Webpresence: More Than Websites

Web messages used to flow like a river, one way down one channel. Then we added reader input, one channel back to you. A simple feedback loop: messages went one way there, then one way back.

It is not so simple any more. That river has gone, the communication stream split into a myriad of smaller channels. Feedback loops abound, as much reader-reader as reader-source. Websites are still important, but no more so than the other channels.

Future posts will look at different types of companies, by industry and by size, and what channels each might use: why and how. Here I just want to take a quick swim through the channels, identifying and describing, akin to a “14 cities in 14 days” tour of Europe.

If one picture is worth a thousand words, just think how much 36 pictures (frames) a second are worth. Video is one the key channels for all companies. Whether streamed from your website or uploaded to YouTube (or better, both), video gets your message across in ways words never can.

Packing nearly the same punch as video is audio, often streamed through podcasts. You turn your reader into a listener, wow. No longer tied to a computer, podcasts can be recorded to an iPod and played in a car, a lineup or at the beach.

Setting up an RSS feed allows you to signal to audience when your content is available. Great for frequently updated materials like news headlines and reports. You now have an audience just waiting for your message.

Then there are services like twitter, a way for people to send short text messages to each other, say an ongoing commentary or analysis of your latest video. You expand your reach horizontally, and for free. Sweet.

Now it gets interesting, blogs and social networks. A blog is a regularly updated journal or diary usually written by one person on one subject. You might already have employees writing a blog about their part of your company. If not, then ask one to.

Finally, social networks are the Big Kahuna of webpresence messaging. An individual or company/group/asscoiation puts up a Facebook page, and now people join (become friends). Bang, you have created a group of friends wrapped around your messages. Not just for teenagers, LinkedIn offers social networking for professionals.

Webpresence now depends on how your company uses all these channels – there are more as well – to get your message out and talked about, and to get feedback, often in real time.