Help me become my organization's 'new media' guru!

June 2, 2009 5:57 AM

Help me bring my employing organization into the new millenium. I want to become our organization's 'new media' guru. Seeking examples, tools, approaches (more)

I work for a large research and management organization on the dark side of the digital divide. The workforce is older, experienced, with a well developed niche. They are wholeheartedly, stalwartly dedicated to delivering expected services- and do it well, but do it in a style which is distinctly _old_school_. There is a very high cost of entry to the field, and little direct competition. The market is slowly, but surely, evolving ways to deliver the same products and services- not by direct competition, but by evolving entirely different ways to work and meet needs.

A good chunk of the workforce is going to retire, and, with rising cost of living, and little by the way of new income, management is not filling in behind many of the retirees. The organization as a whole laments this change, but considers it a 'sign of the times'. The culture of the organization is not one to strike out and chart new territory, and risk taking is broadly characterized as a threat to safety. The leading generation isn't particularly internet savvy, and I wonder if this also inhibits imagination with respect to envisioning the organization functioning, thriving, and continuing to deliver its work far into the future.

I'm employed by this organization as a scientist, but I've become disenchanted with publishing yet another journal article that no-one reads, or some technical leaflet (printed on paper, and mailed out to some list). I want to reach people. Our organization is entirely capable of addressing extremely critical issues, which in the future I know will be even more important to society than they are today. Fundamentally, the work, while complex, dense, and jargon heavy, has the ability to save a lot of lives, and make life better for a whole lot of people - over very broad extents of time.

I'm of the mind that what is needed is a 'digital storyteller', someone who can make some of these connections concisely and visually, and in so doing, inspire different audiences to pay attention to the organization, and inspire the organization itself to see itself working differently in the future.

I'm not really looking to approach this as a career change, more (as a scientist) I just this as experimenting with different methods and tools to get my point across. I'm a strong photographer, and I've been collecting images and ideas for this purpose. But I'm no media major, and I know that this is a whole field that others train years and years for.

I don't underestimate that marketing and new media are entire fields upon themselves. My organization has some of that, but its missing a lot of 'new' elements. I'd like to produce something tangible and see what happens. Yet I lack the media or production skills as of yet to turn my images into something digestable (like the 4.5 minute streaming audio slideshows) or deliver it via web, etc. The other resources I am thankful for are supportive social networks, and supportive and smart peers and colleagues outside my organization.

Because this issue is so central to my organization's survival and reinvention, I think at some point I could convince upper management to invest in some kind of 'new media' strategy. However, because the gap in age/tools/attitude toward the internet/perception is so large, I think I should probably develop a 'proof of concept' product to help me introduce the idea to them. I suspect that they're going to direct me to our web designer... but rather than tell them the reasons why I don't think that style will work, I'd rather show them examples of what will.

Over the long run, I see my organization employing more than just one wierd (younger) employee to work on this. I don't really know what a development strategy for this looks like... maybe you have examples or ideas? Or perhaps you know of examples of 'new media' products or examples that I could show them that other organizations have used? Or tools that I could use to cheaply and quickly cobble together some kind of prototype to introduce the idea to them?

I'd sure be grateful!

posted by iiniisfree to technology (5 comments total)

I wasn't quite sure from reading this whether publishing articles and whitepapers is a key component of the business or not. But if you are publishing content, making some or all of it available open access online can certainly increase the visibility of your organization. There is widespread belief from publishers that open access journals also wind up receiving more citations than they would otherwise (though the jury is still out on this).
posted by GraceCathedral at 8:25 AM on June 2

I think you need to evaluate whether the organization actually needs to jump into new media. Would their mission actually, honestly, gain from such an investment? If you believe that it would, you need to delineate exactly what the gains to the organization will be, and define those gains within the core mission of the organization. And be objective. Don't let your obvious enthusiasm color your task. Look coldly at what the organization does, what their goals are for the future and objectively evaluate whether jumping into "new media" can effectively and efficiently enable those goals. Keep a keen eye on the costs involved, too. Technology ain't cheap. Especially if it means establishing a whole department of geeks to keep it running.

On the other hand, if this is more of a "because all the other kids are doing it" nerd-gasm...stop now. Despite the popular view, not everything needs to be drowning in the deep end of technology to be effective.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:34 AM on June 2

Is this your question: You are a scientist. You publish in your industry's journals, but your articles are not reaching a wide enough audience. As a result, your organization is not as well-known as it could be. How can new media help you disseminate your articles, and those of your organization?
posted by Houstonian at 8:35 AM on June 2

Hello

I would earn their trust. Make a small in-house movie / presentation - pehaps for a company event or party. Show the lighter side of people - have fun - nothing too businesslike. You aim is to make a short that people would want copies of to take hope and show their families where they work.

Build on what they value, and earn trust. Then introduce new ideas.

See if you can add value. Go to clients. Hang out with sales guys/service staff.

Try to show how your company makes a difference in someones life. No Jargon, just results. All in good taste. No need to brag, let the clients do that for you. A simple before and after works.

Listen to "The age of persuasion" it is on CBC radio Canada - very clever. http://cbc.ca

Provide photos and good material for sales guys.

Look at "Will it blend" on Youtube. Wacky, but it works.

Buy the book "Presenting for Success."

Tinker.
posted by bright77blue at 9:11 AM on June 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

Interesting!

@Hustonian I don't think that journal articles (however they are disseminated) are going to make my organization more well known. I think the principle audience could access our ideas in different form, more quickly, diffusively, and with more impact... but I don't know what that form is or how to suggest my organization propagates it. I also suspect that because we're such a visual society that it has something to do with images. Journal articles haven't had much of that, because historically, images have always been expensive. Electronically dispersed, now they're not.

@bright77blue: bless you. Will drink a dose of "will it blend" for breakfast every day until I pitch this. The "age of persuasion is wonderful". Inspiring-*thanks*-

@Thorzdad Your point about the utility is well made. My post is because other organizations of this sort are not doing this, but organizations with media/marketing do, do it well, and regularly. I'm hoping to skim a few tricks we can use- like bright77blue's age of persuasion.
posted by iiniisfree at 5:22 AM on June 3