Create a Common Space

Flickr Image by aaronparecki

To 'network' you have to let go of the linear communications model that was effectively developed in the Industrial Age and remains a powerful media force to this day. For those of us who have grown up in this environment the most difficult challenge is to shift our thinking from the established paradigm to the new reality, which is best articulated in the term Social Networking. A quick, high level comparison of the two modes is helpful.

Linear communications is primarily hierarchical, one-way and owned. Social networks are distributed, two-way and public. These are utterly different entities with vaguely similar purposes - namely to build audiences and exchange information. I think of these defining characteristics as two ends of a spectrum with conventional newspapers, television stations and radio stations on one end; Facebook groups, Twitter groups, blogospheres and other social media on the other. Let's look at the differences in a bit more depth.


Financial - Conventional media requires large capital investments and operating budgets. In order to survive, these entities have to generate enough revenues to cover these heavy costs. That means they must sell advertising or sell their news services at high volume and for profit. Social media typically start out with virtually no dedicated capital investment or operating budget. Quite often their start up is fueled by enthusiasm and common interests. Sometimes they grow and evolve into more professional corporate entities and over time social networks are becoming more sophisticated and revenue oriented at the outset.

Control - Both modes are ultimately 'owned' by someone. But the nature of ownership is quite different. Conventional media are owned by 'investors' or overseers whose interests in the media are profit or - in the case of public broadcasters - policy driven. These owner perspectives control to a large degree the content and form of the news and entertainment delivered through conventional media. Social media owners are typically much closer to the networks they create. They are interested in the free-flow of shared information in a venue built on communities of interest. The level of control exercised over content varies widely, but generally to be successful social media have to allow a broad range of views to be expressed in a colorful pallet of styles.

Audience - Conventional media attracts audience by marketing highly polished entertainment and news products though dedicated channels. Invariably the major media try to position themselves as 'need to know' information sources and 'got to experience' entertainment venues. Celebrity is a key component of their marketing strategies. They require huge audiences in order to command the types of advertising rates that make them financially viable. Social media networks grow incrementally and can be successful with very small audiences. They draw audiences by presenting specific information to communities of interest, often in an informal format. Audiences expect not only a say in the type of information that is exchanged, they also expect to make contributions themselves. Social media is participatory in nature, and celebrity is distributed  to anyone who wishes to join in the conversation.