A lot of the folks who read this blog (see how I just made it sound like a lot of people actually read this?) are already "there" in terms of new technology and are in a position to lead the way or at least join in the charge to make it happen on a campus or within an organization. So, given that, I thought I'd post a thought that might help guide some of the conversations with those who just don't want to deal with it.
Tell them to think of dealing with new technology in the same way they deal with their cars. You don't necessarily have to know how to tune it up or how to change the belts, but you need to have an appreciation for the fact that the car runs on more than magic -- if for no other reason than to avoid getting fleeced by an unethical mechanic.
Same applies here. It's awfully hard to remain relevant on campus these if you have the position that you don't care to deal with these "crazy Internet trends that will go away soon anyway." Even if you don't use Facebook or text message, it's important to accept that a lot of people do and that these new technologies are a major element of how people communicate today. Remember, the first-year students descending on our campuses shortly were born right around 1990. They've always had the web.
Starting from that point, we can get into conversations about new media, puttiung it into context along with all the other communication vehicles out there, rather than looking at "web 2.0" as a distinct phenomenon that will fade away. It won't. The market may tighten and the rules may change, but the landscape for communication and engagement has shifted.
So, our task as ambassadors, consumers and trend-watchers of all this good stuff is to help put it into context, make people comfortable with experimenting, and demonstrate how it can add value and not just suck up time. A quick scan of all the jargon we use (RSS, blog, wiki, xml, flex, yadda, yadda, yadda) and the fact that something new comes about every day makes it easy to see how off-putting new technologies can be. If you want to make the case for using them on your campus, you need to do the work necessary to set the stage for the non-digital natives.
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