Content ot Context?

I heard someone say - and I wish I could remember who - 'context is king' in our age of digital distribution. Perhaps. But 'content' hasn't given up its crown completely. New media provide a vehicle and a place to say something but you still need something to say.

'Embracing the new world of new media' is my tag on this blog. This new world only exists because there are 'real world' thoughts and ideas to be communicated. New Media advances are not an end in themself - not in my book anyway. They may give you a 'context' to talk in but if you have nothing to say you'll quickly find youself out of context.

So do something. This is your content. And then you just might find people listening.

Technological pragmatism...we can but should we?

I picked up a book called Five Big Ideas by Mal Fletcher. I've not finished it so don't read this as a review - or an endorsement! - but the first ideas he addresses is Technological Pragmatism. He questions the common premise that because we can do something we should do it. It's right to question.

Sometimes it's also right to do the things we can do because we can do them. Today I was at a conference that was supposed to be webstreaming to a select group of satellite centres. At least one hadn't realised this service was availble to them. Why? Because although conference streaming is easily done it sometimes isn't for a confused assortment of reasons. If it was simply the case that every conference was streamed people would anticipate the service. When it's here and there, open assess and then secret access users get lost or left behide, so everybody loses out.

We can but should we? Let's answer the question and then be clear and consistent.