http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/30313/embracing-social-media
I currently get the Newspaper The Stage delivered weekly to my house.
This is a good way to keep in touch and up to date with the industry and it's news!
I read this article and instantly related to a part of our course,'Professional communications technologies' it talks about the importance and uses of web tools 2.0 in Theatres.
Have a read and let me know what you got from it!
Thank you for the article link Jo. It was definately worth the read! I found it particularly interesting when it suggested that the web allows people to think of the theatre as the people inside it rather than just a building. This is something I have never considered before and thinking about it now it is easy to think of the whole production and forget the individuals who work to make it happen.
ReplyDeleteI think that social networking sites could have a massive impact on the theatre and obviously this has already started. When people write something about a show on facebook it definately makes me want to go and see it. Even though the article mentions the drawbacks that the people who update the sites still have to be paid I personally feel the benefits could outweigh the negatives as you could create a buzz about the show just from a social networking site. Word travels fast and this could lead to more ticket sales.
It was interesting that it mentioned that some people are left out of the social network hype and these people are mainly people over the age of 45. I would tend to disagree as I know lots of people of an older generation who communicate via facebook and I think that the numbers can only increase. People who don't use the sites could still hear about things from friends or children who do use them. I definately think this new web generation could help promote theatres and allow industry professionals to communicate with their audiences which could help future productions meet possible changinging desires of the audience.
Yes this article really relates to just how big social networking is becoming. I have found a number of articles in the Metro over the past week mainly on the negative impact of social networking sites. One mentioned a priest who commented on facebook that he would give Prince Williams marriage 5 years. He has made a public appology over it. I do feel it is a bit scary the way we are heading. As the article points out everyone now has the power to be a critic and like Natalie says she would be influenced by what someone wrote about a show on Facebook. Therefore businesses must take the good with the bad. I also agree with Natalie that the benefits outweigh the downsides to social media for businesses. We have to accept that we are living in a generation that can and wants to access information in an instant. Communication is so much easier than it was years before and as The Stage points out "digital media is here to stay" (Elizabeth Davis, The Stage, 2010). Also see my blog on Connectivism and Technology.
ReplyDeleteThanks girls for having a look, you both made valid points about the positives and nagatives of such sites,it's taking over!
ReplyDeleteYou made an interesting point about how much our opinions can get influenced online, our minds can almost be indoctrinated if enough people show interest in something therefore I think it's important to keep a firm hand on our off-line opinions.
Another interesting thing mentioned in the article is a new social networking site 'Diaspora' which puts "users in complete control of what they share with the world"(Zuckerburg, 2010).
If you want more information on this up and coming social site check out the article below!
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/848275-facebook-rival-diaspora-launches#ixzz16DsuRCi4
Thanks for the post about Diaspora. I have blogged before about how I canceled my Facebook account due to privacy issues and this site looks as though it is trying to combat these worries. I'll have to keep an eye out for when it launches.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of Facebook, I do see the benefits, such as reaching a wide yet targeted audience for smaller theatre venues on a budget and for these instances think it is a wonderful tool. The audience can engage with the theatre, almost breaking down the traditional sense of the audience merely spectating. This could act as a way to draw an audience in and support the venues on a personal level; you could argue that audience members may form digital affiliations with theatres and their associates before even watching a show. This, in turn, could help to 'win the audience over'.
As I ever increasingly discover the true benefits to social media sites, I am torn between opening my account back up or not. I want to fully embrace the development of my professional networks, yet strongly like my privacy at the same time! The debate continues....