If you had your tech-savvy 6th grader set up your iphone, there’s a good chance that you’ve been taking a pass on understanding new media tools, as well. But while it’s fine to delegate app store duties to a minor (you might suddenly be in-the-know about the latest High School Musical sequel), knowledge of new media applications is a critical part of reaching your goals.
If you’re providing vision and direction for your NPO, it’s important to understand the parameters of the tools that are going to shape your presence in the foreseeable future. That’s because our thinking is often limited to our experience of what is possible. And online, the rules of what’s possible change every day.
Perhaps even more importantly, understanding new media means that you will be able to communicate with donors more effectively and delegate to staff more efficiently.
It used to be that connecting with your donor constituency was as easy as figuring out what newspapers and magazines they read. Internet users have identified separate criteria for establishing credibility, and standards for opting-in to new content. So if your website looks shoddy, you don’t appear in relevant searches, or your media is buried three or four clicks deep, you will be missing or turning off potential donors and collaborators completely.
And if you plan to delegate the task of managing new media to support staff, make sure you’re getting the benefit of the bigger picture. Know what the tools are capable of, see how they’re being employed, and figure out if they have an application to filling a need within your organization. To your employees, the directive “we need an online presence” is not nearly as valuable as “we need an online presence that accomplishes X, Y, and Z.”
Finally, it's a truly exciting time to be involved with new media. Users, by their vote of participation, are determining the future of how digital and interactive media will look and operate. And it's never too late to learn. So check it out.
Check out this new article in regards to your current blog post:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081117-study-reminds-us-why-were-always-fixing-our-parents-pcs.html
Posted by: Comment | November 17, 2008 at 03:07 PM