I recently read an article in BRW by Neil Shoebridge about how the Internet, mobile phones and MP3 players have changed the business of selling and the creation of marketing messages and that the Internet and other new media had made the medium more important than the message. This means that messages need to be tailored to different media rather than the same message being spread across all media. I think this is an important point given the context of social computing and its impact on delivery of messages.
We have seen in the US presidential candidate race and indeed during our own Federal election here in OZ, that Politicians who want to have street cred are getting themselves on MySpace, Facebook and You Tube to try and tap into wider audience of potential voters. It’s very much about having a conversation and really connecting with your target audience. This makes it a really interesting time to be a Business Analyst or Information architect.
I am finding in my own work and that of my colleagues, that we are getting more and more requests from corporate organisations, media organisations and agencies, wanting help to scope out requirements for making their online presence more interactive and taping into social computing tools. My friend Matt and I have recently been discussing the role of the User in a social computing context and how this role has changed. As Business analysts, we need to be aware that stakeholders now play many roles and ensure that we incorporate these changing needs in our requirements specifications for web sites.
Users are no longer just the audience in a social computing context. They can also be the customer, the consumer, a participant, and part of a community. Users want to comment on your website, review and rate articles and through this contribution, can help the organisation understand what Users see as valuable information on their website. The communication channels to the User needs to recognise these multiple roles and move to greater interaction with the User. We need to ensure that the medium being used is able to fulfill the requirements of the User (in their numerous roles) and marketers need to ensure that the message is tailored and specifically relevant to the audience they are trying to involve and excite.
Today I presented to the WIC hot breakfast series on Web 2.0 and the impact of technology on social computing. I talked about how life is really fast paced, we are time poor and don’t have time to catch up with our friends and family as it is, let alone have time for social networking with web friends. But a communication and connectivity revolution is occurring and like any good revolution, its one that connect people, information and knowledge and is about the people and YOU taking control.
Yes, I’m busy and time poor, but what I’ve realised is, this is exactly why social computing works for me. By using the social computing tools available me i am sharing contacts with people I trust and learning how to quickly get through the noise on the Internet, to the sites that are going to be interesting and relevant to me.You can leverage off the power of the many and build your network through friends and friends of friends. Its about getting connected. It also about trust and how you trusted network can work for you so you can gain access to the knowledge and information you need.
This connectivity revolution is fostering innovation and creativity. Instead of the Web 1.0 top down approach to information, Web 2.0 allows a bottom up approach to sharing information. That’s why the social stuff is at the very core of Web 2.0. Knowledge may be power, but the real power is when that knowledge is shared. Viva the revolution!
Just a quick note to let you know that I am presenting at the next WIC hot breakfast series of meetings this week. I am talking about the Impact of Web 2.0 Technology and Social Computing. More information on the event can be found at WIC.
My friends Matt, Andrew and I start the morning at work with a cuppa and a chat about life the universe and everything. We discuss our respective work as Business Analysts and Information Architects, what projects and meetings we have on that day and then proceed to get to work. Each of us have a blog and what I find amusing is that sometimes what we have discussed over a cuppa is on Matt’s or Andrew’s site before the end of the day
This week was no exception. On the way into work I heard on the news that staffers from political parties have been editing Wikipedia in favour of their candidates for the upcoming election. We discussed this over our morning cuppa and commented that it was amazing that a social computing tool had been used in this way and the powerful impact of these tools to create “spin”. Before long I saw my comments echo back to me through my friend’s post.
So my goal is to try and be more dedicated to my blogging and not to leave it too long between posts otherwise I will always be lagging behind. At least these friends are keeping me “on my toes” and challenging me. What more could you ask for 
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