Some leaders in the association world, the ASAE blog “Acronym” and Ben Martin, are convinced that “email is for old people.” Speakers at a Boston technology conference said that both email and word processing are at thing of the past. The tech saavy people out there are now using instant messaging and wikis.
I’m not sure if this trend has taken off in the park and recreation world but I think it’s a wake-up call to some members. The Illinois Park and Recreation Association still gets feedback from some members about the “high tech” communication methods being used (eNewsletters, blogs, podcasts…an electronic shift). A very small minority of our members would prefer snail mail and everything delivered to them in hand.
Why? As an association committed to conservation of our environment, we should be doing whatever we can from chopping down trees. If electronic means of communicating can be done successfully and reach almost 100% of members then why not do it?
Are people afraid of change? Are people hesitant to learn something new? Well folks it’s not new anymore and it’s time to get on the bandwagon…the blogwagon…the podwagon…you know what I mean.
Learn to love IPRA’s blog. We’ve syndicated the blog posts to the main IPRA Web site with teaser text so you’re never too far away from getting the news you want to read. The Blog Spot is where you’ll find out what’s going on, who’s doing what, how the association is doing, trends in the field…anything really. Because each of you can freely comment back on the posts it becomes a learning tool for both IPRA and its members.
I don’t think email and word processing is for old people or a dying technology…but we’ve all got to expand our horizons and go with the flow.
I don’t necessarily think email is for old people — yet. We haven’t quite reached that tipping point. But the words have been uttered, and it’s only a matter of time until the words become a self fulfilling prophesy.
Thanks for the comment Ben. I think we’ve got a ways to go but people can, and will, and have already begun to change their narrow-minded thinking on how association news should be delivered to them.
I agree with Ben’s point…email hasn’t fizzled just yet, but its on the way out. Email is a great way to communicate and has been the most used communication protocol for some time, but people are tired of constant software/hardware acquisitions just to keep spam, viruses, and spyware at bay. If you were tell people back in 1994 that every organization would have a website and associated email, they would have laughed at you. The same goes for conducting financial transactions online as well. Everyone thought this was “something that could never be done” and now just about anyone who has a product or service to sell does this everyday.
People need not only to keep up with technology, but also need to give it a try. Recent and new technologies are geared to make an end-users life easier, not more advanced. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of Web 2.0 (blogs/podcasts) it helps to streamline information sources over multiple outlets, while allowing end users to share their opinion and provide feedback. Its funny to see how much some companies will spend for a website and its nearly impossible to find out who works there and a way to contact someone besides a random email.
People once complained about using email and its intracacies, but now everyone uses it. The same will be said about blogs shortly.
Interesting read on the way technology is going. Check out this interview posted on the Utne website http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2006_269/news/12285-1.html about the disposibility of ELECTRONICs and the impact on the environment. “The Environmental Protection Agency cites estimates that 130 million cell phones are thrown out in the United States each year and 250 million computers will be out-of-date in less than five years. These figures aren’t surprising when you consider the races between companies to release faster computers, flatter televisions, and fancier cell phones as quickly as consumers can whip out their credit cards. Chalk it all up to “planned obsolescence,” the strategy of deliberately building a product that quickly loses its usefulness so that consumers will line up for the newer, better model.” (from Disposing with Disposability
An Interview with Giles Slade, By Rachel Anderson, Utne.com accessed 10/05/06)
I like technology, but I don’t think I need to always go “faster” and be able to talk to more people 24/7. As a person who likes to promote the quality use of leisure time, I don’t think technology should be the ONLY game in town; but it seems as though that isn’t always considered.
Nancy,
You bring up a really great point. From a consumer aspect, marketing strategies by “big box” vendors such as IBM, HP, Apple, and Dell have greatly fluctuated consumer perceptions that you always “need the latest and greatest PC/Mac” in order to run the latest and greatest operating systems and related software. New designs, colour schemes, flat-screen monitors, and upgraded hardware (that is often unneeded for the home consumer) have shortened the life span of any computer. From an IT aspect, whether a corporate enterprise or a small business less is more. Doing your “homework” on what your end-users ACTUALLY need in a computer to run the required software and related systems can pay huge dividends in terms of technology spending and acquisition. Its good to see that these “big box” vendors now have detailed and easy-to-use recycling programs for people upgrading to a new computer. Hopefully, this will become more mainstream and people will become more aware of the environmental concerns.