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Holtz Communications + Technology

Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Old tools still matter

To hear some people, you’d think business should abandon traditional communication channels and dive into social computing to deliver its messages and address its issues. The audience, we are told, has no interest in being talked to; we must, at all costs, accommodate a growing desire among the audience to be engaged in conversation.

I do believe in the conversation and the shift to a social computing environment and all the consequences for business and communications. However, nothing changes everything and I’ve maintained for years that the new tools should be added to the old, not replace them.

Validation came while I was reading my hard copy of the March 20 BusinessWeek. (That’s right, I still get a dead-tree copy in the mail every week. It’s easier to read that way, particularly in the bathroom.) The article that struck me: “Why the Web is HItting a Wall” (paid subscription required). The article by Roger Crockett reports on a Parks Associates survey that reveals 39 million American households do not have Internet access—meaning only 64% of households do. (And only a small percentage of these read blogs or listen to podcasts!)

The study broke down the reasons why so many Americans are avoiding the Net. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to assume they’re all just getting what they need at work. In fact, that rationale accounts for only 31% of nonusers, according to the study. Sixty percent of people over 65 aren’t connected. There are 6 million homes with PCs but no Internet connection, and most of them wouldn’t subscribe to Net access at any price. Another million say they’re not interested in “anything” on the Net.

Analysts anticipate the total online US population will only reach 67% by 2009. The bottom line is simple: Abandon traditional methods of communication for social media and you also abandon 36% of the total consumer market. Sadly, rather than shift all your efforts to social media, you’ll just have to allocate the resources to do both.

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05/01/10 | 3 Comments | Old tools still matter

Comments
  • 1.Amen, Shel.

    Now, who's gonna tell Tom Foremski?! ;)

    Todd Defren | March 2006 | SF/BOS

  • 2.There is an interesting irony in the way some businesses treat the opportunities posed by the Internet. On the one hand, when it comes to customers, the business challenge is often seen to be offering the customers choices. Give them a chance to communicate via phone, email, Internet forms, in person, on-line shopping, etc. For customer-facing operations, the more choices, the better the chances of making contact and keeping customers.

    But often, then same companies see on-line communications as a chance to shut down the choices available to employees. They want to impose a single source of information, such as an Intranet, and end more traditional forms of communications, like the weekly newsletter, the monthly magazine, yearly reports, etc.

    All too often, we want to force our employees to toe a single line, when the truth is, there is no such common standard. I agree with you, Shel, that we need to continue to see new technology as an opportunity to offer more choices - not limit them. But I don't think the need to offer more than one communications channel is a "sad" thing. I think it's a good thing. I prefer to be able to set a table with a variety of options, to ensure that everyone can find something that they like.

    Dave Traynor | March 2006 | Hamilton, Ontario

  • 3.Dave, I think I could have been clearer about why it's sad. It's sad because it's more work, not a reallocation of existing work, and higher fees (which is always offputting to some clients). In most cases, I don't think there will an option of new media or traditional communication. Most efforts will require both.

    Shel | March 2006 | Concord, CA

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