I have an immediate and negative knee-jerk reaction to the case that younger people only use the web and older people (loosely defined, of course) don't. It's silly and for every Twittering tween you show me, I'll come right back with a Googling grandpa. Social media usage, in my opinion, is more about disposition than demographics.
So, if you've recently attended a conference where you were told that you are irrelevant if you don't have a blog or a Facebook page, take a step back and think about the community you are communicating with at your organization. Do they tend to take initiative? Do they write letters to the editor of your magazine? Do they want to help build something or do they want to take advantage of a final product? I think it's necessary to take a few steps back to think about how they demonstrate interest and interact before pushing forward with a program.
This is particularly important with new media, partially because it's just so new. We need the flexibility to experiment -- smartly, of course -- and learn based on what is working and what isn't. Members of the community need to feel like they're part of the process not just recipients of the final product. If they're not -- or they're not willing to work through it with you -- the point of interactivity is lost.
If you think about your community's profile, are they the types who get a charge out of building something new or would they rather work with a finished product. The former group is much more likely to get on board, take ownership and build community in powerful ways.
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