What is this so-called "new media" , and what does its growing prominence mean to communications professionals?
Newswise has spent some time over the last year researching and exploring various aspects of the new media, and we think it's a valuable tool. That's why we're developing some strategies for successful participation in this phenomenon.
Defining the New Media: The phrase new media generally refers to websites where anyone can create and share information " whether they are professionals affiliated with a news organization or a communications office, or they may be everyday citizens with an interest in consuming and generating content. The new media includes blogs and other websites where people create content, sites like Digg and Reddit where users share content, and sites like Stumbleupon and Delicious where users interact with content, organize it, tag, or bookmark it for others to see.
The term "social media" is also used to describe sites related to the new media, but often these are sites where the primary focus is people connecting with each other, and sharing content is somewhat secondary. Some examples of the most popular social media sites include Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.
Some new media sites straddle the line between new media and social media. For example, Twitter is used both for broadcasting original content, and for connecting with other users. In fact, most sites include some aspects of both new and social media.
What happens in the New Media: To more clearly define what makes something fall into new and social media, it is useful to identify the two main activities that new media users engage in. * content creation* content rating
Any new media site can include one or both of these activities. The first, content creation, includes activities like blogging, posting videos on Youtube, uploading images to photo-hosting sites, and anywhere else people create original content. The second, content rating, can take many forms. On many sites content rating occurs as a simple thumbs up or thumbs down (Youtube, Reddit, Digg). We like to think of sharing content as a form of rating, too. If you share something, you are effectively endorsing it. The act of commenting on content can also be perceived as a rating. If you comment on something, you may voice your approval or disapproval in the context of your remarks. What happens in Social Media: The majority of new media sites also include certain aspects of social media, particularly in the form of personal connections. On sites like Facebook and Linkedin, these connections are intended to be real-world relevant " friends you went to high school with, colleagues with possible business connections, etc. On other sites like Digg, Reddit, and Youtube the real-world element is less important, but behavior such as connecting around common ideas, and reciprocating comments and votes is encouraged. Apart from the subtle distinctions in these personal connections, for most intents and purposes "new" and "social" media are used synonymously.
We will explore these distinctions and analyze the friend-making behaviors of the new and social media in more detail later.Why get involved?
The new media offers substantial opportunity to expose your content to new users. And there are many places where different users interact. Establishing a presence in a few areas of the new media can drive traffic to your site and increase awareness of whatever you are trying to promote. Furthermore, there is the opportunity to gain the attention of so-called power users, who, once exposed to your content, become so interested in what you have to offer that they then become advocates for you. [nb: power users are particularly influential users on sites like Digg and Reddit " users with a strong and vast network of friends and connections that can quickly spread their content and boost their popularity, more than most average users ever hope to achieve]
Making friends with other users in the new media is the primary way to increase the exposure of any content you share. Each site is different, but the concept is the same " users have a profile where they can manage their various friendships, link and vote on each others' content, and communicate through some form of messaging system. The most successful new media friendships are based around common interests " politics, technology, humor, entertainment, etc. Once a connection is made, the relationship can be fostered by frequent commenting and voting on each others' content. A strong network of friends can increase the exposure of your content in the new media. They notice your content and then share it with their group of connections, thus expanding your reach.
How to get started
So how should you go about getting involved in the new media?
First, explore. Every new media site has a different target audience, a different set of conventional practices, and a different user interface. Find one that strikes a chord with you, and dive in. Check out some of the content-sharing sites such as Digg or Stumbleupon. To start exploring blogs, go to Technorati " a popular blog-ranking site " and search for some top blogs by category and read them.
Second, interact: be social and make connections. Submit, comment, vote, and add friends in your area of interest. The more users you interact with, the more likely they will pay attention to your content and requests for promotion. For example: look at who dugg an article you liked on Digg and add some of them to your friends list. Search Twitter (search.twitter.com) for keywords in your field and follow people who are talking about what you want to talk about, too. Each new media community has some distinct strategies and etiquettes necessary to be effective, and we will describe these more fully in a later discussion.
Third, be personal and authentic. Although your goals might be to promote your content, personal connections are the whole reason that sites like these are useful. It is strongly encouraged to engage other users on a personal level, sharing stories, observations and anecdotes. Putting your personality out there shows that you are interested in more than just promoting your content, and you are willing to get involved with the community. What is Newswise doing in the New Media?
Newswise, as part of our new media strategy, is exploring some of these new media sites and interacting with users there. We are successfully attracting new users from the new media with this three-point strategy: * submit content in the new media* interact with users in the new media* gather information about the new media and share our insights
In the coming months, Newswise will continue to issue tutorials and white papers on the various aspects of the new media we have explored. We will also be selecting some of the most popular Newswise articles to submit and share in the new media. We encourage you to submit your Newswise articles to your favorite new media sites, too. The Newswise Blog is currently live, where we will share and comment on Newswise articles and interact with bloggers. And, the AddThis button on each Newswise article will help users share Newswise articles in the new media.Summary
In general, the new media is a very complex, dynamic and changing environment, and no single expert can presume to be the authority on everything. What we can do is share our experience, and engage in conversation as we all do our best to navigate the interesting and exciting world of the new media.
RSS