A growing form of media is known as “New Media” which is a generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are made possible through the use of computer technology. It is a new two-way form of communication in which you not only receive information but can also provide information. New Media includes websites, streaming audio/video, online communities, and integration of digital data with the telephone, digital camera, etc. The New Media tends to be interactive and you interact by sharing, commenting, etc.
Included in New Media is:
· Social Networking sites: FaceBook, MySpace, Linedin. 96% of the age group known as “Gen Y” has joined at least on social networking site. “Gen Y” is anyone born after 1973.
· Information can also be shared via the phones through Twitter, Mozes and 80% of Twitter use is done through cell phones.
· Sharing Audio/Video which includes: YouTube, FaceBook, MySpace
· Digital Photos shared using FlickR, FaceBook, MySpace
Recently Kris Spain who is in charge of new media at a Huntsville Alabama Contemporary Christian radio station shared how the radio station uses this new media to initiate a relationship with their listeners and to help the station keep in consistent contact (dialogue) with their listeners. The new media also helps the station deepen their relationship with the listeners so that they know how to best serve them. The new media also allows the station to share the Word of God, talk about real-life issues with their listeners, as well as receive and share prayer requests. Some of the ways that WAY-FM uses the new media is:
· Contests
· Polls and surveys
· Asking questions
· Answering questions
· Commenting on information
· Answering comments.
Here is specific information on the New Media WAY-FM uses:
WAYFM.com is their website through which they provide listeners with information about upcoming concerts and events, enter contests, find out about the music and on-air shows, and provides links to their FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Life On The Way. This is the station’s weekly online devotional which is sent to subscribers by email.
Mozes is a web platform that allows the station’s listeners to communicate with them through texting on their cell phones. The station uses this media for contesting, updates on station happenings, and reminders about events. They also have plans to use this media for surveys/polls and to receive prayer requests. By joining the WAY-FM Mob a listener can receive broadcasts and the station can receive their viewer’s texts.
YouTube is a video-based search engine. Users can search through over one hundred thousand videos, including educational videos, home-made videos, commercials, TV shows, movies, music videos and more. Currently the station uses this media for posting station videos, music videos, and full-length artist interviews. This allows listeners to connect with the artists they hear on the station and also to find out information they may not hear on the air.
Twitter is a real-time information network that allows the station to share and discover what is happening. Although some listeners use Twitter on their computers the majority use their cell phones through texting. The station currently uses Twitter for contesting, updates on station happenings, reminders of upcoming events, spending and receiving prayer requests, “chatting” with listeners, and posting Bible verses.
FaceBook is a social network that allows listeners and the station to share and connect with millions of others online using the computer. FaceBook has over 400 million active users. Currently the station uses FaceBook for contesting, updates on station happenings, reminders about events, thanking Business Impact Partners, uploading photos, videos, and interviews, sending and receiving prayer requests, “chatting” with listeners and posting Bible Verses.
This station is not a lone wolf in the use of new media to accomplish the task of reaching listeners or readers. There has been a rise in the last decade of more and more printed media that is done on-line such has HubPages and other sites. Also magazines and newspapers offer their own versions of their printed material. If you missed last night’s Oscar presentations on television last night you can check out a number of on-line magazines and news services to see all the fashions and learn about all the winners and losers. This allows them to reach more people that their traditional paper versions. All of the major news magazine now have their computer versions. Some even go as far as the Mobile Bay Magazine and feature blogs by some of their feature writers.
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