August 3, 2007 11 Comments

Which Format for Which Use

Here I Am Choices, choices, choices. We have so many ways to create messages, communicate, reach out. We have paper, telephones, faxes, email, IM, blogs, wikis, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, mail groups, forums, podcasts, and tons more. Was that exhausting for you to read? It’s no wonder we’re not sure which to use for what. But here are some ideas.

Your Platform

Some of your messages are meant to represent YOU. These are platform messages. They say, “I believe in this,” or “Here’s something I’m telling you as an authority.” Best media for this? Blogs, podcasts, videoblogs.

Quick Questions

This is somewhat conditional. People over 30 still tend towards using email to answer quick questions (like: “lunch at Zamboni’s?”). But efficiency-wise, consider IM, Twitter (if addressing a group), and maybe Skype’s text chat. Also the phone. Voicemail isn’t for long messages. It’s for short messages. (Remember: say your name and phone number up front, say what you need to say BRIEFLY, and end with a call-to-action followed by your name and number again).

Messages of Substance

If you need to make something larger known, send email if it’s time-sensitive information (such as the plan going forward for the next several days), but also consider using a wiki or a website page if this information is meant to stick around a while.

Reaching People

Facebook is a great tool for reaching people you might not have access to otherwise. I’m asked often why people use Facebook. That’s my number 1 reason. You can at least get a message off to someone you need to reach. I’ve used it this fashion a lot to good result. You can also use it for short messages, and just general “touch” applications, like telling someone you’re thinking about them by leaving a message on their wall. (If you love MySpace, substitute everything I said above for MySpace, and you get the same effect).

Explanations and Details

I like phones and Skype and video chat software for this purpose. Why? Because interaction is useful in solving something. I can probably say an app like WebEx would be useful, too, if you’re doing screen captures. (You might have some other suggestions).

Don’t Forget Mixing Media

Julien Smith and I were collaborating recently using Google Docs, and we discovered in quick form that using IM while writing the doc was the best way to navigate it. I could imagine other situations where two web cams are open while people collaborate. Or what about giving someone an audio file with how-to instructions along with a wiki for the “hard” copy?

What do you think?

Anything I didn’t cover? Do you use your methods differently? Share with the gang.

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  • http://www.socialset.net Nicholas Butler

    For me I have found the distribution of channels has been a benefit.

    First off through Social networks , Twitter and Facebook I am able to communicate with the likes of yourself or Robert Scoble without having to have their email address. Its a great access and firewall mechanism for each other.

    Then I have found my clients use Skype to drop in quick questions and notifications into chat.

    Email for many has become the notification mechanism between me and my suppliers

    I find twitter and facebook are where I am having conversations.

    The conversations can now have context which email has divested them of.

  • http://www.socialset.net Nicholas Butler

    For me I have found the distribution of channels has been a benefit.

    First off through Social networks , Twitter and Facebook I am able to communicate with the likes of yourself or Robert Scoble without having to have their email address. Its a great access and firewall mechanism for each other.

    Then I have found my clients use Skype to drop in quick questions and notifications into chat.

    Email for many has become the notification mechanism between me and my suppliers

    I find twitter and facebook are where I am having conversations.

    The conversations can now have context which email has divested them of.

  • http://www.ruckh.org/blog/ mario KND

    Hi Chris,

    nice list on digital channels. But you missed out on a very important one: face2face! Talking to people is often the most impressing way of communicating. It works best in small groups obviously.
    But it may be suitable for bigger ones. We are based in London and have our office around the corner of speakers corner at Hyde Park. You can still reach a pretty big croud there just by taking a megaphone stepping on a small stage and bring across your message. Or think about live-earth or things like that.
    Yeah, your topic is about digital relationships (though you have put paper as well), but talking can be combined very efficiently with blogging, or writing in forums. We have a nice open office (no cubicle-style things) and if you see sth interesting on a blog you just shout over to everybody, or if you want s.o. to respond or comment or if you have a question… easy.

    Apart from that a great post. And fun reading as well. Thanks and cheers

    Mario

  • http://www.ruckh.org/blog/ mario KND

    Hi Chris,

    nice list on digital channels. But you missed out on a very important one: face2face! Talking to people is often the most impressing way of communicating. It works best in small groups obviously.
    But it may be suitable for bigger ones. We are based in London and have our office around the corner of speakers corner at Hyde Park. You can still reach a pretty big croud there just by taking a megaphone stepping on a small stage and bring across your message. Or think about live-earth or things like that.
    Yeah, your topic is about digital relationships (though you have put paper as well), but talking can be combined very efficiently with blogging, or writing in forums. We have a nice open office (no cubicle-style things) and if you see sth interesting on a blog you just shout over to everybody, or if you want s.o. to respond or comment or if you have a question… easy.

    Apart from that a great post. And fun reading as well. Thanks and cheers

    Mario

  • http://www.nerds-central.com Alex Turner

    Hi Chris,

    We tried a few thing (I work for a company that is its self small but spans the globe). So what has survived is what has worked.

    We had a go with Google docs, but that did not take off because it had everything we needed but the thing we really needed – which was a structure and search engine. So, we got one of our suppliers to set up a private instance of Media Wiki (Wikipedia’s engine). I so wish that had been my idea – because it SO WORKED. Now all our technical insource and outsource documentation is going that way.

    IM wise, we have use a lot of Skype/txt but not much Skye calling. The calling works fine until you have people from different continents on the same call, then it all falls appart.

    When we don’t have everyone on Skype – my little web IM system ‘insta-chat’ works fine. I don’t run the server 24/7 any more because of the phone bills :( – but it works just fine when I do.

    Then it is email. Which has been a pain in the posterior for me until I finally got around to using the Evolution/Exchange connector. Now my Evolution on Ubuntu acts as a concentrator for all my email.

    As I say – the reason I think it is worth saying all this is that these solutions have won over the alternatives in the school of hard kicks.

    Man – oh – man – please keep up the hard work, I just love your questions :)

    AJ

  • http://www.nerds-central.com Alex Turner

    Hi Chris,

    We tried a few thing (I work for a company that is its self small but spans the globe). So what has survived is what has worked.

    We had a go with Google docs, but that did not take off because it had everything we needed but the thing we really needed – which was a structure and search engine. So, we got one of our suppliers to set up a private instance of Media Wiki (Wikipedia’s engine). I so wish that had been my idea – because it SO WORKED. Now all our technical insource and outsource documentation is going that way.

    IM wise, we have use a lot of Skype/txt but not much Skye calling. The calling works fine until you have people from different continents on the same call, then it all falls appart.

    When we don’t have everyone on Skype – my little web IM system ‘insta-chat’ works fine. I don’t run the server 24/7 any more because of the phone bills :( – but it works just fine when I do.

    Then it is email. Which has been a pain in the posterior for me until I finally got around to using the Evolution/Exchange connector. Now my Evolution on Ubuntu acts as a concentrator for all my email.

    As I say – the reason I think it is worth saying all this is that these solutions have won over the alternatives in the school of hard kicks.

    Man – oh – man – please keep up the hard work, I just love your questions :)

    AJ

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  • http://jeroensangers.com/ Jeroen Sangers

    An important aspect to keep in mind is the receptor of your message.
    You say that people over 30 still tend toqards e-mail for quick questions, but that also means that if you’re under 30 and want to ask a quick question to someone over 30, your best bet would be e-mail, just as the phone is still the best way to communicate any type of message with my mother.

  • http://jeroensangers.com/ Jeroen Sangers

    An important aspect to keep in mind is the receptor of your message.
    You say that people over 30 still tend toqards e-mail for quick questions, but that also means that if you’re under 30 and want to ask a quick question to someone over 30, your best bet would be e-mail, just as the phone is still the best way to communicate any type of message with my mother.