Rich Media vs. Social Media
Peggy Dau, Contributing Analyst
August 4, 2009
The company of the 21st century reflects a greater amount of employee dispersion than the organizations that preceded it. Thanks to the rise of the Internet, advanced (and always improving) networking solutions and a myriad of devices, employees are connected 24X7 in the office, at home, on the soccer field or at the airport. There is much written about employee productivity. Much of this productivity is due to the use of rich and social media solutions.
Companies have been deploying rich media solutions for the past 10 years or so. These video-centric solutions facilitate executive communication, distance learning, remote meetings, product training and more. With the introduction of social media into the enterprise, one may wonder if it will displace rich media. In fact, they are complementary solutions that round out a complete communication and collaboration strategy. They will drive greater productivity and create stronger employee relationships regardless of distance.
A valid question arises about where or why to use rich media versus social media or both.
When do I use rich media? Isn’t it more expensive? These are questions you may ask yourself as you consider alternatives for your corporate communications strategy. Rich media solutions are optimal when:
a) Visual communication can provide intrinsic value to the message being delivered. If there are graphical presentations that emphasize key points, webcasts provide a simple forum to share that information. They are also available after the event for on-demand consumption. This is helpful to road warriors who are not always online when webcast events occur.
b) It is important for executives to be seen and heard by their workforce. When any level of executive is delivering a message regarding company policy, performance or process, it is more meaningful for these managers to enable their teams to “see” how important the information is to them. It reinforces their commitment to the message and often rallies the troops to understand or adopt message content.
Solutions such as web conferences, video conferences or telepresence are viable solutions. Selection of the appropriate rich media solution is dependent on the size, geographic location of employees and type of message being deli vered.
c) Virtual face to face collaboration enhances interaction. The ability to see your teammates greatly enhances any kind of collaborative session. It is important to build a personalized business relationship. Reading their facial expressions and body language can highlight issues or concerns that may not be raised verbally. On the other hand, participants can see the excitement when they come to agreement and are moving a project forward.
What about social media solutions? When do we use them? A key thought to keep in mid, social media is inclusive, not exclusive. Social Media solutions are a good fit when:
- You want to broadcast your thoughts to a wide audience. You may not know who will receive your message. You are open or eager to obtain feedback from anyone who can view the content. For example, An executive needs to share his thoughts on the company’s position in the market or the company wishes to update its customers on new products.
Blogs and micro-blogs enable these capabilities. Blogs allow the author to express their thoughts in a concise manner with supporting facts or links to additional information. Micro-blogs require the author to be even more concise due the character limitation of most micro-blogging solutions.
- Gathering information from a wide variety of users or consumers. You may seek to create a catalog of key facts or it may be useful for customers to understand the nuances of certain products.
Wikis allow users to contribute content with being censored. This brings unbiased thoughts and definitions together for common review. Customer forums or reviews are open to any user of a product or service. They allow the users to comment freely on their experience with the product or service.
- Collaborating across business groups, skill sets, or geography. It is often necessary to reach out across the enterprise to find relevant resources and share project files. Social networks (or perhaps a better term with in the enterprise, is collaboration network) simplify an employees ability to find, connect and communicate with the necessary resources.
The bottom line is to think about why we are communicating . This drives the selection of the appropriate digital media solution. In some cases, traditional solutions such as email and the phone are still the best way to connect. Think about what you are communicating (budgets, project updates, strategy, product announcements, financials, etc.) and the confidentiality or regulatory concerns associated with it. Then consider who needs to consume the content. With these questions addressed, the appropriate solution will become clear.
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