Old vs. New

In my previous post titled, 'Describe New Media' I gave an overview of the different forms of 'New Media' and made some comparisons to that of 'Old Media.' Here are some specific things that we can consider when comparing 'New Media' with 'Old Media': Cost It's no secret, it is far less expensive for a business owner to utilize 'New Media' rather than 'Old Media' in terms of reaching his/her target audience. 'New Media' is typically free to use, whereas 'Old Media' can be very costly. The use of 'New Media' provides a some-what level playing-field for small business owners when compared with the marketing efforts of larger companies. Here, the small business owner can get the word out about his/her business and not run the risk of going bankrupt, as would be the case if more traditional forms of advertising were to be used. Time To use the example of social networking, a form of 'New Media,' business owners can large amounts of time that would need to be invested, if he/she were to participate in traditional 'hand-shaking' type events. This issue resonates especially with small business owners who sometimes have to make a choice between establishing effective relationships with customers and potential business partners, against staying onsite and ensuring that the business is being run smoothly. To a great extent, social networking makes this decision a lot easier because the business owner is able to multitask- run his/her business and use small increments of time to expand his/her social network. Reach By far, 'New Media' has the potential to have a more expansive reach than that of 'Old Media.' This is in part to the fact that older media forms such as newspapers/magazines, television and radio can now be viewed by audiences using the internet- the unifying force in most forms of 'New Media.' Interactivity In the case of 'Old Media' interactivity is limited in that feed-back from the audience cannot be facilitated in some cases, or if even it can be facilitated, garnering a response from the audience can take a long time. It can also be expensive and time consuming for the company if printed or phone surveys (usually associated with 'Old Media') are used to keep abreast of the changing needs of the audience. Human Resources 'Old Media' requires a full staff to keep processes running efficiently. This is not usually the case with 'New Media' especially in small businesses, where one or two persons can be charged with the responsibility of making updates to posts and responding to audiences. In some larger companies, the management of 'New Media' is now an added role to existing forms of 'Old Media.'