Gini Dietrich for taking the time to help out some College of Charleston students.

By using the main points outlined in the objective, we seek to gain knowledge regarding the connections between technology and communication practices and pose the following questions to gauge this relationship:

1.  Have you noticed a change in communication patterns due to technology advancements? How so and to what extent?Yes, a huge change. Our industry has remained the same, pretty much since the inception of public relations. The timing of the economy and the launch of the social web has changed not only the way people communicate with the companies from which they buy, but also the way we, as companies, work with our customers. It’s totally flipped everything on its head and the old way of doing things is just that – the old way of doing things.

2. What forms of technology are most beneficial and prevalent in day-to-day business practices (i.e. Twitter for scanning trends, Facebook for marketing, Digg, LinkedIn, e-mail, webinars, etc.)?It really depends on the business and the industry. For instance, LinkedIn is fantastic for B2B companies and Facebook is great for B2C companies. It also depends on what the company is trying to achieve. Personally, I use Twitter as a newsfeed, but also to promote the great work others are doing (as well as some of the work we do). At work, we use Facebook as a way to find more in-depth information about specific things (AT&T buying T-Mobile or the air strike on Libya). We use LinkedIn to find potential candidates for open positions we have at Arment Dietrich. We use email marketing to provide thought leadership from within our four walls. We use webinars to test different pay models for content. We use StumbleUpon, Digg, and Delicious to bookmark and promote Spin Sucks.

3. What forms of technology do you use to reach target/niche markets? In other words, do you use one medium for x market and another medium for y market?This is another “it depends.” For some of our clients, Yahoo! Answers and discussion groups are still better than blogs or Facebook. While others see huge value from attending events such as SXSW and getting to know influential bloggers. We really focus on what makes sense for the business, their customers, and their industry than on the shiny new penny.·

4. How do you determine which technological outlet to use? Do you use technology to tell you which form of technology to use to maximize ROI? An example would be twitter software that tracks followers and determines the optimum time to tweet to maximize retweets, etc. We used to pay attention to statistics in bit.ly and su.pr, but now we track through Google analytics and PostRank. This shows us our goals, the trends, how much engagement we have from particular posts, sticking power, traffic, pageviews, and provides us insight into things to do better or differently.

5. How have you seen communication in business practices evolve due to existing and emerging forms of technology?It has completely flipped everything on its head. It used to be that we would track “results” through number of samples distributed or media impressions (which is calculated by multiplying the circulation with a pass-along rate), share-of-voice, positive vs. neutral vs. negative conversations (through media and influencers), etc. Now just distributing samples isn’t enough. We have a client who is doing a campaign at marathons this year. In the past, we’d provide samples of their new product in the goodie bags and watch to see if sales increased in some fashion. Now we’ve included a QR code that goes directly to a marathon Facebook page, where you can get all sorts of information, as well as buy the product. If people buy there, we know it’s solely due to the efforts of the product giveaway.

6. In what ways has this been beneficial?It’s beneficial in so many ways: Finally we can track our efforts to sales. PR is no longer an expense; it’s an investment. Customers can communicate directly with companies. Companies don’t have to rely on third-party influencers to tell their story. The world truly is flat and David can compete with Goliath without going into bankruptcy.

7. In what ways has this been detrimental?
I don’t think it has been, or will be, detrimental. When I speak, I hear all the time, “But we can’t control what people say online.” Nope. You can’t. But guess what? You can’t control what they say offline, either. Nothing has really changed. The only difference is that now you know if someone has said something negative about you, and you can do something about it. Before, if someone had something negative to say, you might not know about it until your sales dropped and you’re looking at historical financial data trying to figure out what happened.

8. What are some emerging trends that you are seeing as a result of increasing popularity/use of social network and social media sites? I think we’re going to see a shift toward private and secure sites that are opt-in. While everyone loves Facebook, it’s created a sense of “we don’t care about your privacy” and I think people are going to revolt and find new ways to communicate with their networks. We’re seeing a shift toward open Q&A sites, such as Quora and the resurgence of Yahoo! Answers. I think, in the next 18 months, the tablet is going to completely change the way we learn. Soon you’ll be interacting with content, both professionally and personally, that brings a completely customized experience to you.

BRING PAST PREDICTIONS INTO FUTURE CONTEXT: The following past predictions on Internet impacts are taken from Gartner, Inc.  (www. gartner.com).
1. In what ways to you agree/disagree with the following predictions? How have you seen this in your company?
[Prediction from 2008] “Following the trend of the last few years, many of the new entries on this year’s Hype Cycle, including microblogging, social networking platforms and cloud computing, are making their impact in the consumer world before they hit businesses,” said Jackie Fenn, vice president and Gartner Fellow. We’ve certainly seen the impact of some of these technologies in the consumer world. And it has changed the practice of PR.  Gartner predicts they will have an impact on the entire enterprise in the years to come.

 Hmmmm….well, Twitter (microblogging), Facebook/Digg/Quora/YouTube/Flickr/etc (social networking platforms) and Google/Dropbox (cloud computing) are here. Sure they hit the consumer world first, but we’re past them hitting the business world. We’re about to hit mass consumption and things will begin to be formalized. Just like when the Internet launched and businesses had to figure out how to create websites, we’re soon at that point with the social web. The interesting thing about cloud computing is that, in the past two weeks, three clients have asked us what we think about keeping data on the cloud. I recommend it!

[Prediction from 2007] In 10 years, the largest influence on all purchases will be the virtual experience associated with them, according to Gartner, Inc. By 2015, more money will be spent marketing and selling to multiple anonymous online personas than marketing and selling offline. This transition in customer interaction is being driven by Generation Virtual, also known as “Generation V.”  http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=545108

I don’t know that it’ll necessarily be to anonymous online personas, but it will be online. Too many companies are requiring you verify your real self online so the anonymous piece of it will go away. But we’re headed toward very exciting times. Imagine a world where we know exactly who is buying from us, what they buy, how they buy, and what they like. Suddenly the experience becomes completely customizable, which creates loyalty and hugely influential brand ambassadors.

What We Seek to Gain

Our group's objective by the end of this project will be to explain the emerging trends between technology and communication in business practices by focusing on, but not limiting research, to the business practices of Public Relations and Marketing. To achieve this objective, our group will conduct interviews of knowledgeable and credible professionals, research emerging theoretical perspectives on technological trends and then apply this information to communication in business practices.

We believe that technology will continue to increase the depth and breadth of practices in the communications field, and by doing so, will change the ways in which professionals conduct business and communicate. By compiling primary and secondary sources of information, we seek to compile an outlet in which those wishing to obtain credible information on the aforementioned objective can do so.

Literary Review on "Internet Technologies and Trends Transforming Public Relations" by P. Christ

APA Citation

Christ, P. (2005). Internet technologies and trends transforming public relations. Journal of     Website Promotion, 1(4), Retrieved from http://jwp.haworthpress.com

Overview

            In this article, Christ examines the technological impact on the public relations industry by specifically exploring the Internets’ impact on the processes by which organizational stakeholders, including news media, seek information and communicate. Christ essentially argues the pertinence of the new technology as a mainstay in business practices and the consequences to those who do not adapt to them. By first defining the role by which Public Relations (PR) influences organizational stakeholders and consumers, Christ states specific technological advancements and defines how each one impacts the industry. The role of PR essentially becomes  “cutting through promotional clutter” with the “formulation of strategies and tactics” in order to “build awareness and create favorable image for a company or client by placing stories and articles in relevant media outlets” (Christ, 2005, p.4).  By establishing a uniform definition as per the goals of PR, an examination on why the Internet has become an influential medium in the PR industry can be observed.

Methodology

            Christ begins by explaining the importance of the Internet, both as a medium for communication and commerce. He then observes the advantages of the medium and explores how “the changes are manifested in several notable forms” (Christ, 2005, p. 5). These values to the PR profession are observed in the following areas: functionality of primary information source, expected source for stakeholders, more precise messaging targeting, customized message, enhances call-to-action, and establishes worldwide presence. By looking at each function, Christ focuses on how each technology should be used by the PR professional to expand reach and monitor consumer feedback. Christ also defines the need of the PR professional to understand search engine optimization, really simple syndication, internet video and audio news releases, webinars, web-forums, social networks and weblogs, and content management systems. Christ notes the variances between old and new practices between stakeholder communication and PR professionals, and suggests how each technology can be used to optimize traditional undertakings.  

Findings

Primary Information Source: Information is primarily being sought through the Internet. It is critical that the PR professional understand the “information-seeking paradigm” and business practices reflect this shift (Christ, 2005, p. 5). Essentially, must have strong online presence.

More Precise Message Targeting: Budgetary restrictions become more obsolete with online targeting. The Internet is a way to track consumer’s interests, decrease monetary investment and increase potential for positive response by message targeting in promotional campaigns. 

Customized Message: PR professionals must develop strong relationships with stakeholders. By using the Internet’s ability to track user behavior and preferences for information, one can tailor services to meet stakeholder needs using interactive nature of the Internet and customize content.

Enhances Call-to-Action: Because the Internet provides a more direct and faster medium of communication than postal mail, fax or newswire, the depth and breadth of communication between PR professionals and targeted stakeholders increases and those viewing the message are more likely to take action.

Establishes Worldwide Presence: Before the Internet, international communication and presence was costly and not very time-efficient, but the Internet provides the resources for large and small businesses to obtain global presence through websites and web searches.  

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is a means by which PR professionals can achieve high placement in third-party sources, such as search engines. PR professionals must service clients’ needs in a full-service capacity or hire a marketing specialist on SEO.  

Really Simple Syndication (RSS): Internet technology provides an ease of access to stakeholders subscribing to RSS feeds and provides a convenient and time-saving method by which journalists can monitor company and industry sources.

Internet Video and Audio News Releases: In keeping with ease of access, PR professionals frequently send video and audio news releases. The Internet provides a more user-friendly medium by which to send promotional material.

Web-Forums, Social Networks and Weblogs: PR professionals need to be active monitors of websites focused on consumer-generated media. Christ saw MySpace and Facebook as opportunities by which PR professionals could create a product, company or personal weblog. He also noted outlets such as BoardTracker, Technorati, and Google Groups as platforms to monitor.

Critiques

            As a whole, the article explained many concepts that are discussed and used by PR professionals. The overview of each emerging technology was well explained and Christ provided concrete examples of how each trend should be used to gain maximum benefits and decrease economic and time expense. While some of the findings of the 2005 article are simply general knowledge in 2011, it is important to understand how the Internet has evolved over time. While each form of innovation is adequately explained and well represented with scenarios for use, Christ should have cited specific examples and case studies to lend more validity to the study.  The references listed are current, varied and topic specific to the study. Christ is also a reputable source as an Associate Professor, Marketing Department, and Director of MBA Programs at West Chester University. Christ also maintains a blog on marketing and emerging trends.

Application

            Our group is focusing on how the business communication model has changed and evolved with the advent of new technology. By researching Internet technologies and trends in the earliest forms, we can develop a liner model of evolution and apply that model to emerging forms of technology and trends. By having a basic understanding of each platform, our group will also be able to ask more informed questions to PR and Marketing professionals, allowing for a better final project.