Comments on: Just How Large Is The Business World’s Digital Divide? http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/ Adam Singer on media, marketing and PR Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Katrien Van Den Broecke http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-27195 Katrien Van Den Broecke Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:01:11 +0000 http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-27195 I'm 46, teaching marketing and communication subjects to last year marketing students on a professional bachelor level. I only teach since 3 years and have an agency advertising background, so I am used to the traditional brand building approach essentially via traditional media. I have only just lately seriously approached social media, original with the intend to catch up in order to be able to teach social media as a subject. This year I have integrated an overall section on the importance of combining blogging, use of social media and SEO as tools for a marketeer. I have also given a specific section on Twitter. I was astounded at the low level of knowledge and interest there was concerning this subject. Most of my students only use Facebook and have no clue at what Twitter is. They don't use RSS. I feel I need to explain the basics of using for instance Twitter as I want to make them enthusiastic about the great tools social media are and want to incite them to play with them and discover on their own. One student yesterday was totally disgusted and discouraged as he found Twitter difficult to use. 'I feel like a 70 year old' he said. When talking to advertising people we have big discussions as some of them seem to think social media are just a passing thing. I am discovering this digital divide is far far far bigger than what you may expect and certainly does not stick to age groups as I'm teaching appr. 20 year old. Katrien I’m 46, teaching marketing and communication subjects to last year marketing students on a professional bachelor level. I only teach since 3 years and have an agency advertising background, so I am used to the traditional brand building approach essentially via traditional media. I have only just lately seriously approached social media, original with the intend to catch up in order to be able to teach social media as a subject.
This year I have integrated an overall section on the importance of combining blogging, use of social media and SEO as tools for a marketeer. I have also given a specific section on Twitter.
I was astounded at the low level of knowledge and interest there was concerning this subject. Most of my students only use Facebook and have no clue at what Twitter is. They don’t use RSS. I feel I need to explain the basics of using for instance Twitter as I want to make them enthusiastic about the great tools social media are and want to incite them to play with them and discover on their own. One student yesterday was totally disgusted and discouraged as he found Twitter difficult to use. ‘I feel like a 70 year old’ he said.
When talking to advertising people we have big discussions as some of them seem to think social media are just a passing thing. I am discovering this digital divide is far far far bigger than what you may expect and certainly does not stick to age groups as I’m teaching appr. 20 year old.
Katrien

]]> By: Dave http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-20854 Dave Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:29:21 +0000 http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-20854 I agree with this wholeheartedly, but I do understand the reservations of others. As much as I would love to get my mom to use Google Reader and Friendfeed, I know it isn't going to happen. Having said that, I don't feel a bit sorry for newspapers or magazines. Heck, radio magnates tried to keep television from growing for fear of their cash cow. It has been shown over and over again in history that those who embrace the new technology are the ones that reap the benefits. It is hard for me to feel sorry for people who do not want to accept the reality of how things are changing. BUUUUUT....The digital divide is much more prominent to those who are on the digital side. Like it or not, many many more people out there have no idea what Twitter is than do. So, the only way to reach those people is through the old way...newspapers, radio ads, etc. So the problem isn't with the content providers...it is with the recipients of the content. My point is, find a way to get my mom to use Twitter, and you can save the trees used to print newspapers. Until then, you will just have to deal with the pile of unread papers sitting in my mom's kitchen. :) Great article! Let's get the baby boomers on to Tumblr! I agree with this wholeheartedly, but I do understand the reservations of others. As much as I would love to get my mom to use Google Reader and Friendfeed, I know it isn’t going to happen. Having said that, I don’t feel a bit sorry for newspapers or magazines. Heck, radio magnates tried to keep television from growing for fear of their cash cow. It has been shown over and over again in history that those who embrace the new technology are the ones that reap the benefits. It is hard for me to feel sorry for people who do not want to accept the reality of how things are changing.

BUUUUUT….The digital divide is much more prominent to those who are on the digital side. Like it or not, many many more people out there have no idea what Twitter is than do. So, the only way to reach those people is through the old way…newspapers, radio ads, etc. So the problem isn’t with the content providers…it is with the recipients of the content. My point is, find a way to get my mom to use Twitter, and you can save the trees used to print newspapers. Until then, you will just have to deal with the pile of unread papers sitting in my mom’s kitchen. :)

Great article! Let’s get the baby boomers on to Tumblr!

]]> By: Jonathan Joseph http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19529 Jonathan Joseph Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:57:40 +0000 http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19529 Adam, This is a really good post. I just launched a social media service for fantasy football and have seen first-hand the difference between those who understand new Web concepts and those who don't. Nice analysis. Adam,

This is a really good post. I just launched a social media service for fantasy football and have seen first-hand the difference between those who understand new Web concepts and those who don’t. Nice analysis.

]]> By: Gaston http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19514 Gaston Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:27:14 +0000 http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19514 Excellent post and topic! I humbly add this awesome quote: "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." --Eric Hoffer Excellent post and topic! I humbly add this awesome quote:

“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

–Eric Hoffer

]]> By: Adam Singer http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19499 Adam Singer Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:14:36 +0000 http://thefuturebuzz.com/2008/09/21/just-how-large-is-the-business-worlds-digital-divide/#comment-19499 @tim - oatmeal squares sound good right now =) @ernesto - thanks for the compliment! @marksilva - appreciate the response, in reply to point #2: 2) flash is now seo enabled/search crawlable, so wouldn’t get too stuck on that so they say -- is google *really* indexing them the same way as other sites? i still haven't seen many (any?) totally flash-based sites come up first in search for a major term...i could be wrong here, but most of the stuff i see on page one isn't flash based. it is probably because many bloggers / web pros shy away from flash and don't link there as much. there definitely is a distaste for flash among much of the web community. this in itself is a reason to stay away from it also, slower load times and the need for plugins make flash less desirable in my mind...maybe it is a personal preference thing, but i still will not advise anyone to develop a site in all flash @tim – oatmeal squares sound good right now =)

@ernesto – thanks for the compliment!

@marksilva – appreciate the response, in reply to point #2:

2) flash is now seo enabled/search crawlable, so wouldn’t get too stuck on that

so they say — is google *really* indexing them the same way as other sites?

i still haven’t seen many (any?) totally flash-based sites come up first in search for a major term…i could be wrong here, but most of the stuff i see on page one isn’t flash based. it is probably because many bloggers / web pros shy away from flash and don’t link there as much. there definitely is a distaste for flash among much of the web community. this in itself is a reason to stay away from it

also, slower load times and the need for plugins make flash less desirable in my mind…maybe it is a personal preference thing, but i still will not advise anyone to develop a site in all flash

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