Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Network-centric Relationships
Broadband is changing the way we communicate to and maintain relationships with stakeholders. A complete shift is years away and depends on pervasive installation of existing technologies such as RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification). But the outline of what is happening is in place. It is a matter of time before networks become prime media for communicating to customers, whether in a store or online; to communities, to traditional media, to shareholders, to vendors and to regulators. The task of the communicator will change from e-mail newsletters and calls to The New York Times to point-of-sale advice and information databases The New York Times will draw upon for reporting.
Content providers will be more important than communicators. Grocery store web pages already have nutritionists providing weekly columns. The nutritionist brings knowledge beyond good writing and speaking. Perhaps there is a communicator in the background doing the editing, but there is no gatekeeper function between expert and audience.
I am convinced many communicators today will not transition to network-centric communications. They won't know what to do, and they will fall by the wayside. Part of the difficulty they will have is that traditional media are not going away soon, so they will delude themselves into thinking there will continue to be work in techniques they know.
If there ever were a time for communicators to cross-train themselves in multiple online disciplines, this is it. We will need them soon enough.
Content providers will be more important than communicators. Grocery store web pages already have nutritionists providing weekly columns. The nutritionist brings knowledge beyond good writing and speaking. Perhaps there is a communicator in the background doing the editing, but there is no gatekeeper function between expert and audience.
I am convinced many communicators today will not transition to network-centric communications. They won't know what to do, and they will fall by the wayside. Part of the difficulty they will have is that traditional media are not going away soon, so they will delude themselves into thinking there will continue to be work in techniques they know.
If there ever were a time for communicators to cross-train themselves in multiple online disciplines, this is it. We will need them soon enough.
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